The Flickr Fremontculture Image Generatr

5e-531 by ndpa / s. lundeen, archivist

moab, utah
1983

petroglyphs

part of an archival project, featuring the photographs of nick dewolf

© the Nick DeWolf Foundation
Image-use requests are welcome via flickrmail or nickdewolfphotoarchive [at] gmail [dot] com

The Ladder Man by Josh 223

This small isolated Fremont Culture petroglyph may be a signpost indicating that a ladder is required to access the granary located on the cliff above it. Archaeological evidence shows that the Fremont peoples constructed wood ladders with a single central post just as illustrated in this artwork.

Utah Museum of Natural History Range Creek Field Station, 22 June 2024. Accessed under permit.

Locomotive Rock Granary by Josh 223

The back side of Locomotive Rock (the side that doesn't look like a locomotive) in Range Creek Canyon hosts a Fremont Culture granary structure in a cleft of the cliff. The English characters surrounding it are names of the first "archaeological" study of the site in 1909.

Utah Museum of Natural History Range Creek Field Station, 22 June 2024. Accessed under permit.

Corn Experiments by Josh 223

The Wilcox Ranch headquarters are now utilized by University of Utah's archaeology field school for experimental and reconstructive archaeology. Their work has conclusively proven that the Fremont peoples utilized irrigation in their agriculture; this plot of corn, grown from heirloom seeds obtained in Southern New Mexico that closely approximate the ancient strains found in archaeological excavations, is meant to discover how much irrigation was required to maximize crop yield in the harsh Utah deserts.

Utah Museum of Natural History Range Creek Field Station, 22 June 2024. Accessed under permit.

The Platform Granary by Josh 223

Most of the time the Fremont Culture peoples built their granaries (food storage structures) to conform with the natural form of the land. In this case, however, a platform of split cedar planks (a rare example of the Fremont carpentry, since most Fremont architecture uses unsplit posts and poles) was built on which the stone granary followed. Since then, the wood platform has warped and collapsed, leaving the granary in ruins.

Utah Museum of Natural History Range Creek Field Station, 22 June 2024. Accessed under permit.

Fremont Clay Effigy Figure by Galeria ConTici

An exceedingly rare unfired buff clay figure from the Fremont Culture. They are a prehistoric Native American culture that inhabited what is now the western United States, particularly in the present-day states of Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado, during the Late Prehistoric period, roughly from about 700 to 1300 AD. The purpose of this figurine is still unknown, but it suggests these artifacts may be associated with religious rituals or fertility. Very little is known about this culture, but they are famous for their rock art. Their pictographs and petroglyphs depict trapezoidal figures with arms, legs, and fingers and are decorated with headdresses and necklaces.

This figurine measures approximately 4″ in height. It has a flat, broad face with a pronounced brow ridge and nose. Applied oval-shaped eyes with decorative incisions. Wears long beaded ear embellishments—the short arm with applied adornments. A simple choker attaches a large beaded pendent. There are traces of white pigment and black ash throughout. It is in choice condition.

Provenance: Ex Lozovsky, CA; Private Florida collection.

Note: Per the Advances in Archaeological Practice: Archaeological Fingerprinting and Fremont Figurines, just 400-plus documented Fremont figurines are known, most highly degraded and in broken condition.

www.galeriacontici.net

Fremont Clay Effigy Figurine by Galeria ConTici

An exceedingly rare unfired buff clay figurine from the Fremont Culture. They are a prehistoric Native American culture that inhabited what is now the western United States, particularly in the present-day states of Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Colorado, during the Late Prehistoric period, roughly from about 700 to 1300 AD. The purpose of this figurine is still unknown, but it suggests these artifacts may be associated with religious rituals or fertility. Very little is known about this culture, but they are famous for their rock art. Their pictographs and petroglyphs depict trapezoidal figures with arms, legs, and fingers and are decorated with headdresses and necklaces.

This figurine measures approximately 4″ in height. It has a flat, broad face with a pronounced brow ridge and nose. Applied oval-shaped eyes with decorative incisions. Short arm with applied adornments and a long beaded choker and loincloth. There are traces of white pigment and black ash throughout. It is in choice condition.

Provenance: Ex Lozovsky, CA; Private Florida collection.

Note: Per the Advances in Archaeological Practice: Archaeological Fingerprinting and Fremont Figurines: There are just 400-plus documented Fremont figurines known with most of them highly degraded and in broken condition. galeriacontici.net

Finding Shelter by Josh 223

More than half a millennia ago Fremont Culture people used this rock shelter as a short of hotel. Judging by the scat on the ground, large predators do today. This site was excavated by Bureau of Land Management archaeologists in 1982.

Rock Shelter by Josh 223

Fremont Culture rock shelter. This site was excavated by Bureau of Land Management archaeologists in 1982.

Little Bighorn by Josh 223

Two small painted bighorn sheep from the Fremont Culture adorn this rock shelter. This site was excavated by Bureau of Land Management archaeologists in 1982.