A cairn found in Cohab Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park. Frank and Anne's Canyon Country Hiking and Camping Notebook.

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Pictograph from Dinosaur NM. This page presents basic information on the archeology of canyon country, and links to our featured sites that have ancient ruins and rock art.
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 Overview

Canyon country is home to an amazing collection of archaeological sites, including villages, camps, hunting sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs. It seems that we are just scratching the surface in our understanding of those who came before us. And as we hike through this amazing landscape it seems that we are always encountering more evidence of the ancient ones. This page offers links to our featured sites where archaeological discovers are the focus, or where we have had the pleasure to discover the wonders of ancient rock art.

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 Ancient Ruins
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 Rock Art (Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Geoglyphs)

These pages contain large images of the rock art found in these locations. Download time may be a bit longer than usual, depending upon your Internet connection. Please be patient, it's worth the wait.

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Archaeological Site Etiquette

All archaeological and historic sites are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act which provides felony and/or misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment up to ten years and fines up to $250,000.

  • Do not climb, sit, or stand on walls. Walls are fragile and continue to deteriorate.
  • Do not pick up, move, or remove artifacts. Artifacts, where they lay, tell a story. Once they are moved, a piece of the past is forever lost.
  • Do not add anything (such as offerings) to a site. Cultural deposits, including the soil on a site, are important for scientific tests used in reconstructing past environments.
  • No fires, candles, smudging, or smoking in sites. Fire destroys prehistoric organic materials and destroys the dating potential of artifacts. Camping is not allowed.
  • Refrain from touching the rock art. Drawing, scratching, carving, painting, and oil from even the cleanest hands can cause deterioration of the drawings.
  • Stay on trails. Fragile desert plants and soils that are part of a site are destroyed when you stray from the trail. Also, snakes and other small desert animals may be in the bushes, under rocks, and in burrows. No bicycles and vehicles beyond the parking lot.
  • No pets allowed in these sites. Animals damage sites by digging, urinating, and defecating. They can destroy fragile cultural deposits and frighten other visitors.

If you see anyone vandalizing a site, report it as soon as possible to a park ranger or by contacting local authorities or by calling the Archaeological Resources Protection Act Hotline at 800-227-7286.

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 Books and Resources
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 Related Sites

Ancient Cultures of the Southwest
Beloit College.

Anthropology

Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University

Archaeology on the Net: Regional: North America

Archaeology Site Stewards
These volunteers monitor rock art and other archaeological sites in order to protect them from looters and vandals. Phone: 702-346-6644; E-mail: dwade@mesquite.com.

ArchNet
WWW virtual library of archaeology.

Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Arizona State University.

Desert People of the Past
DesertUSA site.

Field Archaeology Forum
A bulletin board style site where fieldworkers and dirt lovers can exchange points of view.

Four Corners School of Outdoor Education

Hopi Katsinam
Harvard University.

Indian Rock Art in Southeast Utah

Museum of Northern Arizona

National Archaeological Data Base

National Geographic Magazine

Petroglyph and Rock Art Sites in Southern Nevada
Devoted to educating people about petroglyph and rock art sites in southern Nevada.

Project Archaeology
P.O. Box 170570, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717-0570; phone: 406-994-7582; e-mail: projectarchaeology@montana.edu

Rock Art: Help Protect the Past
Utah BLM site.

Rock Art and Ancient Ruins
A Red Rock Adventure site with lots of links to informative articles on southwestern rock art and ancient ruins.

Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Southern Sinagua Archaeology

Some Utah Rock Art

Southwestern Archaeology

The Center for Desert Archaeology
This private, nonprofit organization promotes stewardship of archaeological and historical resources in the greater Southwest.

The Official Hopi Tribe Web Site

True Gems: Indian Rock Art


More Outside Links
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This page was last updated Sunday, October 12, 2008
   
 
   
 

Site design by Frank P. Stehno
All photographs by Frank P. Stehno unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © 2005 by Frank and Anne Stehno. All rights reserved.

A Canyon Country cairn.