Francisco Fort through the Town of La Veta has submitted and received a State Historical Preservation Grant (SHP) for continued research into the prehistoric hearth that was found this past summer ( June 13, 2022 ) outside the East Wing in Francisco Fort Plaza. Pottery, Bison bones and other animal jaws and bones were found in the hearth. The grant will provide carbon dating, some shovel testing and other work to give us more direction about the site and to see if additional excavation is warranted. There is great interest at the State about this find and what it can tell us about the early people’s of this valley. It is the hope of the Francisco Fort Museum Board that the community would be involved in any excavations going forward as part of an active dig. The grant requires a match of $4,993. Private and foundation funds are being sought for this amount. Any funds received through this request will be used as match for the SHP Grant.