Tremonton, Utah – Finally, large rock-bearing petroglyphs, created by the ancestors of the Northwest Band of the Shoshone Nation more than 1,000 years ago, have finally returned to their home in the mountains of northern Utah.
The repatriation effort, which began in 2011, culminated earlier this month when the sacred rock was airlifted to its original location after being freed from a concrete slab in front of a church meeting hall in the Tremonton community, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a statement Wednesday that historians and restoration specialists working on its behalf collaborated with the tribe and state to carefully remove and clean the 2,500-pound (1,134-kilogram) rock. The process involved saws, chisels, and eventually soap and water to remove years of lichen growth from the petroglyphs.
For Brad Barry, the tribe’s vice president, it was poignant to see the rock return to the rugged hillside to rejoin other boulders covered in petroglyphs. He said it’s a spiritual place where Shoshone ancestors gathered to camp and hunt.
Barry said the repatriation was like putting a puzzle piece in place.
“Our history is so torn apart by so many things that have happened to us,” he said in a statement. “To have these positive things coming out now is rebuilding our history. I can’t overstate that.”
People give different accounts of how the rock ended up in the church meeting hall about 80 years ago. The stories involve a group of people loading the huge rock into a pickup truck and transporting it to the city.
Why it was brought to the church is a mystery, said Ryan Saltzgifer, curator of historic sites in the church history department. For decades, it remained outside the building, first near the flagpole and then on the north side. Grainy black and white photos shared by the church showed the rock on display.
David Bolingbroke, research and outreach historian for the Department of Church History, said the rock was likely placed in the church not out of malice, but because of a lack of proper understanding.
In 2011, amateur archaeologists used a rock art survey dating back to 1937 to identify and trace the origin of the rock.
“We’ve been working since about that time to get everything in order so we can move the stone,” Saltzgiver said.
The Utah State Historic Preservation Office helped bring the partners together, and the church worked with the tribe to finalize a preservation and repatriation plan. The church has a moral and ethical obligation to take care of the objects in its possession as well as a responsibility to return sacred objects to their rightful owners, Saltzgiver said.
Once the rock was removed from its concrete base, it was transported to Provo where conservators at the Midwest Art Conservation Center used bamboo and plastic tools to remove the lichen without altering the original patina.
After the rock was transported by truck to a location near the Utah-Idaho line, a helicopter was used to transport it to its location. Officials did not reveal the exact location to ensure its preservation.
On the occasion of the return, tribal spiritual leader Ríos Pacheco delivered a blessing in Shoshoni, the language spoken by the tribe.
“This rock was supposed to be here,” Barry said. “It’s as if this rock knows it’s home.”