LITTLETON, Colo. - The preliminary results are in following an archaeological dig of the viewpoint at Jackass Hill Park.Denver7 spoke to the State Archaeologist at the time of the dig, that was prompted by many artifacts being f ound by community members who searched the area."It was compelling enough that we talked to South Suburban [Parks and Recreation], and South Suburban was super receptive to us investigating to see if there was a legitimate site out here," said Dr. Holly Norton, Colorado State Archaeologist, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, back in August during the dig.South Suburban Parks and Recreation has plans to build a vista terrace on the site as part of a larger renovation of the park. Littleton resident Ned Sterne and advocate archaeologist Craig Banister turned over hundreds of pieces to the State prior to the dig.The State's preliminary report was released in October.The report noted, of the 209 indigenous artifacts discovered by Sterne and Banister, 70% were cultural with the remaining 30% being unmodified rocks."What we found while we were out at Jackass Hill was a lot of what we call lithics. They were little pieces of chipped stone that indicated different activities like projectile point making, arrowhead making. We also identified a hearth that we were able to excavate," said Norton, "It was pretty limited in scope what we ended up collecting those three days."The report identified the lookout point as an 'indigenous open camp' where more than 350 artifacts were found. Around 90% were defined as undiagnostic bone fragments and lithic microflakes. Researchers also uncovered larger lithic flakes and mano fragments. The hearth was also found in this area.The conclusion of the preliminary report found that the area is not historically significant."We have to have really clear boundaries of when we're going to make decisions about putting resources into preserving sites or not, and for us: there's no longer a site," said Norton.The decision clears the way for South Suburban's construction plans to move forward."I would like to see the top of the hill be left alone, and have South Suburban revise their plan," said Sterne, "I would like to leave the archaeological site alone. It's hallowed ground to many people in Littleton. We don't need to dig it up. We know from the data we have, it's been used for 8,000 years. That's enough of a story, right there."He said he wasn't surprised at the findings since the archaeological dig was not very deep."We used modern methods, and methods that every archaeologist in North America uses to evaluate our site. It was hand excavation, and so it was fairly shallow," Norton acknowledged.The report did note the hearth that was discovered was an artifact of interest. Banister and Sterne sent off a piece of charcoal from inside the hearth to be tested.A radiocarbon analysis done by ICA Labs Inc revealed that piece of charcoal had an 82.2% probability of having a 'calibrated age' of 670-780 AD."I think that there's likely more material underneath the ground there," said Banister, "It's rare to have a site within the metro area of any city, because it's mostly been built over."Norton agreed that the site likely dates back thousands of years, however she said the challenge in deeming the site historically significant in 2026, is determining what is still around after decades of the area being a beloved neighborhood park."Talking to members of the community, we really learned that was an area that's been loved for a really long time. So I think a lot of folks, out of that love, have collected and taken a lot of those artifacts home. We know about the site that was there, that's no longer there, because of some of these folks and some of what they have in their homes. But, the site is gone because of that collecting," she said.The State recommended an archaeologist monitor the future construction in case something else is unearthed. South Suburban told Denver7 they are in the process of hiring an archaeologist before construction begins."If they are digging below the level that we were able to hand excavate, there is a slight possibility that additional materials might be found, and then those archaeologists on site will help both South Suburban and our office determine the level of significance," Norton said.Sterne is offering a different suggestion."If South Suburban is hell bent on digging this thing up, then there should be a proper archaeological excavation of the top of the hill. [South Suburban's] about to dig six feet deep to do what they're planning on doing. Let's dig that hole for them and make it a formal scientific archaeological site," he said, "It should not be archaeology by backhoe, which is about what's going to happen."Read the full preliminary report below:  ...read more read less