Last Edited
The National Parks are symbols of America as a nation: protected ranges of our many natural resources preserved for all Americans to visit and enjoy. But the image of "untouched" natural beauty in the Parks is inaccurate. These lands were not always empty when Parks were established.
This album will offer sources related to America's collective definition of a National Park, and two displacement events: the removal of Native Americans from Yellowstone, and the resettlement of families in Shenandoah. The sources will help answer the guiding questions:
- Who lived on the lands that became our National Parks?
- What happened to those people and communities?
- What role do these displaced communities play in creating the identity and image of National Parks?
Social Studies/History 6 - 8 9 - 12 National Parks Native American history
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Edited
Isabel Sans, this is a wonderful topic and the questions you have in your beginning post are definitely compelling. Your research inside LOC.gov as an intern this year will benefit all of us in the Network.
Thanks for starting out with these images rather than text for links. They caught my eye right away and drew me in!
I love the way that you have zeroed in on a topic that is both local and national in its impact. The primary and secondary sources you find for the Shenandoah National Park will inspire others who may teach in regions close to different National Parks.
--Ann
YES! Great topic!
I facilitate the Working with Museums and Archives group here in the Network, so I do tend to link outside resources that will bolster Library sources. The National Park Service has, very recently, begun incorporating land acknowledgements and more into their websites and interpretation. Here is Bandelier National Monument's Land Acknowledgement. Some Parks haven't quite gotten there yet -- Shenandoah is a good example. You might find this interesting -- it is on Tribal Tourism and Native Voices in the Parks. Taking it into the more recent past, only 2% of National Park visitors are Black -- a legacy of segregation. Yet, many of the National Parks owe their history or preservation to People of Color. There is a great deal for students and teacher to unpack with all of this history.
One last comment, while overused to a degree, the American Progress image in the Library's collection provides an insight into how white colonizers viewed the vast "empty" spaces of America. This is a great map that shows how "empty" they considered the west to be in 1805 - when you zoom in you will see only a few tribal nations mentioned "Mandan", "Sioux", "Mahas".
Happy hunting -- let me know if I can assist!
Ah, Michelle! It's is so good to hear your voice from the West and to know that you are still connected to us in the Eastern Region! Your perspective as a Museum/Archivist always "bolsters Library sources" and gives us much to ponder. Thank you!
--Ann
I have included a link to this album in the resource set, Today in History: National Park Service.
Thanjs, Julie! So nice to be spotlighted!
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