(uplifting music) - If you've spent time hiking through Southern Utah's canyons, you've likely encountered the Fremont Shield-Bearers.

Archeologist Elizabeth Hora delves into the mystery behind these striking petroglyphs.

Welcome, Elizabeth.

- Hi.

Thanks so much for having me.

- So what is the mystery behind these petroglyphs?

- Right.

So first of all, if you've never heard of the Fremont, you were in good company.

Those are people who lived here in Utah right around 1,000 years ago.

And all across Utah and our surrounding area, they left petroglyphs and pictographs.

So rock imagery, rock writing, all over canyon walls.

People are going out and seeing these all the time, and they don't have a lot of way to say, "Who were these people who made them, and why did they make these?"

So in my research, I'm looking at the people who are carrying big shields in front of them.

So you'll see like round folks with a head on top and some legs underneath.

And by looking at the changes in those shields across time and space, we're actually able to see migration patterns of folks who started out as Fremont and moved through time and space to become a lot of the tribes and bands that we know today.

- How did you get into this field of researching this and, you know, uncovering those hidden stories from long ago?

- Oh my gosh.

Honestly, it's because I love the Uinta Basin.

So this research begins in the Uinta Basin, which turns out to be kind of the cauldron, the melting pot from which other people sprang out of.

And so I was just like everyone else hiking, looking around, and fell in love with these.

I mean, not only are they beautiful, but you can see so much about who ancient people were and what was important to them by looking at these things today.

- Are there any challenges working with rocks and locations where people may be hiking?

- Oh, for sure.

I mean, rocks are notoriously difficult to date.

When we're looking at things in the last few hundred or 1,000 or so years, it's really hard for us to know the dates.

So that's where my archeology background really comes into effect.

And then having people walk by is actually a great thing because I get to stop and talk to folks who maybe wouldn't have noticed these things before.

- I love that.

Well, if you would like to learn more about this incredible project, we've got the information for you right here on the screen.

It is On the Trail of Fremont Shield-Bearers Lecture, and it will be put on March 25th from 5:00 to 6:00 PM at the Park City Museum Education and Collection Center.

For more information, just head on over to parkcityhistory.org.

Thank you so much for joining us and watching.

I'm Liz Adeola, and this is "Contact."

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