Little Snake River Rainbow
Our mural is a map of the Little Snake River valley as it travels from Battle Mountain in the east through Savery, Dixon and Baggs and onto the Red Desert in the west. The design is inspired by Australian Aboriginal dot painting tradition and the stories of the Rainbow Snake, a major Spiritual Ancestor who carved out the rivers and shaped the land throughout Australia.
Our map too has story symbols of the history of this valley painted by Little Snake River School K-5 students with support from High School students and teachers Cindy Cobb and Susan Leonhardt.
The rattlesnake symbol of the School was chosen for Baggs. Dixon has a “breaking the law” symbol for Butch Cassidy. Savery has a trading symbol for Jim Baker and the Mountain Men. Brand symbols for the three oldest ranches in the valley, Meeker, Salisbury and Cobb are shown to highlight European settlement and ranching. Battle Mountain has an arrow symbol for the conflict with American Indians.
Animal migration is shown with Elk footprints to the north, Deer footprints to the south and Bear footprints to the east. The Little Snake River is symbolized by the mythical Rainbow Snake, bringing the water, the giver of life.
