Nez Perce National Historical Park [Multiple]

Description

Since time immemorial, the Nimiipuu or Nez Perce have lived among the rivers, canyons, and prairies of the inland northwest. Despite the cataclysmic change of the past two centuries, the Nez Perce are still here. Visitors can explore the park's 38 sites—in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington&#8212and experience the story of a people who are still part of this landscape.

At its visitor center in Spalding, ID, the site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, demonstrations, and educational programs.

Montezuma Castle National Monument [AZ]

Description

Visitors to the Monument can gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20-room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000-year-old story of ingenuity and survival in an unforgiving desert landscape. Marveling at this enduring legacy of the Sinagua culture reveals a people surprisingly similar to modern peoples today.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument [AZ]

Description

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves an ancient Hohokam farming community and "Great House." Created as the nation's first archeological reserve in 1892, the site was declared a National Monument in 1918 "in order that better provision may be made for the protection, preservation, and care of the ruins and the ancient buildings and other objects of prehistoric interest thereon."

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument [NM]

Description

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument consists of 1,100 acres containing the ruins of four mission churches, located at Quarai, Abó, and Gran Quivira, in addition to the partially excavated pueblo of Las Humanas, otherwise known as Gran Quivira. Originally inhabited by the American Indian trade communities of Tiwa- and Tompiro-speaking Puebloans, in the early 17th century Spanish Franciscans visited the area and found it ripe for their missionary efforts. As of 1677 the entire Salinas District was depopulated of both Indian and Spaniard alike.

The monument offers museums, three historic sites, and an interpretive trail.

Big Hole National Battlefield [MT] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:34
Description

On August 9, 1877, gun shots shattered a chilly dawn on a sleeping camp of Nez Perce. Colonel John Gibbon and 163 men of the 7th Infantry and 34 Bitterroot Volunteers had orders to stop the non-treaty Nez Perce and return them to Idaho. The nearly 800 Nez Perce men, women, and children had fled their native lands when being forced onto a smaller reservation.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and lectures.

Klondike Gold Rush, Seattle Unit, National Historical Park [WA]

Description

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park preserves the story of the 1897-98 gold rush and Seattle's role therein. At that time, 70,000 people gathered in Canada's Yukon gold fields, hoping to find their fortunes.

The park offers interactive exhibits, including computers which provide access to participants' journals and personal accounts; films upon request; educational programming between September and May; two traveling trunks; a series of speakers; and Junior Ranger activities. Education programs require reservations. Summer (June 15th through Labor Day) offerings include gold panning demonstrations, guided walking tours of Pioneer Square Historic District, and films about the gold rush. The website offers lesson plans, activities, a teacher resource guide, a scavenger hunt for download, a coloring page, and links to relevant historical websites.

Fort Union National Monument [NM]

Description

Fort Union was established in 1851 to protect area inhabitants and trade routes. During its forty-year history, three different forts were constructed close together. The third Fort Union was the largest in the American Southwest, and functioned as a military garrison, territorial arsenal, and military supply depot for the southwest. The largest visible network of Santa Fe Trail (an ancient Native American trade route) ruts can be seen here.

The monument offers interpretive talks, guided tours, living history programs, and a 1.6 mile self-guided interpretive trail.

Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park [CA]

Description

The Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park presents the United States domestic (as opposed to foreign) response to World War II. The 1944 SS Red Oak Victory is partially accessible.

The park offers a self-guided city audio tour, intended for use during automobile tours. The website offers an online exhibit and more than 75 transcribed oral histories from the home front.

The site is in initial development, and is not yet fully accessible. The temporary visitor's center is closed as the administrative offices are being relocated.

Chamizal National Memorial [TX]

Description

According to the National Park Service, "The Chamizal Convention of 1963 was a milestone in diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States. Chamizal National Memorial was established to commemorate this treaty, which resulted in the peaceful settlement of a century-long boundary dispute." The park features a 1.8 mile walking trail and a visitor center.

The National Memorial offers ranger-led programs that focus on a specific topic in history, outdoor activities, a visitor center with historical exhibits, and a stage where live entertainment including music and theater is performed each summer. The website offers visitor information, a calendar of events, and field trip and curriculum planning information for teachers.

Whitman Mission National Historic Site [WA]

Description

The Whitman Mission was founded in present day Washington in 1836. The Mission was integrated tightly with the local Native American community. By the 1840s, the Whitman Mission had become an important stop for westward-bound immigrants, and in 1847 a wagon train brought measles to the mission. Unfortunately, while the white children recovered, the local Cayuse tribe was devastated. Shortly thereafter two Cayuse killed the Whitmans along with a dozen others, in what is known as the Whitman Massacre. The historical site contains a memorial to the Whitman Mission and dead Cayuse along with a visitor center where visitors can read about the history of the location and the early Pacific Northwest. Exhibits compare the lifestyle of the Whitmans and the Cayuse.

The site offers a 10-minute slide presentation, exhibits, outdoor activities, demonstrations for student groups, traveling trunks, Junior Ranger activities, and picnic shelters. The website offers in depth historical information regarding the mission, the Cayuse, and westward-bound emigrants. In addition, the site offers an events calendar, visitor information, craft instructions, and pre-visit activity suggestions. In order to contact the site via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.