Approximately 800 to 1,400 years ago, this area was home the ancestral indigenous people of the region. They left evidence of their presence in the form of petroglyphs, patterns chipped or carved into the rock, and pictographs, patterns painted on the rock. For a thousand years, this rock overhang has shaded these pictographs from the strong midday sun. This limited exposure to sunlight may have helped to preserve the vibrant colors in these ancient images.