DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Archaeologists have found new sites in a Colorado park containing Native American artifacts that are likely more than 1,000 years old.
The Durango Herald reported Thursday that a team of archaeologists and volunteers surveyed a 450-acre (182-hectare) area in Lone Mesa State Park earlier this month.
Assistant state archaeologist Rebecca Simon says the items found in a ponderosa pine forest north of Dolores included stones used to grind grain and pieces of projectiles.
They also found metal debris left behind by a logging company over a century ago.
Archaeologist Kimball Banks says documenting the sites might help park managers tell visitors about how the land was used when the park eventually opens to the public.
The park opened to hunting in 2002, but no other recreational activities are currently allowed.