Nevada State Historic Preservation Office

(Prehistoric Rock Art Site)
Nevada Historical Marker 27

Location:
Carson River Basin, Churchill County, Nevada.
Located along U.S. Highway 50, ten miles east of Fallon, Nevada.

GRIMES POINT (Prehistoric Rock Art Site)
Grimes Point, one of the largest and most accessible petroglyph sites in northern Nevada, contains about 150 basalt boulders covered with petroglyphs. Nevada petroglyphs were of magico-religious significance in insuring the success of large game hunts and were located near seasonal migration routes.

Running east and west along the ridge, on the hill above the petroglyphs, thee is evidence of an aboriginal drift fence for driving deer or antelope. This required concentrated group action in construction and operation.

The act of making a petroglyph was a ritual performed by a group leader before each hunt. Evidence suggests that there existed a powerful taboo against doodling in places, for purposes, and by persons other than those directly associated with the hunt.

Petroglyphs probably date between 5000 BC and 1500 AD.