April 15th -- I stopped by the Edge of the Cedars State Park
Museum in Blanding. It’s another place we’ve bypassed for years as we hurry to Moab for our
Green River trips. The Museum (and Repository) are built immediately adjacent
to an archeological site.
I was very impressed with some of the pots that were
on display in glass cases in the lobby. Not only did they have these incredible
pots, they also had the stories of discovery by the people who found the pots.
Turns out, pots are a major component of their
collection. They built a portion of their repository with glass walls so that
even a portion of the stored collection can be viewed.
Throughout the building, the walls were painted with
replicas of rock art. At the front desk, they loaned each visitor a book
explaining the style and the assumed meaning of each panel.
On the second floor, in addition to more pottery,
there was a collection of arrow heads,
and a series of photographs of rock art panels that
had been taken expressly as documentation of these panels. The artistry of
these panels was exquisite. They’d even tell you where they were located, if
the name of the county and the state were enough information!
Outside, part of the site has been restored,
resulting in a very nice interpretive ruin.
Although it is a State Park, it does not include any camping
facility since it is located in a residential neighborhood. Don’t let that
scare you off – the streets are very wide. The parking lot is striped primarily
for autos, but they do provide some RV parking as well.
This post was uploaded and scheduled thanks to the Blanding
Visitor Center on my 2nd visit!
Like you, it's a place we've always driven past. Now I know to make it a priority on our next visit.
ReplyDeleteNow you've made my day! It's well worth a stop.
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