Freemont Indian State Park

A thousand years ago, Clear Creek Canyon was home to the largest community of Fremont Indians ever discovered.  

 

Around 1400 A.D the trail through Clear Creek Canyon was used by the Paiute Indians to travel between hunting grounds in the Pahvant and Tusher mountains.

During one trip a new born baby died.   All winter the mother worried about the baby being alone in the cold lonely place, so the following spring she returned and painted a blanket on a nearby rock so that the baby could use it during the long cold winters.

Now the blanket is visible high above I70 and can be from highway 4 the park road.

Later on explorers travelled the same route eventually the trail was improved and became a wagon road in 1872.   For the next 25 years it would cost 25 cents for each wagon to use it.   Homesteaders arrived, a school was built and in the 1890’s gold was discovered nearby at Kimberley this made Clear Creek Canyon an important route to the railroad at Sevier.

 

During construction of I70 in the 1980’s most of the canyons inhabitants left and on Five Finger Ridge, a Freemont Indian Village was discovered. 

 

Thousands of artefacts were excavated and are now on display in the museum.

Trails lead to interesting rock art on both sides of I70.   This one is thought to indicate good hunting in both directions.

Not sure what this one means, but it kinda looks like an alien to me.

Have fun, we are!