1,000-year-old skeleton near Rangely

A human skeleton, dated by a state archeologist to be around 1,000-years-old, was recently found west of Rangely.
Local authorities were immediately contacted after a Chevron pipeline crew dug up the part of the skeleton, near the end of line.
According to Thomas Carr, staff archeologist for History Colorado, the coroner is the first person on the scene to determine if the scene has forensic value. If not, the site is covered under the NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) of 1990.
“We have done a lot of consulting with tribes on how to handle Native American burial sites,” Carr said. “We work together to repatriate and rebury remains in cooperation with Native American tribes.”
Carr said he and two volunteers from the Colorado Archeology Society excavated the “mostly complete” skeleton which is currently in the possession of History Colorado and will be turned over to the tribal authorities.
“From field observation, the skeleton is definitely old,” Carr said. “I would guess likely 1,000 years, but it could be older or under.”
Carr said minimal observations or studies would be done on the skeleton before it is repatriated to the tribe.