John Gunnison and John C Fremont Signatures

[coinslab]

1844- John Gunnison and John C Fremont must have ran into each other at some point near moore. They signed their names along with an unknown person along with MARRE. All i can read is W.W. Plus a donkey drawing and a bunch of depictions of rock art which they did oh also it says MARRE which i don't know the meaning of.
Signatures
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3650/3576130719_ee09600777.jpg
Donkey Drawing by MARRE
http://static2.bareka.com/photos/medium/22866437.jpg
Faded Signature
http://static1.bareka.com/photos/medium/22860300.jpg
Gopher Snake near Signatures
http://static1.bareka.com/photos/medium/22866452.jpg
Fremont and Gunnison Signatures (another view)
http://static4.bareka.com/photos/medium/22866467.jpg

[Udink]

That's very interesting--the snake and the donkey remind me of similar ones in Coal Wash:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/SgiZM81vG7I/AAAAAAAAESA/MHnSAOwY-gY/s400/IMG_8126.jpg

There are no signatures in Coal Wash, but I wonder if these were done by the same person/people... :popcorn:

[coinslab]

I didn't post pictures but there is also one man done by them.

[Scott P]

they did oh also it says MARRE which i don't know the meaning of

Interesting. Marre is part of a French phrase for being fed up with something or had too much of and ready to be done with it. The 1812 date does coincide with the era French trappers, though 1812 is a very early signature (Julien's date from the 1830's) and I'm not familiar with any that early.

Maybe whoever wrote it had enough of their donkey? Or maybe enough of the desert? :ne_nau: Maybe it's even a name.

Also interesting is that Gunnison was born in 1812.

[coinslab]

Very interesting!! Marre had a date by it and no signature from that year.
What a great name that would be. :haha: jk that would be terrible!!

Julien's date of 1830
What do you mean is that 3rd faded signature Julien's it's marked 1830. I can't read it, it says W.W then i can't read the rest.

I also find it interesting that Gunnison was born in 1812
John C Fremont was born in 1813 and if you look close on the donkey it's 1813

[Reedus]

This brings up a question I have had for a time. How do you know if a signature or petroglyph is authentic. What is to stop a person from etching Butch Cassidy into the rock to make others think it is real? Just a thought... we used to carve "Ted Bundy was here" into aspen trees up on the Manti Lasal growing up. Wonder how many female campers lost sleep after seeing one.

[coinslab]

An honest person showed us it and said it was there when his grandfather found it. in the 1850's after the explorers had dispersed.