For thousands of years, people have inhabited the Great Basin. The earliest group, known as the Desert Archaic, led a nomadic lifestyle, hunting and gathering. A later group, known as the Fremont, lived in the Snake Valley from about 1300 to 800 years ago. They planted crops and built permanent villages. More recently, the nomadic Shoshone and Paiute tribes lived in this area; their descendants are an important part of Great Basin communities today.
The survival and success of all these groups
depended on their knowledge and utilization
of the local plants. In the foothills of the
Great Basin?s mountains, they could find
food, medicine, and materials for clothing.
Early settlers also benefited from this
knowledge. Today, most of us find all that
we need at the supermarket, but many wild
plants (or domesticated versions) still have
important uses. As you walk down this path, take a minute to learn about some of the Great Basin?s plants and their uses.
Please remember that you are in a national
park. Picking or collecting any part of any
plant is prohibited, with the notable
exception of pinyon pine nuts (gathering
regulations available at the visitor center).