Utah for Kids: Pre-History

Utah is rich in archaeological sites.  Despite much of the state being in a desert climate, there have been many people and cultures that have settled in the state.

The first people that lived in the area are called PaleoIndians.  Paleo is the Greek word for “Old”.  Therefore, they are known as the “Old Indians”.  These people hunted animals found in the area—such as the Mammoth.

About 8,000 years ago, the people in Utah were more nomadic—meaning that they stopped and lived in small villages for a period of time and then moved to other areas. Archaeologists have found numerous artifacts from this period—including baskets, stone spear tips.

The Anasazi and Fremont Indians lived in Utah over 2,000 years ago.  They mostly lived in Caves and tents.  They were farmers and hunters.

Discuss the following items as a group:

• What is archaeology?
• What is a Mammoth?
• What kinds of tools did pre-historic people use?