A.D. Archeologists have two theories about why this occurred. First, climatic changes made farming conditions unfavorable, so the Fremont had to return to a more nomadic existence and follow the animal herds. They were the Numic-speaking Ute, Paiute and Shoshone, whose descendents still live in the Great Basin. The Fremont may have perished, or they may have integrated into the Numic-speaking groups. The most likely possibility is the Fremont were forced to move.
Most evidence points toward a northeast migration.
A replacement of Fremont artifacts by those of other groups suggests they were pushed out and did not join the new groups. The most recent Fremont artifacts, dating from 1500 A.D., were found in the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho and the Douglas Creek area of northwest Colorado, the northern and eastern edges of the Fremont region. The key to understanding the Fremont is variation. They were farmers, growing crops of corn, as well as nomadic desert hunters and gatherers, who lived on pine nuts, crickets and mountain sheep. They were small bands of highly adaptable people living in environments of varied landscapes.