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Sharing Southwestern Colorado's Archaeological Past
New Grant Will Support Website, Animations, and Lesson Plans
Web users all over the world, viewers of Crow Canyon’s upcoming Time Team America episode, and southwestern Colorado school students will all benefit from a recent grant from History Colorado’s State Historical Fund. The grant supports Crow Canyon’s project “Sharing Southwestern Colorado’s Archaeological Past,” which will provide new ways for the public to understand archaeological research and the importance of preserving the archaeological record.
The project will involve three key elements—Crow Canyon’s new website, animations of Basketmaker III archaeological remains, and experiential lesson plans that highlight southwestern Colorado’s cultural and natural landscapes.
Crow Canyon’s new website:
The goals of the new Crow Canyon website are to foster an understanding of the place of archaeology in reconstructing the past and to provide resources for learning about the archaeology of the Mesa Verde area and Pueblo Indian history and culture. The new site will be visitor-focused and will have an improved interface and navigation. The Center’s educational resources will be prominently featured.
Animations:
Oregon Public Broadcasting, the producer of Time Team America, is guiding the creation of a variety of animations for the Crow Canyon episode. The animations are designed to give viewers a detailed and historically accurate look at the kinds of tools, pottery, and buildings used by people living in the Mesa Verde region 1,400 years ago. The animations will also be featured on both the Time Team and Crow Canyon websites.
Museum on the Ground lesson plans and educational program:
Derived from a previous partnership with the Anasazi Heritage Center (AHC) called the Castle Rock Field Days—held at Castle Rock Pueblo—the new Museum on the Ground program will incorporate revised lesson plans. The updated plans will be based on reviews of Colorado academic standards of fourth grade history and socials studies, as well as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum. In collaboration with AHC educators and interpreters, the lessons will be delivered to fourth grade students in Montezuma and Dolores counties in Colorado at a site in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
We wholeheartedly thank the History Colorado State Historical Fund for its support for these valuable programs. We’ll keep you updated on our progress!
 The publication of this article was made possible in part by a grant from the State Historical Fund (a program of History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society).
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