The Fremont are one of three minor traditions/cultures that developed in the prehistoric southwest, mainly in the area of what is now Utah. The culture is named after the Fremont River in the state of Utah where the first distinctive Fremont sites were discovered. At first, the Fremont were considered to be an inferior branch of the Anasazi culture, but now its considered to be a distinct and unique culture; a less socially organized culture but just as adaptable. There are still current debates regarding whether the Fremont were Anasazi people who migrated into Utah or if the culture was created by local Indians under Anasazi influence.

Fremont Petroglyphs at Buckhorn
Kerkphil via Wikimedia Commons

Origins

Archaeologists believe that as early as 400 CE, existing groups of hunter-gatherers on the Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Basin developed into the Fremont. Soon after, corn and other cultivated plants were being grown in central Utah, although these early Fremont farmers did not build settled villages, but remained nomadic throughout the year. Farming and pottery then gradually began to spread from this region to the rest of the Fremont area, which includes most of present day Utah and extends well into central Nevada and other neighboring states. Due to favorable climatic conditions and a keen knowledge of the area, roughly between 700 and 1250 CE was the height of Fremont culture, as well as other southwestern prehistoric cultures. Settled village life had developed in the heart of the Fremont region, with a number of farming villages consisting of semi-subterranean timber and mud pit houses and above-ground storage houses. Fremont farming techniques were as sophisticated as those of other contemporary farming societies, such as irrigation techniques. This lifestyle continued unchanged for the Fremont for about 500 years, but eventually climate changes would irritate the land.

The Anasazi inhabited the south-central portion of the Colorado Plateau, particularly the Four Corners region, while the Fremont culture did not extend south of the Colorado River. So archaeologists ask the question: How much interaction existed between these people? Sites in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Henry Mountains near the current Arizona/Utah border indicate cultural interactions between the two groups, including trade and possibly intermarriage. It is interesting that Anasazi archaeological features diminish and Fremont features increase as one moves north along the Green River.

What made them different?

Moki Hut (Granary) in a canyon crevice
near the Fremont River.
Bob Palin via Wikimedia Commons (CC)

Archaeologists studying the Fremont have found only four distinct artifact categories which readily identify this society from others of its time, since pithouse design, horticulture, and projectile points were similar across all prehistoric southwestern cultures. The four "classic" Fremont artifacts are:

1) a unique one-rod-and-bundle basketry style,
2) moccasins constructed with the dew claws a deer or mountain sheep forming the heel,
3) a distinctive art style used in pictographs, petro glyphs, and clay figures depicting trapezoidal human figures decorated in necklaces and blunt hairstyles, and
4) coiled gray pottery. 

Fremont archaeological sites, ranging from villages to small camp-sites, have been identified in practically every ecosystem of the Great Basin/Colorado Plateau region. Artifacts such as snare traps, rabbit nets, fur clothing, leather pouches, and bows and arrows proves that the Fremont developed adapted in order to reside in their imposing environment.

Pilling Figurines
Brian Lee via Wikimedia Commons (CC)

Adaptation and Disappearance

Even though they showed adaptation to the environment, between 1200 and 1500 CE, the Fremont culture began to vanish. Their exact disappearance is unknown but there are several posibilies that together contributed to bring down the Fremont. Climate changes might have made farming more difficult due to decreased precipitation. Competition for the limited resources with migrating Numic-speaking ancestors of the Ute or Shoshoni people might have caused them to die off or they may have been absorbed into a new culture. Whatever the reason might be, the Fremont showed impressive resourceful knowledge of the land they inhabited and thrived for over fifteen hundred years.

About the Author

I'm Jose Pierre and I like learning about all aspects of culture, both ancient and modern. I enjoy learning how they communicated, expressed themselves, and their technology.

It would seem that out of nowhere, Oasisamerica became a very populated ares in the American Southwest. Oasisamerica covered what we know as present day:

• US States: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico
• Mexican States: Baja California, Sonora, and Chihuahua

The land is dry, but the Yaqui, Bravo, Colorado, and Gila Rivers, along with lakes that have been swallowed by the desert, and a milder climate (than that of Aridoamerica) allowed the development of agricultural techniques to give birth to some of the greatest desert cultures in America.

Where did the Oasisamericans come from?

There are three main hypotheses regarding the birth of cultures in Oasisamerica:

1. An individual culture originated due to favorable climate that allowed agriculture;
2. Mesoamerican nomads (possibly outsiders) moved north out of Aridoamerica and took their knowledge of agriculture with them;
3. Turquoise was very valuable in Mesoamerica - since almost all Mesoamerican turquoise comes from Arizona and New Mexico, trade may have brought knowledge of agriculture and jump-started cultural development.

Who were the Oasisamericans?

Though five cultures dominated the area, three were greater than the others: the Anasazi, the Hohokam, and the Mogollon. The other two, Fremont and Patayan, lived around them as neighboring communities that very well may have originated from the three greater cultures.

Anasazi

The Anasazi are one of the most intensely studied pre-Columbian cultures of the United States. Their territory stretched across most of New Mexico, up into Colorado, across Utah, and down to Pequeño Colorado River in Arizona. One of their main settlements (and most popular to visit) is Chaco Canyon where many baskets and ceramics have been discovered.

Hohokam

The Hohokam lived in central Arizona and parts of northern Sonora. Their territory lay between the Gila and Colorado Rivers. Though their land suffered from little rainfall and higher temperatures, they built canals for irrigation. Their principal settlements include Casa Grande, Snaketown, Red Mountain, and Pueblo de los Muertos.

Mogollon

The Mogollon are sometimes considered two cultures rather than one: Mogollon and Paquime. The Paquime culture derived from the original Mogollon culture. Their territory stretched from the Anasazi and Hohokam borders into Sonora and most of Chihuahua. The Mogollon, unlike their two dominant neighbors, buried their dead. Most of these graves have been looted and/or destroyed by treasure hunters (these graves often had many riches including ceramics and semiprecious stones).

Fremont

The Fremont lived north of the Anasazi in Utah. Their origins are unknown but they possibly derived from the Anasazi or Atapascan culture (buffalo hunters). They are known for their Moki huts (granary storage units) in cliff crevices. The Range Creek Canyon site is the most well preserved area with evidence of the Fremont culture.

Patayan

The Patayan area began east of the Hohokam and expanded across Arizona into southern California, Baja California, and Sonora. They are known for their Mogollon looking pottery made using the paddle-and-anvil style which is Hohokam - leaving their origin questionable, but they were clearly influenced by both.

Decline and Change

Oasisamericans were an agricultural society that thrived hundreds of years. These cultures began declining in power around the time of the Spanish Conquest (though the Spanish are not responsible for all of their disappearances). Many of these cultures split into "new" cultures, such as the Zuñi and Hopi. These desert communities understood how to use their land - their monumental earthen structures are testimony to their greatness. The Pueblo desert people knew how to create true sustainable architecture, something many of us are just beginning to understand the value of.

For Further Reading:

• Oasisamerican Cultures: The Anasazi 
• Oasisamerican Cultures: The Hohokam 
• Oasisamerican Cultures: The Mogollon 
• Oasisamerican Cultures: The Fremont 
• Oasisamerican Cultures: The Patayan

About the Author

I'm Melanie, the founder of BermudaQuest and an archaeology undergraduate at the University of New Mexico. I love writing about ancient and modern cultures. My goal is to make information about our origins available to everyone [in simple English!]