Jurgens Site
Encyclopedia
The Jurgens Site is an Paleo-Indian site located near Greeley
in Weld County, Colorado
. While the site was used primarily to hunt and butcher bison antiquus
, there is evidence that the Paleo-Indians also gathered plants and seeds for food about 7,000 to 7,500 BC
.
terrace in northeastern Colorado, 9 miles east of Greeley near the town of Kersey
. There are three sites located nearby; The Frazier site is 1 miles (1.6 km) away and the Dent site is 16 miles (25.7 km) southwest.
, during a transitional period from Ice Age
to Ice Age summer. As the climate warmed, glacial run-off created lakes and savanna
s. At the end of the summer period the land became drier, food was not as abundant, and they became extinct. People adapted by hunting smaller mammals and gathering wild plants to supplement their diet.
The items found at the site were identified as Cody complex culture. The Cody complex was first identified at a bison antiquus
kill site near Cody, Wyoming
in 1951. In addition to the Cody and Jurgens site, other Cody bison kill sites include Green River Basic (WY), Carter/Kerr-McGee (WY) and Frasca (CO). The sites are distinguished by their campsites, tools and butchering process. The tools, dated between about 6,000 and 8,000 BC, include Cody knives and Scottsbluff and diamond shaped Eden projectile points
. Shaft abraders, used to straighten spear shafts, were found at the Jurgens Site and a few other Cody complex sites.
According to Noel Justice, the site was inhabited first by people of the Agate Basin Site
culture and a second time by people defined as the "Kersey culture".
were dying off as the result of climate changes
at the end of the Ice Age
, the Jurgens site was evidence of their ability to acquire significant numbers of bison about 7150 B.C.
There was also an area where tools were resharpened or replaced. In addition to the bison bones at the site, there were also butchered mammal (such as antelope, elk, deer), fish and bird bones.
Tools at the site included:
In 1967 Wormington excavated the Frazier site where she found Agate Basin Site
(WY) artifacts and bison bones. Malde was the geologist on the Dent and Frazier sites.
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
in Weld County, Colorado
Weld County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
. While the site was used primarily to hunt and butcher bison antiquus
Bison antiquus
Bison antiquus, sometimes called the ancient bison, was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison....
, there is evidence that the Paleo-Indians also gathered plants and seeds for food about 7,000 to 7,500 BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
.
Geography
The site is located on a South Platte RiverSouth Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
terrace in northeastern Colorado, 9 miles east of Greeley near the town of Kersey
Kersey, Colorado
Kersey is a statutory town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,389 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally called Orr, Kersey was created in 1882 as a place on the Union Pacific Railroad main line between Julesburg and LaSalle. The area was given its current name in 1896 by...
. There are three sites located nearby; The Frazier site is 1 miles (1.6 km) away and the Dent site is 16 miles (25.7 km) southwest.
Paleo-Indian
Paleo-Indians were primarily hunters of large mammals, such as the Bison antiquusBison antiquus
Bison antiquus, sometimes called the ancient bison, was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison....
, during a transitional period from Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
to Ice Age summer. As the climate warmed, glacial run-off created lakes and savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s. At the end of the summer period the land became drier, food was not as abundant, and they became extinct. People adapted by hunting smaller mammals and gathering wild plants to supplement their diet.
The items found at the site were identified as Cody complex culture. The Cody complex was first identified at a bison antiquus
Bison antiquus
Bison antiquus, sometimes called the ancient bison, was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison....
kill site near Cody, Wyoming
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
in 1951. In addition to the Cody and Jurgens site, other Cody bison kill sites include Green River Basic (WY), Carter/Kerr-McGee (WY) and Frasca (CO). The sites are distinguished by their campsites, tools and butchering process. The tools, dated between about 6,000 and 8,000 BC, include Cody knives and Scottsbluff and diamond shaped Eden projectile points
Eden point
Eden Points are a form of chipped stone projectile points associated with a sub-group of the larger Plano culture. Sometimes also called Yuma points, the first Eden points were discovered in washouts in Yuma County, Colorado. They were first discovered in situ at an ancient buffalo kill site...
. Shaft abraders, used to straighten spear shafts, were found at the Jurgens Site and a few other Cody complex sites.
According to Noel Justice, the site was inhabited first by people of the Agate Basin Site
Agate Basin Site
The Agate Basin Site is a Paleoindian archeological site in Niobrara County, Wyoming. The location was discovered by William H. Spencer of Spencer, Wyoming in 1916, who found well-preserved stone blades and points in Moss Agate Arroyo. In 1941 Spencer mentioned the find to Robert E. Frison, a...
culture and a second time by people defined as the "Kersey culture".
