| Sam Espinoza, from the BLM and Reed Martin, historical preservation committee, replace the plaques at the Buckhorn Panel. |
In May of 2004, someone vandalized and stole the plaques that were mounted on a rock at the Buckhorn Panel. Reed Martin, of the Emery County Historical Society, and Sam Espinoza, of the Bureau of Land Management, installed the replacement plaques on March 2.
Following the theft last year of the original plaques, a reward was offered for any information concerning the vandalism and theft. This reward, which now stands at $1,000 is still being offered for that information and the investigation is ongoing.
Martin and Espinoza, along with Clifford Oviatt spent many hours during the previous week preparing the site for the replacement plaques.
They decided to mount the new plaques on a pedestal base similar to the other signs at the site.
The base was cemented in last week, and preparations began for the final plaque installation.
“The money to replace the stolen plaques came from donations collected at the Buckhorn Panel.
“Also, the Utah Rock Art Research Association donated $300.
“The replacement bill has come to well over $700, and without the donations, and Clifford donating the stone to mount the plaques on, this project would have been a while coming,” said Martin.
“Sam has been instrumental in this project. He has done the engineering, fabrication and installation. We really appreciate the BLM donating the materials and manpower,” added Martin.