People have lived in the area currently known as Utah for thousands of years. What problems did these people need to work through? How did they build their homes and make their clothes? What did they do to have fun? Through our First Peoples gallery, learn more about the ways in which people made this area their home using just the natural resources around them. See how their indigenous descendants maintain their ancestors' deep knowledge and innovative technologies today.
 | Virtual Field Trip of First PeoplesEver wonder how the first peoples in Utah obtained their food thousands of years ago? Discover how the physical geology of Utah influenced hunting and gathering techniques and examine food preparation tools and artifacts alongside Museum educators. |
Activities
Research Quest: Artifact Investigation
Use NHMU's artifacts and archaeological site at Range Creek to develop an evidenced-based understanding of our past.
Let's Investigate
Tools of the Past
How did engineers from the past make their tools? Learn more about the resources they used to create new technologies in their time.
Start Exploring
Weavers, Engineers, and Artists
Weaving was a skill of survival for past peoples, today the tradition is an artform continued by their descendants.
Get Creative
Q&A with Archaeologist Dr. Kate Magargal
 | Kate Magargal is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the University of Utah Anthropology Department. She studies how people are a deeply connected part of ecosystems through archaeology, ethnography, ecology, and traditional ecological knowledge. |
 | Join Dr. Kate Magargal to learn what an archaeologist does, what her favorite find is, and more! |
 | Explore the world of archaeology with Dr. Kate Magargal. Dr. Kate shares information about her day to day work and answers student questions. |
 | Dr. Kate Magargal shares her expertise as an archaeologist and answers student questions about her job, her finds, and the relationship between the people alive now and the history she studies. |