ATV Adventures: Following the track of the Anasazi on Lost Creek Mountain
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- An Anasazi family portrait on the cave wall.
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- Another picture of the family.
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- At the edge of a cliff where we found our first water glyph.
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- The glyph at the edge of a cliff.
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- Two glyphs at the edge of a cliff.
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- Lynn Blamires
It was on Lost Creek Mountain that I saw my first water glyph. This is a type of petroglyph that is on the ground, unlike most Indian art, which is typically on canyon walls. More than 270 of these symbols have been discovered in an area exceeding 2,000 square miles in the Arizona Strip. Bordering the states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah, this area covers the entire known land occupied by the Anasazi Indians.
Water glyphs are about 48 inches long by 24 inches wide and consist of a circle intersected by a directional line that extends beyond the circle. They include a dot inside the circle and sometimes another located on the outside. Carved almost an inch deep into the rock, they are usually found on the edge of a cliff.
Research indicates that water glyphs were used to find good camping spots. John Wesley Powell mentions in his journal that when he was exploring the land in the Arizona Strip, he employed a “very old Indian” as a guide. The Indian would go up on a butte or mesa. He could be seen searching the ground and scanning the horizon. Later, he would indicate the direction they should go to find water. Powell quipped that the guide was talking to the rocks when it is likely that he was studying these glyphs.
I tried to revisit this mountain with some friends, but we were frustrated by fences that blocked access from the west. I contacted my friend, Dale Grange, who was a guide for the Tri-State Jamboree, and learned that there is a trail from Colorado City that allows access to Lost Creek Mountain. He agreed to lead a ride and show more than water glyphs.
We headed due west from Colorado City to Lost Creek Mountain. Our first stop was at the base of a cliff. Dale showed us an alcove in the rock that featured a pictograph consisting of three figures — two adults and a child. All around the base of the cliff, we could see remains of pit houses.
From there, a trail took us to the top of a mesa above these dwellings to what must have been a village. Pit houses dotted this area. We walked among them and tried to imagine the kind of activities that would be going on in the village.
Our next stop was the edge of a cliff, where we saw our first water glyph. I recognized this one because I had seen it before. We spent some time gazing out over the valley below before taking a break for lunch
Tummies topped off, we headed out to see more country. Our next stop required a hike to reach the edge of another cliff with a view and three more water glyphs. This time, they were close together, and each one was uniquely different.
Bill Kettler has more information on water glyphs on his website, www.southwestbackcountry.wordpress.com/water-glyphs. He describes the variety of the glyphs that have been located and documented. Two amateur archeologists — Bob Ford and Dixon Spendlove — have spent a great deal of time locating, documenting and mapping the direction the glyphs are pointing. Following the direction of a glyph would bring them to a water source, cache or settlement, where they would find more water glyphs that would take them to another one.
These two were so sure of the meaning of the water glyphs that if they followed the directional line of one and didn’t find water or a good place to camp, they would not blame the glyph, but rather that something had changed in the environment. They have found the water glyphs to be so dependable that they are still finding new sites by simply following these symbols through the desert.
We were enjoying not just the evidence of these ancient people but also the beauties of the desert. We were able to find the first blooms in a clump of cactus at one of the sites we visited. I find cactus flowers to be unique in that a prickly, unremarkable plant would produce such beautiful and delicate flowers.
Our ride was nearing its end, and we were thinking of a place to gather for dinner as we headed back to the trucks. It was an unforgettable ride of about 35 miles with many reasons to come back for more. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and see what you can find on Lost Creek Mountain.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.
