Native Americans Archeological evidence dates the earliest habitation of
Native Americans in
Utah to about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Paleolithic people lived near the
Great Basin's wetlands, which had an abundance of fish, birds, and small game animals. Big game, including
giant bison,
mammoths and
ground sloths, were also attracted to the water sources. Over the years, the
megafauna disappeared, while American bison, mule deer and pronghorn became more predominant. Around 8000 BC, this population was replaced by the
Desert Archaic people, who sheltered in caves near the
Great Salt Lake. Relying more on gathering than the previous Utah residents, their diet was largely made of
cattails and other salt tolerant plants such as
pickleweed,
burro weed and
sedge. Red meat appears to have been a luxury. The Desert Archaic people used nets and the
atlatl to hunt water fowl, small animals and pronghorns. Artifacts include nets woven with rabbit skin and plant fibers, gaming sticks, woven sandals, and animal figures made from split-twigs. About 3,500 years ago, lake levels rose and the population of Desert Archaic people appears to have dramatically decreased. There are forty
freshwater springs on Antelope Island. The Fielding Garr Ranch was built near the strongest and most consistent of the springs. Archaeologists have determined that human activity has taken place near these springs for at least 1,000 years.
Fielding Garr Ranch The first
Anglo-Americans to reach the island were
John C. Fremont and
Kit Carson. They explored Antelope Island in 1845 and named the island for the herds of grazing
pronghorn. The first permanent settler on the island was Fielding Garr. The building of the
Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 opened the rest of the island to settlement by
homesteaders. The first federal surveys of the island revealed that only the area surrounding the Fielding Garr Ranch had been improved. This discovery gave the federal government the authority to open the island to settlement under the
Homestead Act. At the time there were fewer than 1,000 head of bison in all of North America.
Protected status The process of changing Antelope Island from a privately owned ranch to a state park took many years. During the early 20th century there was talk of the island being acquired by the federal government for the establishment of a
national park. A. H. Leonard purchased the herd of bison from the Dooly family in 1926. The study had high praise for Antelope Island as a potential national park, but found "little else worthwhile about the Great Salt Lake". The National Park Service was concerned with a lack of planning by the State of Utah and the fact that the lake was used as a dumping site for municipal and industrial waste. At the time the facilities at the park were minimal. Temporary shower facilities were constructed and available for a "long weekend" over the
Memorial Day weekend of 1969. Boating facilities were also available on a limited basis. Davis County commissioners were against the establishment of a national monument citing the "look but don't touch" rules of national monuments. The local government was in favor of the state park and encouraged its development as a means of attracting tourists and increasing county revenues. Access to the park was limited to a
causeway on the southern end of the park at
Saltair The park hosted a "moderate number" of visitors during the 1960s and 1970s. Visitation came to a stop in 1983 when floodwaters washed out both causeways. Cars did not return to the park until 1993 when the northern causeway was re-opened. == Natural history ==