Long before the white man came onto the Utah scene, the Utah area was inhabited by Indians, particularly the Anasazi and the Fremont Indians. For the time being, we will take a look at the extraordinary "Anasazi" Indians.
The Anasazi lived primarily in the Four Corners area where modern-day Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. For those who want to see the ruins from the days of the Anasazi, the most famous places to visit are:
"Navajo National Monument" near Kayente, Arizona right on the Utah/Arizona border,
"Cliff Palace" in Mesa Verde National Park,
"White House Ruins" in Canyon de Chelly National Monument,
"Horseshoe Tower" in Hovenweep National Monument near Blanding, Utah
"Chaco Culture National Historical Park" between Farmington and Albuquerque, New Mexico,
"Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" on the Colorad/Utah border near Cortez, Colorado
"Aztec Ruins National Monument" near Farmington, New Mexico
"Bandalier National Monument" near Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The Anasazi were a particularly skillful kind of Indian. They loved to make use of natural rock overhangs as a place to build, because it offered such a great deal of shelter from the harsh weather as well as defense from enemies. The villages they would build could only be reached by climbing ropes, ladders or rocks. These villages, or "pueblos" are truly an amazing sight and well worth the visit for anyone interested in the Indian history of Utah. Being such an highly skilled people, the Anasazi were also very adept concerning pottery, richly adorning the vessels they would use for formal purposes.
There are areas where you can still see the petroglyphs and pictographs made by the Anasazi over a thousand years ago! One of these areas is right here in Utah, and is called the "Great Gallery". It is in Horseshoe Canyon, west of Green River. If you want to see the Great Gallery, you will have to drive on about 30 miles of dirt road (47 if you come from Green River), descend 750 feet to the bottom of the canyon and hike about 3 miles. Quite obviously, the Great Gallery is not as crowded as Zion National Park!
