Brigham Young University’s Museum of Peoples and Cultures recently opened its newest exhibit, which delves into the history of Utah Valley, discovering the inhabitants before the Mormon Pioneers and even before the Ute and Paiute American Indians.
The museum is located at 100 E. 700 N. and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Admission is free, and tours can be arranged by calling (801) 422-0022.
The exhibit, “Beneath Your Feet: Discovering the Archaeology of Utah Valley,” focuses on the Fremont people who inhabited Utah valley from A.D. 400 – 1300. However, the Fremont weren’t even the first inhabitants of the valley, which has been occupied since 7000 B.C.
“One of the main purposes of the exhibit is to make people aware of the archaeology that is right here,” said museum director Paul Stavast. “Beneath the modern neighborhoods and cities of Utah Valley lies one of Utah's greatest treasures — the relics of a people who lived here long ago.”
The exhibit features many artifacts discovered around Utah Lake. Some of the artifacts were even discovered by BYU classes. Archaeologists have been excavating sites in Utah Valley since the 1930s.
“The Fremont were very interesting because they were the first agrarian society in Utah Valley, even long before the pioneers came here,” Stavast said. “Also, we’re not exactly sure what happened to the Fremont. Whether or not they were forced out of their homes or if they integrated with incoming tribes is still a mystery.”
For more information, contact Anna McKean at (801) 422-1414 or e-mail mpc@byu.edu.
Writer: Anna McKean
