Tribal Historic Preservation Program 25th Anniversary Report

Former Tolowa Dee-ni’ Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer Suntayea Steinruck and Redwood National Park Archeologist Michael Peterson smile and talk on an eroding spit of land.

Photo courtesy of Jes Burns, OPB/EarthFix

The 25^th anniversary issue of the Tribal Historic Preservation Program report checks in with some of the first 12 THPOs established in 1996, and welcomes the newest THPOs established in 2016-2017. This issue highlights successes from across the nation and the close preservation partnerships that have developed over the years within the federal family.

You’ll learn about the development of a Cultural Atlas by the Hualapai Tribe, and the 726 archeological surveys conducted on the tribal lands of the Lac du Flambeau Tribe. THPOs document both painful times and times of prosperity by adding Indian boarding schools in Wisconsin and Michigan and a historic trading post gas station along Route 66 in Arizona to the National Register of Historic Places. Read about the new Multi-Property National Register Nomination for ceremonial stone landscapes developed through the joint work of the Narragansett Tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, the Mashantucket (Eastern) Pequot, and the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut who sought to bring recognition and visibility to traditional landscapes that hold ceremonial stones.

THPOs have received recognition for their preservation work at local, state and national levels, and new access to grants, internships, and other community assistance brings new opportunities to tribal members.

We share our thanks to all the tribes who submitted articles for this special issue. The NPS Tribal Historic Preservation Program and all of us in the NPS Office of Tribal Relations and American Cultures look forward to our continued relationship with tribal communities as we look to the stewardship work of the future. Enjoy this anniversary issue.