White Mountain Petroglyphs
Introduction
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Listen to a narration of this entry's description by Aidan Brady.
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Images
This poster was released by the BLM in 1989. It proved prophetic when the pictured artwork was destroyed in 1992
Backstory and Context
Author-Uploaded Audio
Listen to a narration of this entry's description by Aidan Brady.
Text-to-speech Audio
The White Mountain Petroglyphs are a series of stone carvings done between 200 and 1,000 years ago. The exact nature of the rock art images are not known but elders from the Shoshoni and Ute tribes have noted the site is still considered sacred. The site receives approximately 12,000 visitors every year. The site is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
In 1889 the BLM released a poster of an iconic piece of rock art from the site, with a warning informing visitors that the pieces were fragile saying "when they're gone...they're gone forever!" The poster ultimately turned prophetic when in the summer of 1992 the pictured rock art was destroyed. A BLM investigation resulted in a local reporting that an out of town guest had tripped, and pulled down the rock art. No charges were ultimately filed. The destroyed rock art was added to the collection of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. The pieces were part of a display at the museum that attempts to recreate the piece. Pieces of the destroyed art work are placed on an image of the rock art before it was destroyed. Museum displays change frequently please contact the museum before attempting to visit any particular exhibit or artifact.
Sources
White Mountain Petroglyphs, Bureau of Land Management. Accessed April 22nd 2020. https://www.blm.gov/visit/white-mountain-petroglyphs.
Sweetwater County Historical Museum