Ep 8. The Secret Canyon

The best kept secret of American archeology is now revealed - an entire canyon of perfectly preserved 1,000-year-old remains. Who were these people - and where did they come from? The segment introduces Utah's Range Creek Canyon that was recently sold to the state and federal governments. The canyon held a secret that the owners had kept to themselves - the whole place is filled with the surprisingly well-preserved remains of the Fremont people, a Native American culture that flourished in the region for about a thousand years. The Fremont are among the most enigmatic of America's ancient peoples. For some reason they built houses and storage granaries in extremely precarious and hazardous places. They were prolific creators of often mysterious rock art. And their way of life appears to have come to a sudden end around 1300 AD.