Standing outside at the Four Corners Outdoor School base camp outside of Monticello, UT, one can see the Sleeping Ute off in the distance. The Sleeping Ute mountain range resembles a person laying down. Features that can be made out are a head, arms crossed over the chest, hips and legs. Ute legend tells of a Great Warrior God who helped to fight against the “evil onesâ€?. During the fight the warrior and the evil ones’ feet pushed into the land and formed the mountains and valleys of the area. The warrior was wounded during this fight and while resting, fell into a deep sleep. The warrior’s blood is believed to have become the “living waterâ€? of the rivers and when the Warrior God is happy with the people, rain clouds come from the God’s pocket. The Warrior God does not have a specific gender in many versions of the legend. The seasons were also thought to be due to the changing of the God’s blanket. The light green blanket indicates spring, dark green is summer, yellow and red is fall, and white is winter. When there is fog or clouds over the mountain, it is an indication of the changing of the “blanketâ€? or season. (http://www.utemountainute.com/legends.htm).Â
 The Sleeping Ute is the common name for the Ute Mountains. They are a cluster of peaks approximately 5 by 12 miles in length and stand apart from other mountain ranges.  This area once was, and still is, a sacred place to the Ute Indians, and after much trading of land, is now wholly contained within their reservation. The range can be seen up to 50 miles away, but is best seen from 15-25 miles away. The range is formed of Tertiary igneous rocks pushing through layers of Navajo Sandstone, Entrada Sandstone, the Summerville Formation, and Junction Creek Sandstone.  Weathering of the softer layers has given the mountain range its distinctive features. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_Mountain). This is just one of many examples where the geology of landforms plays a large role in both the history and legends of the Native American people. –Alyssa LangleyÂ
