Spiro Mounds [OK]

Description

Today, the Spiro site and artifacts are among Oklahoma's richest cultural resources. This archaeological site includes the remains of a village and 11 earthen mounds. Although various groups of people had camped on or near the Spiro area since early prehistoric times, the location did not become a permanent settlement until approximately A.D. 600. Spiro Mounds was renowned in southeastern North America between A.D. 900 and circa 1400, when Spiro's inhabitants developed political, religious, and economic institutions with far-reaching influence on societies from the Plains and the Mississippi Valley to much of what is now the southeastern United States.

The site offers exhibits.

Sebastopol House State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Sebastopol House State Historic Site is an 1856 Greek-Revival-style house sitting on 2.2 acres of its original four-acre site. Sebastopol House is listed as a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and is in the National Register of Historic Places as a result of its unusual limecrete construction and its architectural style. The house is restored to its 1880 appearance. Exhibits explain the original construction, the restoration process, and the history of the house and its inhabitants. Selected LeGette and Zorn family furnishings are displayed demonstrating the tastes of middle-class families of the late 19th century.

The site offers tours, exhibits, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park [NV] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:33
Description

The first permanent nonnative settlers in the Las Vegas Valley were a group of Mormon missionaries who built an adobe fort along Las Vegas Creek in 1855. They successfully farmed the area by diverting water from the creek. Today, the park includes a remnant of the original adobe fort, which serves as a Visitor Center with interpretive displays.

The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Hueco Tanks State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Hueco Tanks State Historic Site, a 860.3-acre park, was named for the large natural rock basins or "huecos" that have furnished a supply of trapped rainwater to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for millennia. A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the "tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks" left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks also served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Fort Churchill State Historic Park [NV]

Description

Fort Churchill was once an active U.S. Army fort. Built in 1861 to provide protection for early settlers, it was abandoned nine years later, and today the ruins are preserved in a state of arrested decay. A visitor center displays information and artifacts of the fort's history. The Pony Express and the Overland Telegraph once passed through this area. Nearby is Buckland Station, a Pony Express stop, supply center, and a former hotel built in 1870.

The site offers exhibits.

Fort Frederick State Park [MD]

Description

The site of Maryland's frontier defense during the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the Fort's stone wall and two barracks have been restored to their 1758 appearance. Historic displays are in the Fort, barracks, and Visitor Center. The park annually holds military reenactments and other special events.

The park offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and living history demonstrations and events.

Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway [TX]

Description

The escarpment's scenic canyons were home for Indians of several cultures, including the Folsom culture of more than 10,000 years ago. The region's historic era began when Spanish explorer Coronado traveled across the plains in 1541. After Spanish colonies were established in New Mexico around 1600, two-way trade between Plains Indians and New Mexicans began and gradually increased. The Plains Apache acquired horses and became proficient buffalo hunters. They were displaced by the Comanche, who arrived in the early 1700s and dominated northwestern Texas, until they were finally subdued in the 1870s. During the Comanche reign, trade prospered and New Mexican buffalo hunters, known as ciboleros, and traders, known as Comancheros, were frequent visitors to this area. Las Lenguas Creek, a few miles south of the park, was a major trade area, and a site excavated on Quitaque Creek has produced artifacts indicating that it may have been a cibolero camp.

The park offers tours and educational and recreational events and programs.

Fort Leaton State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Fort Leaton State Historic Site consists of 23.4 acres, five of which are the site of a pioneer trading post. In 1848, Ben Leaton built a fortified adobe trading post known as Fort Leaton. He dominated border trade with the Apache and Comanche Indians before he died in 1851.

The park is day-use only and offers picnicking areas, guided tours, plus exhibits on the history from 15th century, natural history, and archaeological history of the area. The site serves for historical study activities.