The Douglas County Historic Preservation Board has scheduled three free events for the public to attend in honor of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month, which is in May. The three events include: 1) a tour of the Lamb Spring Mammoth Preserve; 2) an open house at the Crull/Hammond Cabin; and 3) displays at the County's Philip S. Miller and Wilcox buildings.

Take a tour of the Lamb Spring Mammoth Preserve on Saturday, May 5 beginning at 9 a.m. Attendees will begin the tour by watching an introductory video explaining the excavations that have occurred at the site. Visitors then drive to the parking area and walk about two blocks to the site where the remains of 24 Columbian mammoth, ancient camel, bison and ground sloth were found in 1960 when Charles Lamb began work to enlarge a natural spring on his cattle ranch. Intensive archaeological excavations were conducted by the Smithsonian Institution in 1960-61 and 1980-81 yielding mammoth remains dating back 13,000 years and a possible link to some of the earliest people to inhabit North America.

This site is now preserved through a cooperative agreement between the Archaeological Conservancy and Douglas County. Tours are available the first Saturday morning of each month from May through October. For reservations, please contact Douglas County at 303.660.7460.

An open house, hosted by the Larkspur Historical Society, will be held at the 1874 Crull/Hammond Cabin on Saturday, May 20 from noon to 3 p.m. Vintage brass band music will be played by the First Colorado Civil War Band dressed in authentic winter uniforms of the First Colorado infantry. Mountain man, "Old Ramrod," will talk about the days of old and show/demonstrate artifacts such as muzzle loaders, knives, furs and other goods. Visitors are invited to bring a decorated box containing a picnic lunch/supper for their family. The society will award a prize for the best decorated box.

The cabin is located on the north side of Larkspur near the former pioneer settlement of Huntsville, which was Douglas County's first territorial post office and a stage stop for early travelers and freighters along East Plum Creek in 1860. The property was homesteaded in 1870 by William Crull, then postmaster of Huntsville; the ranch was later owned for many years by John Hammond, Douglas County's longest serving sheriff (1947-71). The cabin site is now part of Douglas County Open Space. For more information regarding the open house, please call Danna Hamling at 303.681.3738.

With so much historical information available in Douglas County, it only makes sense to have displays of artifacts available for the public to view. Artifacts will be available in the lobbies of the Douglas County Philip S. Miller Building at 100 Third St. and at the Wilcox Building at 301 Wilcox St. throughout the month of May.

For more information on the Douglas County Historic Preservation Board, please contact Erin Hause at 303.660.7460 or at ehause@douglas.co.us. For a list of some other historical activities put on by other boards and societies this month, please visit www.douglas.co.us/history.