SWEETWATER COUNTY –This September, the Tolar Petroglyph and Eden-Farson sites in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, were listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) thanks to the efforts of University of Wyoming (UW) anthropology graduate students Elizabeth Lynch and Christina Servetnick, under the guidance of Judy Wolf with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

The Tolar Petroglyph Site consists of 33 rock art panels containing a distinctive collection of petroglyphs, including well-preserved horses and warriors, bears, rectangular bodied and large-headed anthropomorphs, shield-bearing warriors, a turtle and tally marks. The petroglyphs are generally thought to be characteristic of the Shoshone and Comanche with most probably completed within the last 500 years.

The NRHP nomination for the Tolar Petroglyph Site was prepared by Lynch in coordination with the Wyoming SHPO and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Archaeologist Leanna Flaherty. The site was accepted for NRHP listing on Sept. 30 because of its exceptional illustrations, extremely fine craftsmanship, distinctive representations and preservation of panel composition and manufacture techniques.

The Eden-Farson Site is a 12 lodge campsite where pronghorn were processed after a communal hunt around A.D. 1620–1820 at a time of profound cultural change for Native Americans. Workshop areas were found at the site containing stone tools and pottery. The site also contains the largest known pronghorn bone bed in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, with at least 212 animals represented.

The NRHP nomination for the Eden-Farson Site was prepared by Servetnick in coordination with the Wyoming SHPO and BLM Archaeologist Gene Smith. Due to the site’s extensive pronghorn assemblage, numerous lodge areas, period of occupation and the potential for additional archaeological research, it was accepted for NRHP listing on Sept. 22.

Both sites are located on public land within the BLM Rock Springs Field Office area. “The NRHP listings highlight the historic value of these sites and underscores the need to preserve and protect them for the understanding of current and future generations,” states BLM Supervisory Archaeologist Scott Stadler. “We’re grateful to the UW, Elizabeth, Christina and the SHPO for their hard work in getting these sites listed on the Register.”