Secrets of the Lost Canyon

Produced by John Howe

It was called one of the most significant finds in North America in the past 50 years. Nestled in the heart of Central Utah in Range Creek Canyon were the remains of a lost civilization that once thrived in the American Southwest.
For 500 years, the Fremont Indians lived in parts of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau as hunters, gatherers and farmers. They left detailed art and symbols on the stone faces of canyons they inhabited and stored their grain high on cliff walls in well-built granaries that still survive. Then, 800 years ago, the Fremont seemingly disappeared.
Today, University of Utah archeologists are surveying an entire canyon of some 2,000 untouched Fremont Indian sites. But this KUED documentary captures a range of issues and challenges that threaten efforts to understand the past.