The cultural resource overview is of an area designated by the Bureau of Land Management as the Canyonlands Grazing Environmental Impact Statement area consisting of the Dolores, Castle Valley, Dry Valley, Beef Basin, and Monticello Planning Units of the Moab District, Bureau of Land Management (see Figure 1). The environment of the area has changed little in the past 1500 years after an earlier warm dry period shortly before the time of Christ. The area is now a high desert with hot summers and cool to cold winters. Previous archaeological research has been survey oriented with much historical research on both a regional basis and on detailed problems. Most of the recent archaeological research has been to solve land management problems.
Research has shown periodic occupation of the area for the past 11,000 years, starting with Paleo-Indian hunters of Pleistocene mammals. Archaic foragers used the area from 8,000 to 2,000 years ago. They were followed by Formative agriculturists and were related to the Mesa Verde Branch of the Anasazi (Pueblo), who grew corn, beans, and squash from the time of Christ until about 1200 A.D. Nomadic peoples speaking a Numic language and historically called Utes occupied the area at first European contact and had been in the area at least 200 years at contact.Historically the area has had a ranching and mining economy with two small towns, Moab and Monticello, providing services. In recent years tourism and governmental services have been added to the economic base.