The park, on the old Arrowhead Trail, was designated as "Boulder DamValley of Fire State Park" on March 26,1935, thanks to the dedication of Thomas Miller, first Park Commission Chairman appointed in 1935. Even though 4 State Parks were established in 1935, this Park was dedicated prematurely on Easter Sunday, 1934.
It is named for the red sandstone formations created by the shifting sand dunes during the dinosaur age. The Basket Maker people and later, the Anasazi Pueblo farmers lived here during the years between 300 B.C. and 1150 A.D. Examples of their rock art can be found in several places throughout the Park. The geology and rock formations are over 150 million years old.