"Archeological inventories carried out to date show extensive use of places within the Monument by ancient Native American cultures. The area was a contact point for the Anasazi and Fremont cultures, and the evidence of this mingling provides a significant opportunity for archeological study." (Presidential Proclamation 6920, 1996)
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument holds some of the most significant evidence of human prehistory and history in the West. Long abandoned archaeological sites and historic landscapes give us important insights into the ways human activities and the environment have linked together through time, how seemingly minor cultural practices can contribute to substantial environmental change. Discovering, studying and understanding the evidence of past human influences on the land can give us critically important background as we plan how we should be using the same land today and in the future.
For more information, visit Cultural & Heritage on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument web site.
