Archaeological Site for Red Ochre Mining
Long before the arrival of white settlers, Indigenous peoples mined red ochre in this area. It is believed that more than 250 tons of this red pigment were extracted using tools made from bone and stone.
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Signs of quarrying activities date back centuries before contemporary mining began. Reports indicate that stone tools from the region have been discovered in the mounds created by the Mississippi Mound Builders over 1,000 miles away.
Mine
Paleo-Indians extracted this earthy hematite, now referred to as Sunrise red ochre, from the Sunrise site approximately 13,000 years ago.
Red Ochre
Red ochre serves as a pigment, a preservative for wood, bone, and skin, as well as an abrasive. Discover More
Red ochre has been found in graves, ceremonial sites, on the floors of Paleo-Indian sites, and even on bones of animals hunted by Paleo-Indians! This vibrant hue, reminiscent of blood, carries profound symbolic meaning for the Paleo-Indians. The color red is woven into the fabric of life, representing birth, menstrual cycles, and death. Truly, red is an incredibly significant and powerful color!
(As one poet describes Sunrise, Wyoming)
For red is the color of Sunrise mine-
The trees are red, and the sky
Is flaming red, and even the wind
Moans red as it passes by.
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Red was the hope of the miners bold,
Red was their work and worth
And millions of tons of red ore poured forth
From the great red heart of the earth.
....poem "Red" by Mrs. Charles Bass (Torrington Telegram)
April 1, 1963.
