The Boulder Medicine Wheel was discovered and defined by several individuals.  Bill Spain was the first to notice strange rock outlines on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) grounds in Boulder, Colorado.  Dr. Bob McFarland, Dr. Charles Cambridge and others surveyed the property.  After initial problems, Charles Cambridge and the surveyor (note: surveyor please contact Charles Cambridge) logged certain types of stone on the NIST site. Full Details will be available in the Fall of 2005.   

Old Photo of NIST Property in Boulder, Colorado

Our Survey was concerned with an area which was about two football fields in size.  Broadway is on the left side of the picture and North is on top of the picture.

Slide of Initial Medicine Wheel on NIST Property

Bill Spain discovered the North small circle of stone and the larger central circle of stone which are defined by the black circles.  McFarland and Cambridge discover the South small circle of stone which is defined by the white circle.  The alignment of the circles is a few degrees off true North.  After the discovery of the South circle, Cambridge surveys the area for particular types of stones.  This survey covered area which was about two football fields in size.  The area of this slide is about one football field in size.

Summer and Winter Solstices Slide of the Medicine Wheel on NIST Property

The Cambridge Survey discovered the Summer and Winter Solstices.

Complex Lines and Circles of the Medicine Wheel

The Cambridge Survey discovered, besides the Summer and Winter Solstices, a twin (light blue circle) of the original red circle, a larger encompassing green circle.  The Summer Solstice line intersects with an ? line and the intersection of the lines serves as the center of the light blue circle.  An interesting feature were the bull eye circles which were about 2.4 larger than the previous circle.  North is on top of the page.  The West line had rocks along its line which a line from the center of the red circle and these stones would point to certain points on the western horizon. 

Charles Cambridge and Amanda Lopez filed a lawsuit to protect the Medicine Wheel site from construction of the new NIST building. However, the federal decision ruled on the "Balance of Harm" concept which allowed the construction of the new building since the Public would suffer greater harm than the American Indian religion in losing a sacred site.  However, Judge Nottingham ruled that the entire Medicine Wheel area was sacred Indian land.  So, there was a partial victory.

Following this court decision, with the urging of the Federal Government, consulting American Indian Tribes would not allow additional archaeological surveys or excavation on the property. 

Very important religious and archaeological information and artifacts, were lost when the construction of the new NIST building was constructed.