Of Rock Carvings and UFO's in Colorado Springs

Of Rock Carvings and UFO's in Colorado Springs

As part of my ongoing quest to find interesting places to visit, I recently purchased a fun book called "Weird Colorado", recommended by a friend. I had no idea there was so much 'weird' here!

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) field investigator, Chuck Zukowski, was investigating reports of UFO activity in a Colorado Springs park, when he learned of another, unrelated oddity within the park. Strange carvings in stone. Two faces, and not very pretty ones, at that :) I had never heard of that particular park, and intrigued, called the same friend that recommended the book, inviting her to join me in looking for the face carvings.

On the morning we were to set off, I checked online to learn more about the park and the faces carved in stone, and discovered there wasn't much there to learn. About the carvings anyway...what I did learn was that the park included 338 acres. Suddenly I realized finding the carvings in a 338 acre park would be much like the proverbial needle in a haystack...

We decided to go anyway. If nothing else, for a good hike.

This is where my story gets weird -

Neither of us had ever been there, and neither of us had the slightest clue about where within the park these carvings might be found. We moved off the beaten path, and followed a trail that was much smaller looking to end up in the canyon below. And incredibly, and this is the truth, we hiked straight to one of the carvings! I put my hand up on it, and said to my friend that 'this ring in the rock is odd... I suppose it could be natural...' We quickly realized we had found the first carving. How in the world that was possible, I'll never understand. We hummed the Twilight Zone theme song for days afterward....

These are photos of the first carving. It is a bit abstract, and has a curious 'question mark' looking symbol on what seems to be a headdress or hat. The nose area has pretty much weathered away, as has one side of the carving on the cheeks. It was the left 'eye' ring I first had my hand on.

We spent a whole lot of time looking for the second carving without success, even though the book said they were only a few feet apart, and finally gave up and left. After getting home, I emailed Mr. Zukowski for information on how to find the second carving, and he graciously replied. So, we went back and found it right away.

(Thanks Chuck!  It was hiding in plain sight :)

These are the photos I took of the second carving. It is a big head with a long face, a huge nose, has an open mouth, and a fat tongue sticking out. It looks like one of the eyes is closed, or perhaps 'winking'?

Note the eyeball carved within the eye socket.

There appears to be no scientific research into the carvings. I have no idea how old they might be, or who would have carved them. They certainly don't seem to be Native American. Both show signs of weathering, and the larger one in particular has parts that have worn away. Apparently the carvings are not widely known, for it's a sure bet that if they were, some fool would have vandalized them by now...

I have attached photos to an email and written to two CU anthropology professors asking if they have any knowledge of the carvings. I am eagerly awaiting a reply!