The St. George and Zion National Park region has been a home to the human race for many thousands of years.   Evidence of these past groups of people living in this area is readily found through the many petroglyphs and pictographs.   Petroglyphs are created by pecking or etching into the rock while pictographs are painted on the rock.  Pit-houses and pottery shards are also ample evidence of the existence of these cultures.  

A pioneer signature on a rock near Gunlock Reservoir.

One sure place to find petroglyphs and pictographs is near a regular water source.  One of the key water sources in the St. George area is the Santa Clara river.   This river begins on the back side of Pine Valley mountain and runs southwest to the community of Gunlock and then southeast to St. George where it connects with the Virgin River.   Many writings (petroglyphs and pictographs) have been found on the rock formations near this river.    Once the Mormon pioneers came to this area, they must have been enamored with the thousands of writings they found.   Just like their Native American predacessors, they spent plenty of time near water sources, especially during the heat of the summer.     The people who have lived in this region would necessarily  find ways to get out of the heat and one method for this was to get near water and into the shade.   Along the Santa Clara river the cottonwood trees would have provided this shade.    While spending time in areas with trees and water, the Native Americans and pioneers alike, would leave a record of their visit on the rocks.   Pioneers carved or painted their signatures on the rocks, often near places where ancient Native Americans had left some of their writings or images. 

Lines carved into the rock that may have been used by Native Americans as a compass or another resource.

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