Bison kill site
Although bison antiquusBison antiquus
Bison antiquus, sometimes called the ancient bison, was the most common large herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years, and is a direct ancestor of the living American bison....
were dying off as the result of climate changes
Holocene climatic optimum
The Holocene Climate Optimum was a warm period during roughly the interval 9,000 to 5,000 years B.P.. This event has also been known by many other names, including: Hypsithermal, Altithermal, Climatic Optimum, Holocene Optimum, Holocene Thermal Maximum, and Holocene Megathermal.This warm period...
at the end of the Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, the Jurgens site was evidence of their ability to acquire significant numbers of bison about 7150 B.C.
Artifacts
Artifacts were found in distinct areas within the site:| Site | Artifact |
|---|---|
| Butcher station | Bison bones that were easily moved, excluding skulls and pelvic bones. Tools for killing and butchering. |
| Short term camp | A limited number items for hide preparation, tool creation and general domestic activities. |
| Residential area | Items for hide preparation, an area and slab for grinding seeds and plants, evidence of tool creation and general domestic activities. |
There was also an area where tools were resharpened or replaced. In addition to the bison bones at the site, there were also butchered mammal (such as antelope, elk, deer), fish and bird bones.
Tools at the site included:
- 63 Kersey lanceolate projectile pointProjectile pointIn archaeological terms, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a projectile, such as a spear, dart, or arrow, or perhaps used as a knife....
s, like the Eden projectile pointsEden pointEden Points are a form of chipped stone projectile points associated with a sub-group of the larger Plano culture. Sometimes also called Yuma points, the first Eden points were discovered in washouts in Yuma County, Colorado. They were first discovered in situ at an ancient buffalo kill site...
. The raw material for the points was quartziteQuartziteQuartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
, found locally, and AlibatesAlibates Flint Quarries National MonumentAlibates Flint Quarries National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in the State of Texas. For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of...
from northern TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. - 271 utilized and 2,023 debitageDebitageThe term debitage refers to all the waste material produced during lithic reduction and the production of chipped stone tools. This assemblage includes, but is not limited to, different kinds of lithic flakes, shatter, and production errors and rejects....
flakes - 84 end scrapers
- 32 knives, some of which appear to have been fashioned from previous projectile points
- 30 ground-stone (anvil, hammerstone, etc.)
- 9 bone tools (atlatlAtlatlAn atlatl or spear-thrower is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing.It consists of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the dart. The atlatl is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup...
hooks, an engraved unla, antler flaking hammer) - 55 stone or mineral items
Excavation and studies
| Date | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Frank Frazier, a geologist | Frazier found the site while studying South Platte River gravel deposits. |
| 1968, 1970 | Joe Ben Wheat Joe Ben Wheat Dr. Joe Ben Wheat was an archaeologist, curator, teacher, and author known for his expertise on blanket weavings and textiles of the Navajo and other Indians in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. His research focused on Mogollon, Anasazi, Great Plains Paleo-Indian, and African Paleolithic... and, a research associate, Mary Wormington, from the University of Colorado Museum University of Colorado Museum of Natural History The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History is a museum of natural history in Boulder, Colorado. With more than four million artifacts and specimens in the areas of anthropology, botany, entomology, paleontology and zoology, the museum houses one of the most extensive and respected... . Harold Malde, United States Geological Survey United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,... . A National Science Foundation National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health... project. |
The site was identified as a combined kill and campsite. Artifacts were identified as Cody complex. |
In 1967 Wormington excavated the Frazier site where she found Agate Basin Site
Agate Basin Site
The Agate Basin Site is a Paleoindian archeological site in Niobrara County, Wyoming. The location was discovered by William H. Spencer of Spencer, Wyoming in 1916, who found well-preserved stone blades and points in Moss Agate Arroyo. In 1941 Spencer mentioned the find to Robert E. Frison, a...
(WY) artifacts and bison bones. Malde was the geologist on the Dent and Frazier sites.
Further reading
- Frison, G.C. (1991). Prehistoric Hunters of the High Plains. 2nd. edition. San Diego: Academic Press.
- Wheat, J.B. (1979). The Jurgens Site. Memoir 15. Lincoln: Plains Anthropologist.
- Wheat, J.B. (1978). Olsen-Chubbuck and Jurgens Sites: Four Aspects of Paleo-Indian Economy. Plains Anthropologist. 23(82):part 2, 84-89.