Main Panel
The Fremont rock imagery of the northern Uinta Basin has similarities to imagery found across the Fremont area, but it also represents a distinctive subtype of Fremont rock imagery known as the Classic Vernal Style. The McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs are the “type site” for the Classic Vernal Style, meaning that the style was originally defined based on the rock imagery here and that it provides an excellent example of this style.
The Classic Vernal Style is characterized by anthropomorphs (humanlike figures) with broad shoulders and narrow waists (called trapezoidal bodies) wearing elaborate ornaments such as headwear, earrings, and necklaces. These figures are similar to anthropomorphs that occur in Ancestral Puebloan Basketmaker rock imagery farther south on the Colorado Plateau. Small figurines made out of clay that look very similar to Classic Vernal Style anthropomorphs have been found at many Fremont archaeological sites.
Zoomorphs (animal-like figures), including bighorn sheep, are also common in Classic Vernal Style rock imagery, as are geometric designs.
The McConkie Ranch Main Panel that you see here includes impressive examples of Classic Vernal Style Fremont anthropomorphs. The figures in this panel were made both by pecking (petroglyphs) and painting (pictographs). Some of the anthropomorphs at McConkie Ranch are holding objects that have been referred to as “trophy heads.” It is unclear what these objects are; they may represent heads, or they may represent masks, bags, or something else.
