Picture Stones

Written by Laird Roberts

Many years ago Indians wrote messages and recorded events on animal skins, tree bark, and on the flat surfaces of rocks. But instead of using letters of the alphabet, pictures of animals, people, and events were chipped or painted on rocks to tell a story.

These rock pictures, or petroglyphs, help us to better understand how the Indians lived who drew the stories.

Brain Roberts and several of his friends enjoy exploring a place that is sometimes called “Storybook Canyon” near Anabella, Utah, because of the many petroglyphs found there on the canyon walls. The boys try to figure out what the many beautiful drawings and designs of deer, eagles, goats, and even a train mean.

The story of the train is one of Brian’s favorites. One explanation of the drawing is that many years ago an important chief of the tribes who lived near Storybook Canyon was invited by the big chief of the white men (the president of the United States) to visit Washington, D.C. The Indian chief and many important leaders from nearby tribes traveled by steam train to the East. There they spent several weeks as the honored guests of the president.

When the Indians returned from Washington, the chief climbed onto the ledges of Storybook Canyon and there, like his people had done for many generations before him, he carefully carved into the soft rock the story of that important event. The train that the chief drew on the ledge is over ten feet long.

Today the canyon is like a huge art gallery where many beautiful drawings and designs can be seen.

Photographed by Laird Roberts