Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cultures of
Utah
EXPLORING
ROCK ART
Table of Contents
HISTORY OF UTAH.......................................................................................... 2
ARCHIAC...................................................................................................... 3
FREMONT..................................................................................................... 3
UTE............................................................................................................ 3
NEWSPAPER ROCK.......................................................................................... 3
SEGO CANYON............................................................................................... 4
PRESERVATION.............................................................................................. 4
Newspaper Rock
This famous site is along a well-traveled access road
into the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park,
12 miles from US 191 and 30 miles from the park
boundary. The 200-square-foot rock is covered by
hundreds of petroglyphs—one of the largest, best
preserved panels in the Southwest. The petroglyphs
feature a mix of human forms, animals, and abstract
artwork. Newspaper Rock was designated a State
Historical Monument in 1961
Sego Canyon
The sandstone cliffs of Sego Canyon are a spectacular
outdoor art gallery of petroglyphs painted and carved
by Native Americans peoples over a period of around
8,000 years. They are characterized by more than 80
haunting life-sized figures with hollowed eyes or
missing eyes and the frequent absence of arms and
legs. Some claim that the mysterious figures are
evidence of alien visitation in our ancient past, while
scholars maintain that the strange beings represent
shamanistic visions produced in trance-like states.
Preservation
Unfortunately, people are the major destructors of ancient rock art. Visitors have damaged
these cultural treasures by trying to remove them, writing over the top of them or beside,
painting them, and carving into the stone next to them. Destroying rock art is a crime.
Please help to preserve this important history by protecting rock art, not destroying it.