Zion National Park is a great place with a calm and peaceful environment. With its picturesque beauty and breathtaking view, visitors can enjoy a wonderful experience. Humans have enjoyed the landscape of Zion since 6,000 BC.

Since we are on the topic, let’s dive into the history of the Zion National Park.

To begin with, human use of this site divides into four historical periods. In this article, we are going to dive into each period separately.

Without any further delay, let’s get started

The Archaic Era

It was 300 B.C when archaic groups began adding wild food items such as corn found at the riverside and springs. Historians labeled this civilization ‘the Basketmakers’ because archeologists found many coiled baskets in surrounding sites of Zion.

Because of these horticultural experiments, the need to store more food grew. As a result, these Basketmakers installed pithouses; storage units lined with either stones or grass.

Earlier on, a small number of people used Zion to merely collect seeds, in addition to other valuable wild plants and nuts. Their exploration left traces to protected sites containing numerous perishable items, including baskets and fiber sandals. Toolkits consisted of knives, drills, and darts.

The Formative Era

What was limited to gardening at a small-scale gradually transitioned to full-fledged horticulture! This is what aptly sums up the Formative Period. During this time, two groups emerged, namely Virgin Anasazi and Parowan Fremont. They used Zion and set up sites, called pueblos which had the same storage units (pithouses). Grinding stones here are a reflection of how corn was a staple item in their diet.

Ceramic vessels are an indication of these groups leading sedentary lifestyles. In addition to this, technological advancements such as the use of arrows coupled with bows grew popular during the Formative Period.

By A.D. 1300, both of these groups vanished, as the archaeological record says. Records suggest that the reason could be that too much flooding made practicing horticulture almost impossible. Researchers, on the other hand, are of the opinion that these groups could not keep up with the Numic group who landed in the area by A.D. 1100.

The Neo-Archaic Era

This era is the period between A.D. 1300 and 1700s. During this period, the Numic people had fully occupied Zion. They largely depended on the diverse wildlife (plants and animals) that Zion offered. According to the season, they often moved to hunt and collected seeds or nuts.

Baskets, bows, and nets reflected that Numic people led quite a mobile lifestyle, unlike Virgin Anasazi and Parowan Fremont.

The Historical Era

It commenced in the late 1700s when Euro-Americans entered the site. Americans and the government made additions to the traveling routes.  John Powell in 1872 fully explored the area as he conducted a survey of the site on behalf of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Later in 1847, the Great Salt Valley witnessed the establishment of settlements by the great Church of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion – Zion National Park of today

It is now a site with a lot of potential of becoming a popular tourism spot.  If you are someone who is intrigued and wants to immediately plan a visit, feel free to reach out to us.