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Rock Art

Ancient Ruins and Rock Art
 
 
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Barrier Canyon Style from the Sego Rock Art Panel, Sego Canyon, Utah. This page contains a discussion of the rock art found on the several rock are panels located in Sego Canyon, near the ghost town of Sego, Utah. All photographs are from our our personal collection. If you'd like to see more rock art from this location, or if you'd like to see higher resolution or larger images, send us an e-mail message and we'll see what we can do.
 Rock Art
 
 Sego Panels

To reach the Sego Rock Art Panels (also known as the Thomspson Wash Site) take the Interstate 70 Exit 185 to Thompson Springs and head north through the small town on a paved road. You will enter Thompson Canyon in the Book Cliffs. Follow the signs to Sego Canyon toward the ghost town of Sego. The pavement ends and turns into a dirt road near a large parking area on the left side at GPS coordinates 39 01.070N; 109 42.613W, at an elevation of 5,537 feet. There is a modern vault toilet there, but no drinking water. The Historic Panel and the Fremont/Anasazi Panel are readily visible from the parking area. There are descriptive signs to explain the site.

This is one of the more amazing sites that we've visited, in that there are so many representations of these major cultural groups on distinct panels, as well as some crossover. It is also an interesting site because of the number of pictographs and petroglyphs scattered around the area.

Unfortunately, probably due to the proximity of the ghost town of Sego and the numbers of people who must have passed these displays over the years, there is a great deal of modern graffiti. That is a real shame, because some wonderful examples of ancient art work have been damaged. There has been some restoration work completed on the main panels, but the surfaces across the road, near the corral, do not look as if they have been retouched.

Across the road from the main three panels there is a small corral, with a good sized outcrop behind it. There are examples of all three styles, as well as modern graffiti, scattered across this surface. Some quite impressive.

We also did see several petroglyphs that have red paint covering them, similar to that used on some of the red images. This would indicate that the paint is younger than the pecked images. This type of red paint also appears to be different than that used on the Barrier Canyon images and it makes me wonder if perhaps this type of red is part of the much younger Historic Ute tradition. Not being an expert, I just don't know. But for the sake of this discussion, I've placed these pictographs among the Barrier Canyon Style until I get further evidence to the contrary.

For more information on how to preserve and protect these priceless historic treasures:


Historic Ute Images

The panel pictured here shows the most prominent examples of the Historic Ute pictographs at the site. This is the main panel for this type and is the most obvious when you first enter the parking area. The largest figures are about two feet tall. There are shields, horses, human figures with what appear to be weapons, and a critter that looks to be a bison.


Fremont and Anasazi Images

This photo represents the main panel of Fremont and Anasazi style art work. These petroglyphs are superimposed over what appear to be faded red Barrier Canyon style images. Some of the red images appear to have wings.

The Fremont and Anasazi style images show the typical triangular body shapes for the anthropormorphs, as well as a variety of desert bighorn sheep and other odd figures. There is also what may be some sort of calendar, but I'm not sure if it is a solar calendar, since this panel faces south and the only possible rock structure that might cast a shadow or beam of light across this face is high up and far to the west. But without observing a solstice or equinox in the evening to see where the light is cast one just doesn't know.

Another interesting figure on this panel is what looks like an arm with a hand and five fingers. It is in the middle of this photo, between the two prominent anthropomorphic figures. There is also an image that could be either a representation of a basket or a bear's paw. And, far off to the right, by itself, is a small figure that leaves little doubt that it is a beaver.


Barrier Canyon Style Images

Around the rocky corner from the Fremont and Anasazi Panel is the Barrier Canyon Style Panel. This panel faces east and is the most exciting of the three main panels. Here you'll find all sorts of strange looking anthropmorphic pictographs that may date back 8,000 years. As you can see from this photo, there are a variety of colors and the figures show a range of size and style.

There are some of the most interesting individual figures that I've seen anywhere, and the number of anthropmorphic figures is truly amazing. Be sure to view the full sized photos below, under More Rock Art, to get an appreciation of the strangeness of these characters.

For those who lean toward some alien visitation from space, there are several vivid examples of anthropmorphs with bug eyes and antennae. And one figure, the third from the left in the photo below, even has a small "rocket ship" positioned next to it (that may also be a spear point). There are also winged figures and a few petroglyphs that resemble those we've seen on the Golf Course Panel near Moab, Utah, with what look like floppy ears and their hands on their hips.

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 More Rock Art

All of these photos have been resized and manipulated in Photoshop to give the best representation of the image. Some color distortion is inevitable. If you would like to see higher quality versions of these shots, or if you would like to use these images for any purpose, please contact us and we would be glad to help if we can.

Historic Ute Images
Fremont and Anasazi Images
Barrier Canyon Style Images
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This page was last updated Monday, July 14, 2008
   
 
   
 
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