Jurgens Site


The Jurgens Site is a 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.

Geography

The site is located on a South Platte River terrace in northeastern Colorado, east of Greeley near the town of Kersey. There are three sites located nearby; The Frazier site is away and the Dent site is southwest.

History

Paleo-Indian

were primarily hunters of large mammals, such as the Bison antiquus, during a transitional period from Ice Age to Ice Age summer. As the climate warmed, glacial run-off created lakes and savannas. 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, Carter/Kerr-McGee and Frasca. 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".

Bison kill site

Although bison antiquus 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.

Archaeology

Artifacts

Artifacts were found in distinct areas within the site:
SiteArtifact
Butcher stationBison bones that were easily moved, excluding skulls and pelvic bones. Tools for killing and butchering.
Short term campA limited number items for hide preparation, tool creation and general domestic activities.
Residential areaItems 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, fish and bird bones.
Tools at the site included:
In 1967 Wormington excavated the Frazier site where she found Agate Basin Site artifacts and bison bones. Malde was the geologist on the Dent and Frazier sites.