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Gateway (48LN348) is comprised of a small concentration of five petroglyph panels that have been incised, abraded, and pecked on several faces of a distinctively-shaped sandstone outcrop located on the highest point of a steep-sided ridge above the confluence of Fontenelle Creek and the Green River. The petroglyphs were created by Native American groups living in, or passing through, the region during the Archaic - Protohistoric periods. The artistic styles present at the site represent the Uncompahgre style, the Ceremonial tradition, the early Biographic Seedskadee style, and Plains Groove rock art tradition. There are 131 distinct images recorded at Gateway. Important cultural elements represented include a battle scene showing two opposing phalanxes of pedestrian warriors carrying full body-sized shields; tool grooves; and elk – many of which are depicted with an arrow piercing their bodies. Some rock art researchers (Keyser and Poetschat 2005a) propose the arrow pierced elk may represent important supernatural significance, possibly representative of “love medicine” rather than hunting. Analyses of the rock art motifs present at Gateway suggest the site functioned in three ways. One function was as a narrative battle scene, representing an actual event. The second function is that of a place where women obtained power, evidenced by the presence of large shallow tool grooves. The third function is as a place where individuals might have come to obtain love medicine. While the three functions are diverse, rock art researchers suggest this wide variation in function is not unexpected for a rock art site with repeated use. The well-preserved distinctive cultural elements at Gateway have great potential to add to our understanding of the Green River Basin and Plains rock art traditions. Tribal consultation and reexamination of the images at the site using multiple advanced imaging techniques could potentially yield additional information important to rock art studies and a better understanding of the site. Gateway is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria C and D at the statewide level of significance.
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