The Bonneville Flood, Melon Gravel, and Indian Rock Carvings—petroglyphs

Part 8 of 10: Southern Idaho back-road photos

As we drove along the northern edge of the Snake River, south of Nampa, Fred pointed out the expansive array of boulders that lay scattered along the terrain. He said “These boulders are called ‘melon gravel.’ They were left behind by the Bonneville flood that occurred about 15,000 years ago.”

Basalt Boulders of the Snake River Plains — a glimpse

Subsequent research reveals that the ice-age Bonneville Lake, which resided in the great Salt Lake Basin in Utah, rose so high that it breached. Huge amounts of water flooded the Snake River Basin to the Columbia River in Washington then on to the Pacific Ocean.

In doing so, the current cut deep recesses in the canyon walls and gouged holes in the canyon floor, creating waterfalls (notably the Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls), alcoves, and gravel bars.

It also deposited hundreds of square miles of sediment eroded from upstream. Thousands of basalt boulders were distributed throughout the canyon. As the video clips show, they’re anywhere from 3-feet to about 10-feet in diameter. They were rounded by many miles of tumbling action.

As we toured the terrain, Fred said “Some of the boulders have carvings on them dating as far back as 12000 years. They were carved by the Paiute Indians, descendants of the Shoshone. Would you like to see them?”

“Absolutely! How do we find them?”

“We drive to Celebration Park, right down the road. If we look hard enough, we’ll find petroglyphs on the rocks along the trails.”

After entering the park, we scouted the trails.

Basalt Boulders and Trails of Celebration Park, Idaho
(Idaho’s first archaeological park)

The following boulders, found with Fred’s help, display some of the carvings. According to information at Celebration Park, the Paiute Indians wintered in the area for thousands of years and etched these pictures. One may surmise they marked the passing of time, animals hunted, game trails, stories told, migration maps, etc. These carvings are considered sacred and priceless to the Paiute and Shoshone Native American Nations.

Please click an image for a larger view

petro.40

Petroglyph #41

Petroglyph #60

Petroglyph #62

Petroglyph #63

Petroglyph #65

Petroglyph #71

This last photo shows the Celebration Park boulder field looking westward. In the distance is the Guffey Bridge. Check my next post for info on this historical railroad bridge.

The Distant Guffey Bridge

4 thoughts on “The Bonneville Flood, Melon Gravel, and Indian Rock Carvings—petroglyphs”

  1. I have gravel rock with indian carvings on it. I send hours studing them. Alot of them show the painthey went threw battling beast of their time. Its amazing how they can carve on such a small rock and tell a whole life story about them.

    1. Hi Susan. Thanks for commenting. I’ve been going through a major life transition so have not kept up with my blog. Nevertheless, your observations are so true! So much of life’s history in a few pictures. Regards, John Ellsworth

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