UTAH STATE PARKS Cu l t u r a l Re s o u r c e s An a s a z i St a t e he Four Corners area contains archeological Tand historical evidence of people who lived from hundreds to thousands of years ago. These fragile and irreplaceable clues to the past provide Pa r k Mu s e u m opportunities for the professional and nonprofes- sional alike to study how prehistoric people lived. Please treat the sites with respect, consideration, and care to ensure that future generations have a Address inquiries to: chance to appreciate our heritage. Anasazi State Park Museum PO Box 1429 Boulder, UT 84716-1429 (435) 335-7308
Utah State Parks and Recreation PO Box 146001 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6001 (801) 538-7220 (877) UT-PARKS (801) 538-7458 (TTY) www.stateparks.utah.gov
Utah State Parks mission… To enhance the quality of life through outdoor recreation, leisure and educational experiences.
Museum hours: May 16 – September 15 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. September 16 – May 15 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Utah Department of Natural Resources receives federal aid and prohibits discrimination on the basis of The park is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving race, color, sex, age, national origin or disability. For and Christmas. information or complaints regarding discrimination, contact Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Anasazi State Park Museum is in south central Resources, PO Box 145610, Salt Lake City, UT 84114- 5610 or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Utah along Utah Highway 12 in the beautiful 1801 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20507-0001. ranching community of Boulder. state park museu Anasazi 1300. southern Nevada betweenaboutA.D. 1and of Utah,Colorado, NewMexico, Arizona, and Colorado PlateauoftheFour Cornersregion dwelling farmers who existed in the southern generally accepted.Itreferstovillage- Anasazi formany decades,anditnowis accurate, archeologistshave usedtheterm Although Ancestral Puebloisprobablymore common tieswithmodernPueblos. the termAncestral Pueblo, whichsuggests More recently, somearcheologistsadopted however, probablynever willbeknown. Navajo. WhattheAnasazicalledthemselves, Indians, inhabitedtheareapriorto Ancestors oftheirfoe,themodernPueblo enemies orenemy ancestors. Navajo wordinterpretedtomeanancient southwestern UnitedStates.Anasazi is a D W o h the Navajo arrived inwhatisnowthe uring the15thand16thcenturies, W e r e
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artifacts. Althoughmajorstructureshave been structures, andhundredsofthousands Excavations uncovered 97rooms,10pit parks staffbetween1970and1991. 1927 by thePeabody Museumandagain by state and 1959.Small-scaleexcavations occurredin M C quite often a reality. Famine may have beenaconstantchallangeand Tooth decay andarthritiswerefrequentdiseases. average lifeexpectancywas 33to35 years. 2 inches.Few peoplelived past45years, and averaged 5feet4inchestallandwomen Puebloans was tough by modernstandards. Men In spiteoftheseadvantages, lifeforancestral berries. various plants thatproducedseeds,nutsand contained bighornsheep, deer, smallgameand their diets.Surroundingmountainsandcanyons upon wildgameandnative plantstosupplement raised corn,beans,andsquashbutalsodepended at many ancestral Pueblovillages.Inhabitants More resourceswereavailable inthisareathan of the12thcentury. suggesting thesitewas inuseduringthemiddle structures werecutbetweenA.D. 1129and1169, Tree ringdatesindicatethattimbersusedin Arizona implycontactwithmany differentpeople. Mesa Verde, ChacoCanyon, westernUtah,and northeastern Arizona. However, trade itemsfrom I P of thesite. would undoubtedlymodify someinterpretations be glimpsedacrossthesite.Futureexcavations investigated. Outlinesofunexcavated roomscan identified, onlyabouthalfthesitehasbeen s b m o o n a o l b e u ties withtheKayenta Anasaziregionof nhabitants ofthissitemaintainedcultural undertaken by theUniversity ofUtahin1958 ajor excavations attheCoombsSitewere S L e t i e f i E x c n o i t a v a metate, identify seedswithamicroscope,make I M established themselves. have returnedtotheKayenta regionandre- The villagers’fateisunclear, buttheymay village was burned,possiblyby theinhabitants. century. At orshortlyafterabandonment,the not reoccupieduntilthelatterpartof19th Whatever thereasonorreasons,regionwas pressure fromoutsidersorpopulationgrowth. causes may have beenresourceexhaustion, V V e g a l l i m u e s u opportunity togrindcornusingamanoand nteractive exhibitsprovide visitorsthe 1175 andnever returned.Somepossible illage inhabitantsdepartedaboutA.D. A t n e m n o d n a b To Torrey N Parking Utah Highway 12 Replica Museum ago. for theAnasazibetween800and900years gives thevisitor anideaofwhatlifewas like room replicaofpartthepueblo. Thereplica the CoombsSiteRuins andalife-size, six- A shorttrail fromthevisitorcenterleadsto sites. Thereisanauditoriumandgiftshop. the importanceofpreservingarcheological American Indiansandarcheologistsdiscuss rubbings ofpotterydesignsandlistento Coombs Site Ruins Portion ofRuin Unexcavated To Escalante