Nine Mile Canyon in east central Utah is actually a 45-mile long, verdant canyon surrounded by a desolate plateau. (The name may in fact come from early settlers W.A. Miles, his wife, and seven daughters—a family of nine Miles.) With an estimated 10,000 Fremont culture rock art sites, it has been dubbed the “World’s Longest Art Gallery,” and is believed by many to be the largest concentration of ancient rock art in North America. But the art is only part of the archaeological record of the canyon that has been tantalizing archaeologists and laypeople alike for more than a century.
Local archaeologist Jerry Spangler has spent more than two decades studying the canyon, its art and archaeology, and its history. In this volume he shares his finds and his knowledge with us. As is often the case in American archaeology, the first explorers were seeking spectacular finds for the nation’s big museums. They saw little of interest in people who produced the remarkable petroglyphs and artifacts. Next came a group of young scientists who were specifically trained in archaeology to investigate the Fremont culture. They found more questions than answers in this intriguing laboratory.
Today, a new generation of university trained archaeologists, using the latest in scientific tools and techniques, is attacking the mysteries of Nine Mile Canyon. At the same time, much of the canyon’s rock art is threatened by the effects of nearby oil and gas development that results in huge trucks passing through the canyon and stirring clouds of dust that menace the fragile sandstone figures (see “Drill, Baby, Drill?” American Archaeology, Winter 2008-9). On the other hand, the oil and gas companies are funding much of the scientific research in the region. Vandalism and looting add to the threats facing this national treasure.
Despite all the work, most of the canyon remains uninvestigated and the sites undocumented. If they survive, it may be decades, Spangler believes, before answers to the fundamental questions of how and why ancient people thrived in a harsh desert environment.
With 168 photographs—116 color and 52 black and white—Nine Mile Canyon is a visual feast of the stunning rock art of the canyon as well as of its history. Spangler’s narrative tells the story of a century of archaeological research in a readable style. As the first book devoted to this unique place in the American West, readers, both professional and the general public, will be mesmerized by what they find.
