MESA COUNTY, COLORADO—The remains of hundreds of wickiups, conical-shaped dwellings built by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of southwestern Colorado, have been documented by the Forest Service and the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group, in partnership with the Ute Indian Tribe of northeastern Utah, Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes of southwestern Colorado, and other public land management agencies. “Wickiups and other aboriginal wooden features, such as tree platforms and brush fences, were once commonplace in Colorado. Few examples are still in existence; the majority of the remaining features can be associated with Ute culture and consequently represent the only surviving architecture of the state’s living indigenous peoples,” said Brian Ferebee, deputy regional forester for the Rocky Mountain Region. Metal and stone artifacts are often found at the sites, which range in age from less than 100 years to more than 200 years old. The sites are still used for ceremonial purposes today. “What we find helps us to manage these resources as part of our historic and cultural resource preservation goals,” added Molly Westby, the Rocky Mountain Region Heritage Program leader. To read about archaeological evidence of the Comanche, close neighbors and sometimes enemies of the Utes, see "Searching for the Comanche Empire."
