Interpretive Media
Fostering public appreciation of Plains and Rocky Mountains archaeology is central to PCRG’s mission. In addition to direct participation by a wide variety of people, many PCRG projects include a public outreach component. PCRG has produced or contributed to video shorts, wayside interpretive panels, posters and interpretive brochures, school curricula and other media designed to educate the public and encourage heritage conservation.
Use the map viewer below to see our different interpretive media projects. Please note, many of these projects are placed in the general vicinity of the project to protect the site location information. You can also scroll down to see a list of each of our interpretive media projects.
PCRG conducted three field seasons of work at Chief Looking’s Village, once in 2008 and again in 2015-2016. The site is on what is now a public park with a walking path which has 10 interpretive panels, plus one northwest of the site at Pioneer Park. In 2019, PCRG along with our partners at the Northern Plains Heritage Area, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismark Parks and Recreation, and the National Park Service, installed new interpretive panels using updated data from our work there. Click the link below to go on a “virtual” tour of the site, where you can download PDFs of each panel. You can go in any order but it is best to start with the lone panel at Pioneer Park!
Click here to take the virtual tour!
PCRG has been researching and documenting the archaeology of southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley for over a decade. The rich cultural history in the valley goes back some 13,000 years, including Paleoindian bison kills dating to the Folsom period, to Archaic and Late Prehistoric habitation sites, like the Upper Crossing site. In 2016, PCRG, in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, History Colorado State Historical Fund, and Rig to Flip Productions, produced this 10 minute film to highlight this rich history and share this story with the public.
This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.
The Saguache Creek Valley poster and brochure is the result of years of research by PCRG and our partners in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. The poster and brochure were distributed across the valley, including schools, libraries, and museums, helping to share the cultural history of the valley with a variety of audiences. They are meant to be viewed in tandem, so click below to open both PDF files (the files are large and may take a minute to download).
Saguache Creek Valley: A.D. 635 Poster
Saguache Creek Valley: A.D. 635 Brochure
The Baca Mountain Tract, just north of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, contains an incredible record of archaeology and history spanning thousands of years. From American Indian stone enclosures, to routes of the Old Spanish Trail and nineteenth century ranching, the Baca Mountain Tract has it all. This video, produced in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, History Colorado State Historical Fund, Rig to Flip, and others, takes you on a journey through this rich history, hearing from archaeologists, dendrochronologists, and volunteers.
This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.
From 2016 to 2018, PCRG, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and a variety of other partners, joined forces to conduct a massive citizen science and public archaeology project at the Magic Mountain site. The site, on the outskirts of the Denver Metro area, contains evidence of human occupation going back some 8000 years, with the most intense period of use during the Early Ceramic period, or roughly A.D. 150 to 1150. Over 80 volunteers and researchers participated in this three-year project, and nearly 3000 people visited the site on daily tours. PCRG and DMNS received the 2019 Society for American Archaeology Award for Excellence in Public Education and the 2020 History Colorado Stephen H. Hart State Archaeologist Award for our work on this project.
This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.
In 2016, many states across the nation produced videos celebrating 50 years since the signing of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966. These videos highlight projects that were made possible by the NHPA which have contributed to our understanding of the rich cultural heritage of the nation. The North Dakota video features two projects, Beacon Island and Scattered Village, both of which PCRG played a major role in seeing to completion along with our partners at the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
In 2016, the Midwest Archaeological Center (National Park Service) organized a massive public outreach and education project for school-aged youth at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. MWAC, joined by partners from PCRG, the Northern Plains National Heritage Area, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, among many others, led this three-day endeavor where young people learned about archaeology, history, and science. Learn more about the project and watch the video at the links below.
The Blackfoot Cave site in Douglas County, Colorado, has evidence of occupations going back thousands of years. In 2015, PCRG undertook research at the site to further explore this history, which includes a Paleoindian spear point, along with evidence of more extensive Archaic and Late Prehistoric occupations, coupled with a nineteenth century homestead. As part of this project, PCRG produced two interpretive panels to be displayed at the site. One focuses on the cultural history of the area while the other examines how environmental and climatic conditions changed over time. These two panels are meant to be viewed side-by-side, you can download a PDF of each below. Please note, the files are large and could take a minute to download.
This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.
Blackfoot Cave Cultural Timeline
Blackfoot Cave Environmental Timeline
The Arkansas River headwaters in central Colorado have been a hub of activity for thousands of years. In 2016, PCRG excavated at the Venado Enojado site which sits above the floodplain of the Arkansas. A part of that project was producing a wayside interpretive panel which is displayed near a raft put-in along Highway 285. Please note, the large file may take a minute to download.
This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant.
Past to Present: American Indian Life in the Arkansas Headwaters