After a half-hour drive from CNHA's main office to the site, Leigh led the group on a tour of the rock art, providing interpretation at each site. She explained that the Barrier Canyon panel, with its spooky almost life-size painted and pecked anthropormorphic figures, dates from about 2000 BC. The rock art left by the later Fremont culture, with its mainly trapizoidal figures, is from about 600-1250AD, she said. Yet another panel that she showed the group was created by Ute Indians, featuring horses, bows and arrows, buffalo and shields, and dates from about 1300 AD up to the present.

She explained the rock art had been badly vandalized over the years. BLM had the rock art restored in 1993 through a painstaking process that required recreating the damage on rock samples to determine how to best remove the paint and patch the bullet holes.

After leaving the rock art panels, the group continued up the right fork of the canyon to explore historic Boothill Cemetery and the ghost town of Sego. Built on dreams of coal and money, the town, originally named Ballard after its founder, lasted until the water and demand for coal dried up in the 1950s. Parts of several buildings still stand in quiet testimony of the hard life of the 500 people who lived there at the height of coal production in the 1920s. Thanks to Leigh and the CNHA members who made this year's membership hike a success!

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CNHA Rock Art Safari: A Day of Discovery
On October 5th, CNHA Discovery members gathered for a guided tour of spectacular rock art of Canyonlands National Park. The group visited rock art panels in the Needles District of the park.

Bud Turner shared insightful discoveries from his multi-spectral photography project of rock art in Canyonlands National Park. Bud's work in the park was funded, in part, by a CNHA Discovery Pool Grant. Chris Goetze, Southeast Utah Group Cultural Resource Program Manager, provided wonderful interpretive moments at each site.

The Peekaboo panel, pictured above, has several styles of rock art. Underneath the white shield-like figures and dots,are faint painted red Barrier Canyon Style figures that are thought to be much older. Ancient hand prints, including a small one that may have been made by a child, are also found on the panel. Chris said that the small arch next to the panel may have given this location special significance.

Chris then led the group to the another panel, pointing out flakes of chert scattered on the ground from ancient tool making along the way. The group marveled at the numerous and intriguing red Barrier Canyon style figures.there. After a picnic lunch back at Peekaboo, the group checked out Elephant Hill and then returned to Moab.

Many thanks to these members for their generous contributions to CNHA's Discovery Pool, which funds research on the Colorado Plateau.

To find out more about CNHA's Discovery Pool, click here.