BLM replaces interpretive signs in canyon

RANGELY I The Bureau of Land Management’s White River Field Office recently replaced a series of interpretive signs along Canyon Pintado, a popular area south of Rangely, known for its rock art and other cultural sites.
Visitors to the 17-mile long Canyon Pintado corridor along Colorado Highway 139 between Rangely and Douglas Pass can now see 21 new interpretive signs at eight different locations. The signs provide information that helps visitors better understand this important cultural area. They replace older, faded signs that had become difficult to read.
“This renovation is great news for this world-class cultural area,” said White River Field Manager Kent Walter. “In addition to installing these new panels, which was done by our archaeologists and recreation staff, we are planning some significant trail maintenance work this summer.”
Canyon Pintado or “Painted Canyon” was named by the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante Expedition. It is a Historical District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Other visible sites in the district include granaries, rock shelters and drill hole sites. Sites in the district primarily derive from the Fremont Culture (c. AD 0-1300) and Ute (c. AD 1300-1881) occupations of the Douglas Creek Canyon.
For more information about Canyon Pintado, call the White River Field Office in Meeker, 878-3800, or log on to www.blm.gov and follow the interactive maps to the White River Field Office.