Tremonton, Utah (ABC4) — A sacred rock with petroglyphs important to the Northwest Shoshone Band (NWB) has been restored and returned to its original location after spending decades in a church of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These petroglyphs are approximately 1,200 years old and were created by the Fremont people, the ancestors of the Shoshone NWB. The effort to restore the petroglyphs and return them took more than a decade and involved conservators from the Shoshone NWB, the State of Utah, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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The rock was removed from its original location in the mountains of northern Utah about 80 years ago and has spent most of its time outside the Tremonton church, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
It’s unclear why the 2,500-pound rock was brought to the church, but it was discovered by amateur archaeologists in 2011, said Ryan Saltzgiver, curator of historic sites in the church’s history department.
Saltzgiver said since the discovery they have been working with the NWB of Shoshone Nation and the Utah Historic Preservation Office to bring everyone together to develop a preservation and return plan.
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“For us, putting it back is like putting a piece of the puzzle back into place,” said Shoshone NWB Vice President Brad Parry. “Our history has been shattered by a lot of things that have happened to us. Now these positive things are coming out – it’s rebuilding our history. I can’t stress that enough.”
The stone was returned to its original location near the Utah-Idaho border and blessed by tribal spiritual leader Rios Pacello. (Courtesy: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
“We do have a moral and ethical obligation to take care of items like this that we have, especially to return items that are very sacred in this context to their rightful owners,” Salzgiffer said.
The restoration process was complex, with conservators chosen by church historians clearing away years of lichen that had grown on the rocks. They had to clean it without damaging the surface or the petroglyphs, and the restorers ended up using soap and water, nontoxic disinfectants and steam.
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Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“Even if it’s not the cleanest, months or a year later it will continue to clean itself by using biocides,” said Megan Randall, a conservator at the Midwest Art Conservation Center. “Not a lot of people do that, which makes our job very interesting and diverse.”
Randall also emphasized the spiritual importance of the petroglyphs to the tribe. “We want it to be seen and appreciated by the people who find value in it, which is us,” she said.
The rock was returned to its original location near the Utah-Idaho border, joining its companion petroglyphs. A ceremony was held that included a blessing from the spiritual leader of the Shoshone tribe.
“This rock is meant to be here. It’s like this rock knows it’s home,” Parry said.
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