Fruita in Wayne County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Farming the Fremont

Photographed by James Hulse, April 2, 2025

1. Farming the Fremont Marker

Inscription. The Fremont River valley is a rich, well-watered farmland, sheltered from arid winter winds that sweep across the uplands. The first settlers, the Fremont Indians, maintained a hunter/gatherer lifestyle, supplemented by growing corn, squash, and beans in irrigated fields along the river. Centuries later, the first Mormon settlers found ancient irrigation ditches still intact here.

Centuries of human use in this small valley have created the cultural landscape you see around you. Ancient petroglyphs and 19th-century inscriptions, Fremont sites and Mormon farms, still exist side by side in the Fruita Rural Historic District.

Captions
Fremont Indians
(Diagram #1) Fremont Indian tools: shovel, digging stick, mano and metate, bighorn sheep sickle
(Diagram #2) Fremont Indian woman

Mormon Settlers
(Diagram #3) Mormon farming tools: shovel, hoe, corn planter, hay scythe
(Diagram #4) Mormon farmer circa 1930s

Erected by Capitol Reef National Park, National ParkService, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 38° 17.265′ N,

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111° 14.399′ W. Marker is in Fruita, Utah, in Wayne County. It is on State Road 24 1.1 miles east of Scenic Drive, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located on the boardwalk at the Petroglyphs Panels. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 875 UT-24, Torrey UT 84775, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Holt Orchard (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Signs of a Thriving People (about 700 feet away); Stories in Stone (about 700 feet away); Silent Sentinels (approx. 0.4 miles away); It's Alive! (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Giving Groves (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Community's Cornerstone (approx. 0.4 miles away); Living Off the Land (approx.

The view of the Farming the Fremont Marker along the boardwalk image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 2, 2025

2. The view of the Farming the Fremont Marker along the boardwalk

half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fruita.

A view of the nearby orchard image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 2, 2025

3. A view of the nearby orchard

Credits. This page was last revised on May 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 128 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 2, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.