Palmer Divide Research

Paint Mines

Native American sites and finds (generalized)Living todayEl Paso County

What we know

Clay beds that, per the library's record, Plains Indians used for paint and pottery and Van Briggle Pottery later dug (PPLD record of survey A34). An El Paso County park.

Where it was

Paint Mines Interpretive Park, OpenStreetMap (2026-10-05); 'on Paint Mine Road south of Calhan' (PPLD record of survey photo A34).

A feature drawn in OpenStreetMap, such as a park or a lake.

See it on the map

Sources

Sources are named in the text above. Numbers such as S-0080 refer to our source list. Most newspaper quotations were read in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Long quotations from recent books are shortened here.

Know more about Paint Mines?

Corrections, family stories, photographs, deeds, letters and maps are all welcome. Messages and files come to Michael Christensen privately; nothing appears on the site until it has been checked, and you'll be credited the way you ask.