For countless generations, American Indian artists have been drawn to the mouth of Sego Canyon in southeastern Utah where today canyon walls offer a stunning portrait of mysterious shamans, gods and ghosts.
First came the Barrier Canyon peoples of 2,000 years ago or more. Then came the Fremont from about 600 A.D. to 1200 A.D., and much later came the Utes, who still claim the area as their territorial home.The cumulative result has become one of Utah's most significant and spectacular rock art panels - a panel that continues to draw modern visitors by the thousands.
Unfortunately, many of those visitors have seen fit to add their own names and dates to the images left by prehistoric travelers. "It's perhaps the most abused site anywhere in Utah," said Bureau of Land Management archaeologist Julie Howard. "There are hundreds of initials, dates and designs all over the top of the rock art."
Which is why the BLM has now embarked upon an ambitious $20,000 campaign to remove graffiti and restore the panel - as much as possible - to its original condition. Rock art conservator Constance Silvers has been painstakingly removing paint and chalk and filling in incisions and bullet holes that have marred the panel.
"She's one of the three best in the United States at doing this," said Grand Resource Area manager Brad Palmer, who added the BLM is hoping to make the rock art site an educational showpiece on the values of protecting America's cultural past.
"We have a prime opportunity to educate people about the significance of rock art, and hopefully reduce the incidence of vandalism here and at other sites."
The BLM acquired the Sego Canyon rock art panel in 1988 through a land exchange with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The reason was simple:
"We recognized the archaeological significance of the site," Palmer said. "We have three separate cultures on three different panels representing three different time periods. It is a very unusual site."
The conservation efforts involve removing the graffiti but not repainting the ancient images to make them more photo-graphic. Visitors will be able to see the images better - including never-before-seen images that have been concealed behind generations of mud that has washed over parts of the panel.
Among the graffiti to be removed are signatures and dates going back to 1914 when the area became the focus of coal development. A railroad was built through the canyon to the town of Sego, and thousands of people made the canyon their home over the years. Many left their names on the panel.
The BLM recognized many years ago that extensive visitation at the site was causing irreparable damage. A protective fence was recently built around the site, and restrooms and picnic tables were also added. The site is also handicapped accessible.
Interpretive signs will be erected and a brochure published that will discuss the geology, plants and animals of the region. Foot trails have been built to lead visitors to a historic railroad trestle and natural arch.
The BLM is still trying to acquire a second rock art panel in an alcove opposite the Sego Canyon panel. That site is privately owned.
If the Sego Canyon project works as expected, BLM officials say other heavily vandalized sites may also be targeted for restoration and interpretation. "We're excited about the potential for projects down the road," Howard said. "All we need is the money."