Fremont Culture Petroglyphs

These (and many more) bighorn sheep petroglyphs are visible from the main petroglyph panel boardwalk on Utah Highway 24. Bring binoculars for a closer view.

NPS/ Shauna Cotrell

The Fremont Culture lived in what is now Utah for about one thousand years, from 300-1300 Common Era (CE). Petroglyphs (images carved or pecked into stone) are one of the most visible aspects of their culture that remains. Archeologists named these people the Fremont Culture, for the Fremont River canyon where they were first defined as a distinct culture.

The Fremont Culture petroglyphs along Utah State Route 24 are accessible by two wooden boardwalks. Depending on the time of day and which panel you view, some of the petroglyphs might be harder to see. Bring a pair of binoculars to get a closer view, and usually the longer you spend looking, the more petroglyphs you will notice. The shorter boardwalk provides views of large, anthropomorphic (human-like) petroglyphs, as well as bighorn sheep petroglyphs, and other animals and geometric designs. The longer boardwalk parallels the cliffs, and the petroglyphs along it are closer to the viewer, but harder to see because of a patina that has developed over them.

All archeological sites, including the petroglyphs off Utah Highway 24, are protected. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA) states that all acts of vandalism are illegal and are punishable by up to 1 year in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Anyone with information concerning vandalism within Capitol Reef National Park should immediately contact the National Park Service. Report all crimes or suspicious activity to the Visitor Center or a National Park Service employee, or call the Capitol Reef tip line at [phone].

 

Fremont Culture Petroglyphs are visible from two wooden boardwalks off of Utah Highway 24. Look closely, and you will notice many more nearby.

NPS/ Ann Huston

 

• Rick Pickyavit

  
  

  Rick Pickyavit narrates the story of the ancient Fremont Culture who farmed among the canyons and Fremont River of the Waterpocket Fold. Park visitors can interpret the stories depicted by these people by viewing the petroglyph panel along Utah Highway 24. From bighorn sheep to trapezoid-shaped human figures, these petroglyphs describe the lifestyle and culture of the Fremont Culture.
  Audio Transcript

  (Maik’wuus tuhkoov’un.) Hello my friend. My name is Rick Pickyavit. My Southern Paiute ancestors were roaming and hunting the canyons south of here when white settlers arrived in the 1880s. Long before the Mormon Pioneer, or any tribal memory, other Native American peoples came to know the canyons and cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold. We call them the Fremont Culture, because we don’t know what they called themselves. Unlike my own ancestors, the Fremont people did not move with the changing seasons. They took root in these watered canyons and became farmers as well as huntergatherers. They left few signs, even though they lived here longer than the five centuries between the voyage of Columbus and the present day.

  Other people like them lived over the large portion of what is today called Utah. For the most part, the story of the Fremont people can be told only in questions, not answers. How closely these people are related to the better-known pueblo-building Anasazi, no one knows. There are striking differences, as well as similarities. Many archeologists think that Fremont people may be descended directly from ancient nomads called the Desert Archaic. We know a little about the Fremont people’s daily lives from collections of precious artifacts, and something about their hearts and minds from their petroglyphs. We know less, almost nothing, about where they came from or why they left suddenly in the 13th century.

  For park visitors, some Fremont Culture petroglyphs can be viewed easily. Caution must always rule in the interpretation of petroglyphs. With few exceptions, we cannot really be sure what the ancient maker of the petroglyphs had in mind. Among serious students, there are some who consider almost all petroglyphs a form of writing, while others consider most of them to be art, not writing. The large trapezoid-shaped human figures excite interest. Many have headgear and horns. Figures are commonly seen with necklaces, earrings and sashes. Animals, especially bighorn sheep, appear in many petroglyphs, and indications are that they were once often hunted and perhaps revered.

  Following the disappearance of the Fremont people in the 13th century, no one resided in the Waterpocket Fold country for 500 years. During this time, however; Ute and Southern Paiute hunters and gatherers roamed the region. They lived in close harmony with the natural environment, and left little evidence of their presence. Here in the Fremont River Valley, archeologists first identified the Fremont Culture. As you walk these paths and hidden places, do not even touch the petroglyphs. Protect their legacy, even as I respect it.

 

Unable to visit in person? Check out the wayside panels for the petroglyphs:
Signs of a Thriving People
Stories in Stone
If Cliffs Could Speak