42EM65, the Temple Mountain Pictograph Panel
Steven J. Manning 42EM65, The Temple Mountain Pictograph Panel The Temple Mountain rock art panel, as it is The location of the Temple Mountain panel has called locally, is a group of large and striking been discussed in several "guide books" darkred pictographs (Figure 1). They are locat- (Barnes 1982:136, Castleton 1984:160, Slifer ed on the north side of South Temple Mountain 2000:126). The content of the panel has also Wash, roughly one mile west of the turnoff to been discussed in the rock art literature on sev- Goblin Valley State Park, which is in the San eral occasions (Gunnerson 1957, Manning Rafael Reef area of central Utah. 1990, Schaafsma 1970, 1971 and Siegrist Because the site can easily be seen from the 1972). paved road it is well known and heavily visited. The Temple Mountain pictographs are excep- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rang- tional—more exceptional than is generally ap- er in an information trailer at the turnoff to preciated, especially considering the apparent Goblin Valley said that he personally had over poor condition of the panel. The cliff face is 10,000 visitor contacts the previous year marred by large areas of exfoliated sandstone (2001). These contacts are with people request- (Figure 1). It appears that most of the picto- ing information about the San Rafael Reef area graphs have been destroyed, and the ones that as they drive in from State highway 24. I no- remain are severely damaged. Despite this de- ticed, during the hour I spent visiting with the terioration, the panel contains a great deal of ranger one morning, that only about one out of extremely valuable information, and the re- every ten cars stopped as they passed the trailer; maining images are unique and obviously irre- so 10,000 people is certainly an underestimate placeable.
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