The Magic Mountain Community Archaeology Project, devoted to studying one of the most significant archaeological sites along Colorado’s Front Range, will receive the 2019 Award for Excellence in Public Education from the Society for American Archaeology at its annual meeting next month.
The Society’s awards recognize and honor knowledge and professional achievements at all career levels, from student and early career archaeologists to those who have made lasting contributions to the Society and the profession. SAA is recognizing the Magic Mountain project for its exemplary commitment to involving local communities in an archaeological research project.
The Magic Mountain site in Golden, Colorado, has served as a crossroads of culture throughout human history. From the nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived there for thousands of years, to the pioneers of the 1800s, to those who bike and hike the area today, there is a collective awareness that the area is special. The Magic Mountain project taps into this shared sense of place and explores the stories of the people who lived there long ago, while making these tales relevant and tangible to people today.
This collaboration between the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the Paleocultural Research Group, and various local Colorado communities is committed to conducting world-class research while making the site accessible to the general public. Two exceedingly successful seasons of community based fieldwork were conducted in 2017 and 2018, each lasting about three weeks. In the process, more than 3,000 people were engaged, including tribal representatives, families, seniors, locals, youth groups, under-reached communities, interns, volunteers, tour guides, and seasoned professionals.
The research has already led to some new science. The Magic Mountain project partners announced in January 2019 that new radiocarbon dates from buried soil and associated artifacts date the site to 8,000 radiocarbon years BP, or roughly 9,000 calendar years ago. Previous excavations and radiocarbon dates revealed that the oldest occupation was roughly 5,500 to 5,000 years ago.
“We are honored to receive this award,” said Dr. Michele Koons, the Museum’s curator of archaeology and co-director of the project with Dr. Mark Mitchell of the Paleocultural Research Group. “We designed this project to place cultural history into the hands of the public to instill a sense of ownership and responsibility for our historical resources. We don’t want our past to disappear.”
“SAA is one of the leading organizations in archaeology,” said Susan Chandler, president of the Society of American Archaeology. “The Society has a long tradition of acknowledging excellence in the field of archaeology through our awards, which pay tribute to those performing outstanding archaeological scholarship and research.”