Newspaper Rock

We’ve visited several Petroglyph sites all over the Southwest but none compare to Newspaper Rock in Southern Utah. Experts argue the meaning and significance of this chiseled rock art, some insist it’s nothing more than ancient graffiti while the Native Americans insist it’s both spiritual and territorial markings of their ancestors.

We’ve always found these Petroglyphs in remote Desert valleys where small mountain fed rivers create an oasis. These oasis’s are often lush green ways in an otherwise barren landscape. The ancients obviously considered these areas prime hunting and gathering and I believe they were simply marking their territory. The numerous animal symbols are perhaps good luck charms for the hunt.

Archeologists date the earliest images to be over 2000 years old. I’ve included one photo of the entire facade ( about 50 feet across) plus more detailed shots of each section. Many species of animals are shown that the Natives hunted. The later drawings depict riders on horses ( horses arrived with the Spanish in the 1600’s). The wheel also arrived with the white man. Although hard to see in my photos, white pioneers also added their names to the rock. I tried to imagine the ancients working on these pictures

with their stone chisels and hammers. The drawings range from 6″ high to over 2 feet. It was a fascinating place.

We later took a ” short cut ” over a precarious mountain pass one lane road . Our biggest fear was meeting another vehicle. Getting a tire over the edge would not have ended well.