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Echoes from the Past 
Western History, Sagebrush Inspirations and Other Things Volume 2 number 40 

October 2, 2003 
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in this issue
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-- Featured Article
-- Petroglyphs
-- Early Hunting Rock Site
-- What I learned on Saturday
-- Sagebrush Inspirations
-- Happy Thoughts
-- In the kitchen
-- BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL HUMAN NEEDS
-- Reader contributions welcome
-- I am proud to be an American
-- Until next time,


Hello Friends,

Another page has turned on the calendar. My friend reminded me the other day that we have less than three months until Christmas. Fall is definitely in the air and the nights are becoming much cooler. I have noticed that it is getting dark earlier. It has been dark when I get off work in the evening lately. Daylight Saving Time ends on the 26th of this month, so that will help delay dark somewhat.

I joined other members of the Weston County Historical Society Saturday on a trek to some early hunting rocks near our town of Newcastle. Alice Tratebas, an archaeologist with the B.L.M., provided information about the petroglyphs and Tim Cowan, another B.L.M. archaeologist, gave some interesting information about the land surrounding the hunting rock site. I have to say this was one of the most interesting days I have spent recently.

Petroglyphs
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Petroglyphs have been found in every state of our nation and in Western Europe, South and Middle America and Northern Spain. Many of the symbols and designs in all these locations are similar to those in the other locations. One of the repeated designs is a stick man with his arms raised.~~~Many are carved on cliffs which face the east and give rise to the idea that they may have some religious significance. Petroglyphs have been found in three separate locations in Weston County alone.~~~Petroglyphs are pictures that have been carved into the walls of a cliff, cave or on a rock face. They depict deer, antelope, buffalo, cats, dogs, goats, mountain sheep, man and other designs.~~~Carving these pictures into stone had to hold some great importance because of the sheer difficulty of the task. The art was carved into the rocks using stone tools, and had to be very time consuming, tiring work.~~~

Who carved the petroglyphs? As recently as ten or fifteen years ago, this is what was known about them: "It has been impossible to date the carvings which may tell the tale of some hunting expedition, or may be a history or simply old Indian graffiti. Who carved them? The early Asians who gave rise to the American Indian tribes? Some of the early tribes to inhabit the region like the Shoshonis or the Crows? Or were they made by the Sioux Indians who came to the area later? These are questions that will probably forever remain a mystery."~~~# (Information taken from History of Weston County Wyoming, The First 100 Years, published in 1988) At the same time, it was known that many of the arrowheads, found so abundantly in this area, had been dated and were 
believed to be 6,000 years old. This statement was in the Weston County History book.



Early Hunting Rock Site
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This particular hunting rock site contains some of the most magnificent petroglyphs found anyplace in the world. I had heard about them and talked to people 
who have been there over the past twenty or thirty years, but I had never been there. I have seen pictures that people have taken of the petroglyphs. Until very recently, the area was open to anybody who wanted to go there, and people would fill in the carvings with chalk to make them show up better in pictures. This is known as "chalking" and is extremely harmful to the antique art. On Saturday, I learned that simply touching the rock damages it because oils and other 
residue remain from your skin. The site is now closed to the public and a lot of detailed study and analysis is being done not only on the petroglyphs, but the entire area in an effort to preserve what is there and to learn more about the people who left these wonderful records carved on the rock faces.~~~In all the years that I have known about the site, I imagined the carvings were probably five or six hundred years old, which I thought was amazing that they still existed 
and were in such good condition.



What I learned on Saturday
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The petroglyphs are not all the same age. Some have been dated at 11,500 years and they span a period of about 9,000 years. Apparently, people returned to the site to add more art through the years.~~~The archaeologists study not only the rock art, but the entire area, looking for clues into the daily lives of the 
people who left them. All the information is put together and used to analyze the meaning of the petroglyphs. In past years, the area was homesteaded 
and cattle were raised there. This activity would presumably destroy much, if not all, the evidence of any long ago civilization.

