Here’s part of an amazing Fremont pictograph and petroglyph (pictoglyph) panel located in the Ferron Box of the San Rafael Swell. The panel extends to the left, but that part of it was destroyed by a vandal who left behind a layer of plaster after a failed attempt to make a copy. It’s unfortunate, I would love to have seen the full panel intact.
The Moab Man on the Golf Course Panel in Moab waves hello to anyone who visits this site. I took this photo in the late afternoon while I was in town for the Solstice this year.
Rock art is thought to represent the spiritual expression of people who lived here long ago. The fremont people who lived here from about AD 500 to AD 1100 left symbols on the rock which had tremendous meaning to them. The Shield site remains an example of what vandalism can do to a once beautiful and interesting archaeological site.
Parties, camping, tree cutting and outright deliberate destruction of the rock art have destroyed this site. No scientific knowlege will ever be gained here. No quiet enjoyment is possible. And, no one can feel anything but sorrow while viewing the remains of symbols left by people over a thousand years ago.
It belongs to you.
Since I just finished my Chaco Canyon trip report over on myXJ.net I thought I would post up one of my favorite rock art photos from the trip.
This bird-like petroglyph that looks like a turkey watches over Chaco Canyon and Fajada Butte as the sun gets ready to drop below the horizon near Una Vida. I had visited this petroglyph earlier in the day and knew that I would have to return at sunset for this shot.
Here’s a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that my friend Philippe and I ‘unexpectedly’ found while searching out some rock art in the San Rafael Swell. It’s an amazing panel and we both spent a good amount of time examining all the fine details. One thing I noticed while visiting this panel and searching the surrounding area for more rock art is that there was no footpath leading to this panel…not even a footprint anywhere around.
When I got home, I asked around to see if this panel had a name, and to my surprise, I was unable to find anyone else who has seen this panel before! While I am sure that we are not the first people to stumble across this panel, it’s kind of cool to find out that it’s not very well known at all.
This is an overview photo of the very large, tall and complex panel. I have other closeup shots of the different sections that I will probably post here in the future!
Get out there and start exploring….you never know what you might find!
