Pharo Village is located in Millard County, Utah and was added to the National Historic Register (#75001813) on October 10, 1975. The text on this page is from the national register’s nomination form.
Pharo Village is recognized as one of the type sites of the Sevier-Fremont, one of the five variants of the agricultural Fremont culture, The Fremont culture area includes all of Utah except for the southernmost portion of the state, and extends into eastern Nevada, western Colorado and southern Wyoming. The Sevier-Fremont variant, dated between A.D. 780-1260 is geographically situated in the region between Utah and Sevier Lakes (north-south), the Wasatch Plateau to the east and extends west into Nevada. Radiocarbon dates from Pharo Village of A, D, 1190+80 and A. D. 1260+90 indicate that the site was occupied in the later part of the period, probably some 200 years after the occupation of the other important Sevier-Fremont type site, Nephi. Design elements on the pottery recovered at Pharo Village indicate that occupation may have continued past A. D. 1260.
Although distinctly Sevier-Fremont in affiliation, Pharo Village illustrates the internal diversity of the Fremont culture as a whole, in its various architectural features as well as in the several types of pottery which were found at the site. The ten structures excavated at Pharo Village represent three different architectural types, and include three pit structures which are interpreted as dwellings and coiled adobe surface structures of various forms which probably functioned as granaries or storage rooms. A rectangular arrangement of stones was also uncovered probably the remains of a masonry and adobe granary, A total of 12,273 sherds and 24 partially restorable pottery vessels was recovered, This is one of the largest ceramic samples from any Sevier-Fremont site; excavated to this date and is unusual in that it was concentrated in such a small area. ‘With minor exceptions, all pottery from Pharo Village belongs to established Fremont or Sevier-Fremont types and includes Snake Valley Gray, Sevier Gray, Snake Valley Black on White, Ivie Creek Black on White.
In addition to pottery, a large quantity of other artefactual material was recovered whose analysis yielded important data on various aspects of the Fremont culture. Food remains from the site included charred corncobs and cornstalks, as well as relatively. large quantities of boney Analysis of this bone indicated that ungulates ware probably the major food animals, with bighorn sheep and mule deer predominating, Evidence for the importance of horticulture in the subsistence regime (in addition to the food remains) included a large number of grinding stones, and a high proportion of storage structures over dwellings. In addition, the location of the village on an alluvial fan, where crops could take advantage of ground iroisture, probably insured a relatively stable crop yield.
Thus, Pharo Village is an important site in many respects/ not only has it been significant for the interpretation of the nature of the Fremont culture and its internal diversity, but it has produced significant information regarding those cultures in the Great Basin which practiced agriculture.
Pharo Village,, at an elevation of 6240 feet, is located near the south end of the Upper Round Valley near the boundary between the Basin-Range and Colorado Plateau provinces. The valley is an area of interior drainage with several perennial streams rising in the Pavant Range which borders the valley on the west.
“Pharo Villacre is located on an alluvial fan. The area of occupation extends irregularly for ca. 700 feet parallel to the creek with two major concentrations of cultural materials. (Marwitt 1968:3) The smaller concentration is located on top of a 15 foot high fault scarplet.
At present, most of the site area is dissected by small dry washes extending east from Pharo Creek. Numerous surface rocks and a thin coating of alluvium were deposited on the site during the first decade of this century when over grazing in the Pavants resulted in extensive canyon erosion.
Pharo Village is located in the western half of the valley. which is relatively well-watered, in a zone of sagebrush and rabbitbrush vegetation, Numerous other low mounds and surface concentrations of cultural material which represent living sites are scattered along the western half of the valley and attest to the aboriginal occupation of Upper Round Valley, Like Pharo Village, which appears to be the most extensive of these sites, they are concentrated on the alluvial fans near perennial streams. Today animal resources of the valley are limited, but game is plentiful in the Pavants and deer commonly descend to the valley floor in winter, Conditions were probably much more favorable in aboriginal tines. Soils are extensive and rich in the valley, and other natural resources, including clay for construction purposes are readily available.
In 1967 the Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, partially excavated the larger cultural concentration on tire site which comprised approximately 10,000 square feet of low mounds covered by cultural deposits averaging two feet in thickness. The smaller concentration was not excavated, except for a test trench which uncovered one structure.
Ten structures representing three different architectural types were uncovered:
1) 3 pot structures (14 to 23 feet in diameter) interacted as dwellings, which contained fire pits and subfloor trash and storage pits.
2) a rock “alignment” which probably represents the remains of a granary.
3) 6 single- and multi-bin coiled adobe surface structures exhibiting great variation in size and detail which were probably utilized as both granaries and domestic dwellings.
