Images in Stone

The canyon walls of Capitol Reef are written on. Most of the carved petroglyphs and painted pictographs here are the work of the people archaeologists call the Fremont, made between roughly 300 and 1300 CE, with some older still, left by the Desert Archaic peoples who came before. They pecked and painted them with stone tools and pigments ground from minerals and plants, in a style distinct to this stretch of the Southwest. For the Hopi and Zuni, whose ancestors are tied to these places, the markings are not relics but records — meaning meant to be read.

What the plaque says

There are many meanings the markings applied to rock walls at various places in Capitol Reef and across the Southwest. Most occurrences of petroglyphs (carvings) and pictographs (paintings) in Capitol Reef are attributed to the Hisatsinom (called the Fremont Culture by Euro-American archeologists) and were created between about 300 and 1300 C.E. Some are older still and represent people whom archeologists refer to as Desert Archaic. Petroglyphs and pictographs were created using stone tools and mineral and plant derived pigments. This distinctive style is found primarily throughout Utah and contrasts somewhat with markings in other parts of the Southwest. The modern-day tribes with the closest association to petroglyphs and pictographs at Capitol Reef are the Hopi Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni. The Hopi and Zuni say the markings confirm the presence of their ancestors in Capitol Reef. The stories present detailed information regarding geography, demography, economy, and religion. They describe activities common to daily life, maps and journeys, clan symbols, deities, animals that were hunted, calendars, and other features. Other tribes associated with Capitol Reef say the markings may be considered as libraries that speak to American Indians about past events, legends, journeys, and genealogy, among other topics. Our collective goal must be to preserve these expressions of people who thrived here for centuries, and whose descendants still live in the Southwest. These markings and stories are irreplaceable connections between people who lived at Capitol Reef in the past and our own times. We nurture these connections for future generatioris. Captions (Photo #1) Other petroglyphs at this site were destroyed by natural rockfall in early 1952. Left pre-1952 and Right 2013 (Photo #2) Artwork courtesy of Joseph Venus

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gifford Homestead — 0.2 mi
  A pioneer homestead famous for its fresh-baked pies
• Fruita Historic District — 0.3 mi
  A pioneer orchard oasis in the red-rock heart of Capitol Reef.
• Capitol Reef National Park — 0.4 mi
  Utah's most underrated national park — a 100-mile wrinkle in the Earth
• Hickman Bridge Trail — 0.7 mi
  A natural stone bridge framing Capitol Reefs layered cliffs

More markers nearby

• Fruita Schoolhouse — 0.3 mi
• Caineville — 12 mi