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3d ago

Latter-day Saint Church Returns 1,200-Year-Old Petroglyph Boulder to Shoshone Site

Leaders involved describe the return as a moral act of stewardship following years of careful conservation.

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A petroglyph rock was repatriated to its place of origin. The ancient artifact was created by the Fremont people, ancestors of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation in Northern Utah. The rock was taken around 80 years ago and placed at a Tremonton, Utah, meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After Church historians learned of its rightful location, it was cleaned, preserved and returned on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, near the Utah-Idaho border.

Overview

  • The 2,500-pound stone was airlifted back this month to a hillside near the Utah–Idaho border, with the exact location withheld to safeguard nearby rock art.
  • The repatriation followed a multiyear collaboration among the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, and historians and conservators working for the Church.
  • Conservators in Provo freed the boulder from concrete and removed lichen using soap and water, bamboo and plastic tools, a nontoxic biocide, and steam to stabilize the carvings.
  • Church officials said there was no legal requirement to return the artifact but emphasized a moral and ethical responsibility to restore sacred items to their rightful owners.
  • A blessing by tribal spiritual leader Rios Pacheco marked the reinstallation, reuniting the Fremont-era petroglyphs with companion rock art at the site.