Courthouse Wash Pictographs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Courthouse Wash Pictographs
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Courthouse Wash Pictographs, May 2009
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 Location in Utah
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Moab, Utah United States |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000207 |
| Added to NRHP | April 1, 1976 |
The Courthouse Wash Pictographs are a collection of amazing ancient paintings found on a sheltered sandstone wall. These pictures were created by different groups of people over thousands of years. You can find them near Arches National Park in Grand County, Utah, close to Moab. This special site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) because of its historical importance.
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What Are Pictographs?
Pictographs are like ancient drawings or paintings made on rock walls. People used natural colors from minerals to create these images. They are different from petroglyphs, which are carved or scratched into the rock. The Courthouse Wash site has both painted figures (pictographs) and carved figures (petroglyphs).
What Do the Pictures Show?
The Courthouse Wash site has many different kinds of pictures. Some are very tall, up to 5 feet (1.5 m) high! Many of the figures look like people, but they are often drawn in a unique, stylized way. These are called anthropomorphic figures, meaning they have human-like shapes.
You can also see pictures of animals. Some of these animal figures were made by scratching away the dark outer layer of the rock. This dark layer is called desert varnish. Other figures show people riding horses. These horse-riding pictures are newer because horses were brought to America only after the 1500s.
Who Made These Ancient Artworks?
Different groups of people created the art at Courthouse Wash over a very long time.
- Ancient Painters: Some of the painted figures are in a style called the Barrier Canyon Style. These are thought to be very old, possibly between 1,500 and 4,000 years old! Similar paintings can be seen in Horseshoe Canyon, about 35 miles (56 km) away.
- Fremont Culture: Other figures, especially the ones scratched into the rock, were made by people of the Fremont culture. They lived in this area around 1,000 to 1,200 AD.
- Later Artists: The pictures of people on horseback were made much later. These are believed to be the work of Navajo or Ute artists, who lived in the area more recently.
Visiting the Site
The Courthouse Wash Pictographs are located near where Courthouse Wash meets the Colorado River. The artwork stretches along about 100 meters (over 300 feet) of the cliff base.
You can visit this amazing site by taking a short footpath. It's about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from U.S. Route 191, which is northeast of Moab. Sadly, the site was damaged by vandals in 1980. However, it has since been carefully restored and protected so that everyone can still enjoy these incredible ancient artworks.
The Courthouse Wash site was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1976. This helps protect it for future generations.