Those of you who live in this area of Wyoming are aware of the devastating forest fires we have had over the past three years. The rest of you have heard me 
talk about the fires and the vast amount of damage being done to the natural resources in this area.~~~Because of the fires, the rocks that contain the carvings have been damaged and are in fragile condition. This makes the work of the archaeologists even more urgent, and closing the site to the public is necessary to prevent further harm to the site.~~~The good news about the fires is that much of the ground cover was destroyed, exposing bare earth and revealing artifacts left by the people who inhabited the area so long ago. Stone pits, or fireplaces, have been found. Implements used to make stone tools and to tan hides have been discovered. We now know that at one time, there was a community of about 2,500 people living in the area.~~~Hunting arrowheads is a popular passtime for many people. The thing about that is the artifact is removed from its original location. The work of the archaeologist requires that all findings remain in the original location so they can study each piece in relation to where it is from the other items. In this way, they can solve some of the mysteries of the past.~~~I am anxious to learn exactly what the petroglyphs are saying to us today. I have a feeling it is important.~~~My personal feeling is that the art 
depicts their life, in every important detail. Just as people keep diaries, publish daily news, and write journals, I don't think those people were different in that way. It is human nature to keep a record of our daily lives, or at least the most important parts of it.~~~~A WORD ABOUT THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS, Alice Tratebas and Tim Cowan. Both are well informed and have an obvious passion for their work and both arevery approachable. Alice said she hopes to lead another group to the site next summer.



Sagebrush Inspirations
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My life was like a forest, grown full of lush new things... with deer grazing in the meadows and birds, their songs to sing. The sunset in the evening and the moonlight in the trees...my heart was filled with wonder as the grass danced on the breeze. My life could be no better, I believed this to be so. I had gathered all life's lessons and had no room to grow. But then the fire reached me, and took away my green. Left standing in the ashes, my life had been stripped clean. For a time the flames disfigured and scarred me all around....then one day I discovered treasure on the barren ground. These things had always been there, but I just didn't see. They were buried beneath daily cares, but now were plain to see. I had to do some digging and it took me a while to find I had the implement to be happy and to smile. The flames that devastated only took those things away... that can be replaced and will be even better one fine day. The lingering flames unearthed the strengths I didn't know I had.... something good always comes out of the bad.~~~ (c) 2003 Rosie Cooley



Happy Thoughts
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"Every day holds the possibility of a miracle." (Author 
Unknown)

"Instead of seeking happiness by going out of our 
place, our skill should be to find it where we are." 
(Henry Ward Beecher)

In the kitchen
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GREEN TOMATO AND JALAPENO RELISH: 5 pounds green tomatoes, (10 to 12 medium) 1 pound onions, 1 cup chopped fresh jalapenos, 2 cups cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup pickling salt.~~~ Prepare 6 (1 pint) canning jars according to manufacturer directions. Coarsely chop tomatoes, onions and jalapenos in batches in a food processor, reserving for later. Combine sugar, vinegar and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add vegetables and boil the mixture vigorously for 2 or 3 minutes. Spoon the relish into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.~~~from Vernie in Idaho

CORN FLAKE CANDY: 1 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, (creamy or crunchy) 8 cups corn flakes.~~~Bring corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter to a slow boil in a large pan, stirring constantly. Put the corn flakes into a large bowl. Pour boiled ingredients over the corn flakes and stir until all the corn flakes are coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto a buttered cookie sheet or aluminum foil. Cool. Store in an airtight container.~~~"These are very good." from Sandy in Wisconsin

BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL HUMAN NEEDS
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The need to live~~~ The need for love~~~ The need to belong~~~ The need to feel secure~~~ The need to think well of one's self~~~ The need to be thought well of by others.

I found that list in a magazine a few years ago and liked it a lot. At the time, the fires of Hell were raging through my personal life, and I added one more to the 
list:~~~"Hope for the future."


Reader contributions welcome
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Feel free to send anything you want, from a comment to a story or poem that you have written. Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share? A 
question? A handy hint? I will be happy to include them.



I am proud to be an American
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"In God we trust"



Until next time,
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Have a good week, and whenever possible, let us all try to fulfill some of those basic needs for our fellow humans in our daily encounters. Rosie

If you like this publication and know somebody else who would, feel free to send it on. You will find a link at the bottom for that purpose. I ask only that you send the entire letter and not parts of it.**(c) 2003 Rosie Cooley; all rights reserved**



Contact Information
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email: rosiec@rtconnect.net
voice: (307)746-3345
web: http://www.rtconnect.net/~rosiec/
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