Near Lake City in Hinsdale County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Early Holocene Encampment
| | Silver Thread Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 21, 2025
1. Early Holocene Encampment Marker
Nearly 10,000 years ago, Archaic hunters and gatherers camped along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Here they hunted wild game such as bighorn sheep and elk in these alpine valleys.
At the end of the last Ice Age, Archaic big game hunters skillfully hunted animals such as elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and a now extinct variety of bison (Bison taylori). Archaeological evidence indicates that these hunters camped along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Stone tools found in these encampments include bifaces, drills, scrapers, projectile points, and point fragments.
Near the end of the Ice Age, during a colder and wetter period of time, Archaic hunters lived in small bands. Indications are that they did not stay in any one place very long, but moved often in search of game animals.
Erected by Western Colorado Interpretive Association and Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 38° 5.19′ N, 107° 17.608′ W. Marker is near Lake City, Colorado, in Hinsdale County. It is on Silver Thread Scenic Byway (State
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Volcanic History (here, next to this marker); Roads into the Mountains (approx. 3.7 miles away); Metropolis of the San Juans (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Mountain People (approx. 3.7 miles away); Silver Thread Country (approx. 3.7 miles away); Colorado's Largest Narrow Leaf Cottonwood Tree (approx. 3.8 miles away); Pioneer Education in Western Colorado (approx. 3.9 miles away); Henry Kohler House Built 1880-81 (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake City.
Courtesy Pitblado
2. Marker detail: Angostura Point & Jimmy Allen Point
A number of projectile points from the Heath Site indicate that this area along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River was occupied by Archaic hunters between 10,500 and 7,500 BP (Before Present.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 21, 2025
3. Early Holocene Encampment Marker
This marker is the leftmost of two interpretive panels at this location.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on January 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on January 29, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on January 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
