It’s been awhile since I wrote about rock art…

Many of us know about the fantastic collections of native rock art in Utah, USA. The quality and quantity of beautiful rock art in the Range Creek Canyon of Utah first sparked my interest when I read an article in the August 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine. It’s an interesting story…

For 50 years Utah cattle rancher Waldo Wilcox protected an astounding collection of artifacts left by the prehistoric Fremont culture–including countless panels of rock art. “The Indian stuff? My father always said to leave it alone,” he says. Which he did–and more. By gating the road to his property near the mouth of Range Creek Canyon, he blocked access to tens of thousands of acres of unspoiled backcountry where the Fremont had farmed, hunted game, and gathered wild plants from about A.D. 400 until their culture mysteriously disappeared almost a thousand years later. Ready to retire, Wilcox sold his land in 2001. The state of Utah, its current owner, is now responsible for managing the future of this priceless legacy.

Check out the amazing examples of work in the photo gallery.

Fremont petroglyphs at McKee Springs, Utah. Photograph by Ira Block, National Geographic

Today, I came across an update on the current situation in Range Creek Canyon in an article and excellent video at Remote Central, an archaeology and anthropology blog by Tim Jones that I’ve been following for some time.

By the way, there’s another interesting article in Tim’s blog on a subject I’ve written about several times: Fungus Once Again Threatens Lascaux Cave Paintings.