“Wait, this isn’t trash, it’s a historic artifact!” -Zion National Park
Zion National Park is famous for its historical artifacts which archeologists carefully collect and curate. Many of the artifacts found in the park end up in the Zion Museum Collection including ancient sandals from the Pueblo period, intricately decorated ceramics and a 2,000 year old hand woven basket that is remarkably well preserved given it was crafted from natural fibers.
The historical significance of items visitors find may be obvious in the case of a hafted knife blade or shards of pottery but Zion recently made a social media post that some things that may look like trash are actually considered “historic artifacts.”
They did not include specifics on what is trash vs something that may end up on display in their museum but did include a photo of a rusted can that reaches the threshold of artifact by their standards. Use your best judgement and when in doubt take a picture, record your GPS location and let a ranger know what you found.
Let’s talk trash!
Wait, this isn’t trash, it’s a historic artifact! Although it’s a great idea to leave a place better than you found it, sometimes the “trash” you see in the park are actually historical artifacts. Leave these artifacts where you find them, as they provide valuable information about the area they were found in and the overall archeological record of the park!
What should you do if you find an artifact? Take a photo and note a detailed description of the area (GPS coordinates if possible), then share it with a park ranger so they can report it to our archeologist.
About Zion Human History Museum
The Zion Human History Museum displays artifacts and archival materials from the permanent collections of Zion National Park. These exhibits showcase the rich human history of the place now known as Zion National Park and illustrate the effects water has had upon both the peoples and the place.
History of Zion Human History Museum
The first museum at Zion National Park opened in 1924 in the historic Grotto building. It was filled with various objects collected in the field by ranger naturalists, including plant specimens, insects, and archeological artifacts. These exhibits took up one room of the building, which also housed the park bookstore, public information office, and ranger offices. Exhibits in these early days primarily served to support ranger programs. For example, in 1928, rangers gave regular reptile-themed programs using a live reptile cage exhibit. The live props included both rattlesnakes and gopher snakes.
During the Great Depression, workers in the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public work relief program funded through the New Deal, made exhibit cases, dioramas, and other objects for the museum. In 1936, they converted the old park headquarters at Canyon Junction to the Museum and Visitor Information Station. This building served as the park’s primary public contact station for twenty-five years.
In the 1960s, a ten-year building initiative known as Mission 66 enabled the improvement and construction of infrastructure in national parks across the country. Under this program, Zion National Park built a new visitor center complete with professional museum exhibits, offices, and an auditorium. In 2002, after the Zion Canyon Visitor Center opened, the Mission 66 building reopened as the Zion Human History Museum.
