Contemplate a different way of life. Hells Canyon and the Salmon River Canyon have remnants of other eras scattered throughout for you to explore on your rafting vacation. Visit bright red pictographs and etchings called petroglyphs left behind by ancestors of the known Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes who wintered in the canyons. Try your hand at guessing what these symbols, estimated at 300+ years old, may mean! American settlers moved into the canyons as early as 1890 looking for a home for their families, land for livestock, or even gold. Their homesteads, fences, and farm equipment are remnants of their way of life.