Comanche National Grassland

Vogel Canyon and Picture Canyon arelocated within the Grasslands and both contain excellent petroglyphs.

The first time visitor to the Comanche National Grassland is usually surprised to find such a varied landscape from rolling short grass prairies to rugged canyons rimmed by pinion-juniper forests. The Comanche National Grassland is responsible for the management of 443,764 acres of range lands and 300 different species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, & mammals.

Not only that but the Comanche National Grassland encompasses a fascinating landscape that reveals the history of the region in its exposed rock layers of prehistoric sea beds and ancient lakeshores rift with dinosaur tracks. Cultural sites in the grasslands represent a diverse history spanning thousands of years.

These vast expanses and hidden canyons were once the home to Native Americans who left their messages in the form of petroglyphs and pictographs on the cliff faces and rock overhangs throughout the region. Early traders passed through the area on the Santa Fe Trail, the canyons protect the rock walls of old stage stops from the days before the railroad, and ruins of early homesteads and ranches remain to remind us of life in another era. Stop by the Comanche National Grassland office in La Junta for free maps and brochures plus information to help you plan your adventure.

THE ANCIENT ONES

For many thousands of years the area that would become the Comanche National Grassland was home to prehistoric peoples. The earliest evidence found in the grasslands suggests that early paleo-hunters entered the region after the last ice some 12,000 years ago. Surface finds of these early big game hunters have been found. As the climate warmed and the larger mammals (prehistoric bison, mammoth, and sloth) became extinct these early hunters relied more and more on the smaller game that was to be found in the region into historic times. There also seems to be more emphasis on the processing of plant foods. These big game hunters evolved into true hunters and gatherers with a more complex social structure as evidenced by more varied stone tools, both for hunting and plant processing. It was during this period about 8,000 years ago that rock art began to appear on the canyon walls. Around 1,800 years ago there was another cultural shift when pottery and the bow-and-arrow were developed. Though these ancient people were still hunters and gathers, more permanent structures, reminiscent of the early Anasazi pit houses, began to appear. Agriculture began on a rudimentary level. This Ceramic Period, as it is called in southeast Colorado, lasted into the historic times when, in the early 1600s, these peoples were displaced by the Apache peoples, who in turn were replaced by the Comanche in the 1700s.

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