Spanish missions that dot the landscape in California today exist as centers of historical interpretation. Visitors to California, residents of the state, and school children often turn to these sites to learn about the early history of the region. Unbeknownst to many visitors, the history presented at many contemporary California mission sites…

In this article, the authors juxtapose Allison Hedge Coke's poetry collection "Blood Run" (2006) with the larger context in which Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) operates in order to investigate how "Blood Run" exposes the limitations of repatriation legislation, most significantly, how NAGPRA's…

One of the most colorful examples of the reflection of identities in heritage sites involves the historical U.S.-Native relationship. In exploring the topic of U.S.-Native memories, this article focuses on the cultural identities represented at the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (HBNMP), a heritage site that commemorates the Creek War of…

Discusses the founding of San Antonio, originally San Antonio de Bexar, which, in 1718, came into being as a military settlement involved in Spanish imperial defensive measures. Focuses on the development and continued growth of San Antonio, Texas's most populous city in the 19th century. (CMK)

Provides a lesson centered on excerpts from a 1675 letter from the bishop of Cuba, Gabriel Diaz Vara Calderon, to Queen Mariana of Spain that describes life in Spanish Florida missions. Includes a list of questions and excerpts from the letter. (CMK)

Few places in the west are as evocative of the tragic story of the Indian Wars as Big Hole (Montana) National Battlefield. The site memorializes the bravery of the Nez Perce and U.S. soldiers and volunteers who fought there during the epic flight of the Nez Perce in 1877. Big Hole preserves the scene of one of the most famous battles of the Indian…

Focuses on the reconstruction of the San Luis de Talimali, which was among the largest and most important missions in Spanish Florida with the Apalachee Indians as their parishioners. Describes the various structures found at San Luis: (1) the council house; (2) the chief's house; and (3) the church. (CMK)

Discusses David Hurst Thomas' archaeological work on the Spanish borderlands, which integrates field archaeology and documentary history. Focuses on locating and studying the Santa Catalina de Guale. Addresses his project on the Pueblo San Marcos that will further test his ideas about the Spanish mission period. (CMK)

Provides lessons in which students examine the interaction among the people of Pecos Pueblo in New Mexico. Offers a brief Pecos Pueblo history, which is divided into four topics. Suggests videos, source materials, and activities that can form the basis of curriculum units. Includes a handout and Internet sites. (CMK)

This guide provides history and social studies teachers, at all grade levels, with information and activities about the American Indians of the Northern Plains who lived in the area of the Knife River where it enters the Missouri River. Located in what is now North Dakota, this area is the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. The…

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, from a settled area of upstate New York, arrived in Old Oregon Country (what is now eastern Washington) in 1836 to make a new home for themselves and their companions. This was also the land of the Cayuse Indians. This teacher's guide to the Whitman Mission Museum (Washington) is designed to develop an understanding of…

As part of an eight-state research effort to locate and preserve information related to country schools, this report examines western South Dakota's country schools as historic sites, country schools as community centers, teachers (their roles, rules, and restrictions), school curriculum, education for Sioux Indians, and country schools today.…