The Fremont Indians lived in what is now Utah from 700 to 1300 A.D. Little is known about this group of Native Americans, but some archeologists discovered a unique structure in central Utah that could expalin more about their way of life.
It was a village that was inhabited approximately 1000 years ago. Now, it is home to one of the largest recorded excavation sites for a Fremont Indian structure. Jim Allison is an associate professor in the anthropology department at Brigham Young University. He has been excavating at the unique Goshen, Utah location for three years. He says this site raised questions about Fremont Indian community life.
"One of the things that we found is this large communal structure which suggests that, in fact, there is some sort of community organization going on at this structure that is about four to five times as large as an ordinary Fremont house," he says.
Students from BYU have also played a role in the excavation process. Allison says that anywhere from 15 to 22 students a year are taken out to the Goshen location, where they earn credit for on-site excavation.