Who were these people? It is difficult to say who was the first people to occupy this area, however, several Native Americans and their ancestors not only survived in this barren area, but lived very productive lives. Most people were nomadic at the time. Archaeologist argue when the first man came to this region. Some say as long as 13,000 BC, during the last ice age. During that time most of North America was covered in an ice sheet and the area that is now desert was lush with vegetation and teeming with wildlife. There is scattered evidence that this area was inhabited at this time. From about 2,000 BC to about 300 BC were the Gypsum-period people, who lived in groups of a couple of men, their wives and their children. The men would hunt the abundant big game, such as bighorn sheep and the women and children would hunt rabbit and other small game. These are the people who started the carvings in the sandstone knows as petroglyphs. As the climate changed, so did the game and the vegetation. The people needed to adapt as well.

The time around 300 BC to 700 AD is known as the Moapa and Muddy River phases. Now the hunting was for mainly small game. Ground squirrel, and rabbit was now the primary game caught. Also the gathering the native vegetation became important in the diets of these people. As the population grew so did the demand of food. Eventually farming became the way of life for these people. They no longer had to be nomadic or semi-nomadic people. Anasazi people of the south began to migrate into this area and brought the skills of farming to the region. Also knows as the Basketmakers, the Anasazi lived in villages and helped establish a non-nomadic culture to this region. They also learned the skill of clay to eventually produce pottery. This created a highly organized society that eventually turned into the Lost City and Mesa House peoples.