Lower Butler Wash and more

[IntrepidXJ]

Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday, May 29, 2011

After a very windy night, I was up early and on my way south down the Comb Wash Road. I crossed through the Comb on US 163 and drove to the trailhead for Lower Butler Wash. I descended down the old wagon road on foot and made my way towards the San Juan River through the thick vegetation. Once I neared the river, I started to come across some rock art.


Connected Circles by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

[I]At the first large alcove I explored I found this unique petroglyph. I

[IntrepidXJ]

Mask & Shield by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This portion of the panel is to the left of the section pictured above. There are a number of petroglyphs spread out here including a cool shield-like figure and one that might represent some kind of mask.


The Wolfman by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Wolfman Ruin by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After visiting the Wolfman Panel I crossed the canyon and climbed up to the ruins on the other side. There was plenty more faint rock art to be found here, too.


Wolfman Ruin Opposite by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The wind was really blowing and kicking up a lot of dust throughout the hike, but I just had to go search out one more petroglyph that I was hoping to find this weekend

[bjm]

In ref to your Crane panel petroglyph - I was in Butler Wash this past week and after viewing the Crane, I stopped by the Blanding Visiter Center and picked up a copy of Volume 44/Fall 2011 of "Blue Mountain Shadows". The subtitle for the issue is "Deep History II: San Juan County's Archaeological Record".

Winston Hurst has an article in the issue titled, "A Tale of Two villages: Basketmaker III Comunities In San Juan County, Utah". One of the villages described in the article, Meloy Village, was located a short distance west of Bluff and was excavated as part of a proposed realignment of highway 163 (now 191). The village was dated for occupations for several generations during the 500s and 600s A.D.

Page 11 of the article lists the foodstuffs found during the excavation. Among the listing for exploitation of river resources is a variety of water-oriented birds including Canada goose, merganser and duck, as well as sandhill crane!

No direct connection between the village and when the crane panel was created; but, kind of cool having a BM III archaeological reference to a crane at a site within three miles of the Crane panel in Butler Wash.

BJM