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Severed heads tell a violent mystery at Utah’s Dry Fork Canyon petroglyphs

Related Topics: petroglyph, Fremont culture

For all the mysteries the Fremont people left behind, one thing is clear about their petroglyphs at Dry Fork Canyon: This is a drama for the ages.

Oh. My. God. It’s amazing. Horned guys carrying around human heads. Parades of intricately drawn characters wielding weapons and ornate shields. Streaks of blood-red pigment dripping from someone’s neck.

Sometime before A.D. 1200, there was a thriving arts scene in the Vernal area. You can see a large body of work just west of town at what is now McConkie Ranch, a stretch of private land with a marked trail open to the public under scores of petroglyphs along Dry Fork Canyon.