Shifting Sands

Anthropology and ArchaeologyHidden beneath the beautiful shifting dunes within the Sand Hollow Basin of southwestern Utah are thousands of campsites dating from the Early Archaic period into Historic times. The sites attest to life in a marginal environment, where small groups of people moved outward from the nearby Virgin River into the surrounding landscape, seasonally exploiting a surprisingly rich variety of plants and animals. This report summarizes archaeological, geomorphological, botanical, and climatological studies that have expanded our understanding of Native American land use and subsistence in this hot desert environment.