An Archaeological Survey of West Canyon and Vicinity, Utah County Utah

• Main Author: Wheeler, Edward A., II
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 1968
• Subjects: West Canyon; Utah; Antiquities; Utah County; Anthropology; Mormon Studies
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5208; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6207&context=etd

This section is a statement on the reason behind my conducting archeological excavations in West Canyon. In light of the large collections which had come out of the area, it was deemed important to excavate before any further destruction of sites in the canyon took place in order to establish, if possible, the cultural affiliations of the prehistoric inhabitants of that area. It was felt before excavation began that there was enough evidence already on hand to suggest Fremont culture affiliation, but this was not sufficient to demonstrate the same with confident conclusiveness. A second goal was to obtain a knowledge of the structural design used by the inhabitants of West Canyon insofar as it could be determined by excavation. A third aim was to locate evidence of agricultural activity in a demonstrable form. As previously mentioned Mr. Hutchings had some charred corn cobs in his display case which reportedly came from West Canyon, but these are not displayed or visibly recorded in association with other specific features of a specifically designated site as they appear in the display, so that the associations remain in question. A fourth project was a survey of the area to determine the extent of occupation and as well as the kinds of occupation, whether they were sedentary groups with definite evidences of sedentary constructions and activities, or nomadic groups whose habitation of the area was transitory. An extension of this same problem was a determination of the overall economic activity if possible, of either kind of group. As suggested in the introduction, I believe the previous archeological work that has been conducted in the canyon has not been sufficient to date. Therefore it was my goal to complete a general research in what must be considered a previously untested area. It is unfortunate that with so much activity of this kind in West Canyon, I must use the term "untested area".