Content including photographs are Copyright © 2016 - Present - Don & Linda Gilmore
Contact us via E-mail

A Mystery in the desert

Petroglyphs are a mystery?

These graphic drawings show what most will look like and what their supposed meaning is. The research team has spent 17 years investigating these symbols.

Waterglyphs, Petroglyphs

In The Desert

NOTICE: see the map at the bottom of this page for trail restrictions. There is an alternate way onto Lost Spring Mesa. The Canaan Wash road is blocked by a locked gate!

Waterglyph Map

This is definitively a mystery in the desert. It is an interesting one. "Most" of these are located on the edge of cliffs like the one we found on Lost Spring Mesa. Keep in mind that some are not on the edge.

Some people would like us to believe that they know what they mean. Maybe in a few cases it seems obvious what their meanings are suppose to depict. In most cases we'll probably never understand their meaning. Waterglyphs fall into this classification. Some seem to point to water locations and ancient settlements, others do not. Have you ever seen a Waterglyph? We found more -- See Part 2

Waterglyph Symbols

Back to
Argosy

A person standing next to this
Waterglyph for size comparison.
Most have 24 inch diameter circles

Waterglyph History

In the late 1950's Dixon Spendlove found his first Waterglyph. In the 1960's Bob Ford found 3 on the McDaniels brothers farm. Both of these findings occurred near Kanab, Utah. Today there is a research team consisting of 5 members that has researched these Waterglyphs. Robert Ford, Dixon Spendlove, Cody Spendlove, David Maxwell and Gordon Hutching. They have a web site with some great information on what they believe these Glyphs to be -- HERE

There are others who would have you believe that Waterglyphs are old Spanish signs pointing to buried treasure (this one is hard to swallow). Another reasoning by others is that they are used as a part of a calendar system in conjunction with the solstices. Not all them point to the setting or rising sun, so this seems unlikely. Even though some don't point to water or settlements you should consider that some of these springs could have dried up and are no longer available, and the settlements are long gone. What is the answer? Your guess is as good as anyone's. More info in Part 2

As of 2016, and according to David Maxwell their research group has now located over 400 of these Waterglyphs in the area on the map below. We've read that x-ray fluorescence testing of these glyphs show that they are around 2,000 years old -- we cannot substantiate this.

As you can see, Southern Utah, Arizona Strip are prime locations for finding these glyphs.

Basically what these symbols are supposed to mean.

Showing different ways the glyphs were made.

Some glyphs show a double horizon in one direction and in some cases
show a double horizon in all directions. The meaning of the double circle
is not known.

Waterglyph Topography Map

The map below shows one waterglyph that we located and how we mapped this out on a topography map. It shows a large water pothole and a settlement we are familiar with in the neighboring area just above the Cookie Cutter Petroglyphs. If this is truly a "Waterglyph" then maybe this is what it was pointing to. Maybe? The trip to this glyph location is below.

Back to
Argosy

Trip to Lost Spring Mesa

Off road trip to find the Glyph

Take only Photographs!
Leave only Footprints!

More info in Part 2

More found in Part 2

On Little Creek Mesa