My Visit to Centennial Village Historical Site in Greeley

Growing up in a small town, someone wouldn’t think how much history is in that place. I’m very fortunate enough to live in a remarkable place that has a lot of history behind it. So let’s begin this journey together as we look back into the place that I call home.

As the city of Chicago prepped for the 1893 World’s Fair Columbian Exposition, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World, people all over the world brought artifacts to the city. To keep these artifacts in the city long after the Exposition ended, Edward Ayer and Marshall Field established the Columbian Museum. Built using Field’s money, Columbian Museum would go on to house world artifacts as well as function as a research institution. As time passed, the museum eventually changed names to the Field Museum of Natural History and moved buildings to its much larger current location on Museum Campus. Today, the Field Museum continues to be an innovating research institution and stable of the Chicagoland community.

As time has progressed on, in a little town in eastern West Virginia, it is as though time has taken a halt. In Elkins West Virginia nestled in the mountain tops a small community on a hill does its best to preserve history the best way it possibly could by holding one of oldest buildings in town on its foundation. It is a showing of a time long before, it truly is something to be celebrated. History, a true design of focus on the Campus of Davis and Elkins

On Friday I had the honor to visit the historical Rancho Los Cerritos House; also known as Rancho Los Cerritos or Casa de los Cerritos, in Long Beach, California, it was the largest and most impressive adobe residence raised in southern California during the Mexican period. The structure of the house was built in 1844 by merchant Jonathan Temple, a Yankee pioneer who became a Mexican citizen. Los Cerritos means "the little hills" in English. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. I wasn’t lucky enough to visit this phenomenal and historical place until I took advantage of my history assignment and I decided to visit Rancho Los Cerritos with the company of some of my friends. On a Friday morning we took the chance and we

Generally when one thinks of the American west their mind jumps to an image of untouched, unspoiled land, such as the land that is represented by America’s national parks. These tourist destinations in the West showcase the history of our nation’s land in a way that many people assume is and has always been the reality, but although the natural beauty of these lands is represented perhaps the beauty of the cultures that used to inhabit them is not.

The collection consists of 15,000 pages of original historical material documenting the land, peoples, exploration, and transformation of the trans-Appalachian West from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. The collection is drawn from the holdings of the University of Chicago Library and the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky.

Time Exposures: Picturing a History of Isleta Pueblo in the 19th Century exhibit was reflected everything that was covered in anthropology class, such as the influence of imperialism taking over Native American culture and society. “This exhibition, organized by the Pueblo of Isleta, tells the story of life on the Isleta Indian Reservation in the 19th century and its lasting effects on life today.” The Smithsonian press release explain that “In 1881, the railroad companies forcibly took land in the center of Isleta Pueblo in the Rio Grande Valley and the rail lines built there brought scores of tourists.” Overall, the Time Exposures portray the Isleta Pueblo Native American lives before the arrival of other visitors. Furthermore, the changes imposed on the Natives in the subsequent years, along with the ways in which the people of Isleta Pueblo attempted to preserve their way of life. “’Time Exposures’ is divided into three parts. In the first section, the cycle of the Isleta traditional year as it was observed in the mid-19th century is detailed. The second section describes the arrival of the Americans and the how this disrupted the Isleta way of living. In the third section, the exhibit examines the photos themselves as products of an outside culture. While exploring the underlying ideas and values of the photos, the exhibition questions their portrayal of Isleta people and ways.”

There are many historical sites in New York City that have contributed and still contribute to America’s political history in some way. The historical site that I have decided to expand my research on is, the Hamilton Grange National Memorial located in Harlem, New York. This site was the home of Alexander Hamilton, one of the seven foreign-born Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He had a great influence on the foundation of the United States of America, the United States constitution and the Federalist Party. He was a Military officer, lawyer and member of the US constitutional convention, an American political philosopher, and author of the majority of the Federalist Papers.

Most events and places of historical value nowadays holds little value in our lives. We confine ourselves to our interstates and highways, following the long line of motel chains stopping for maybe two minutes to take a picture just to say we were there. We take nothing away from these sites that is of real value. We barely scratch at the surface of information and true meaning of what happened at these historical sites. Rinker Buck explains his own experience with removing himself from this cultural norm

From January 20 to 23, I went to Santa Fe and San Ildefonso in New Mexico with Dr. Laughlin and my classmates. I was totally surprised by the architecture of the housing and the rich collection of Native American cultures. I expected to see traditional suburbs but instead I found almost everyone has built houses resembling traditional adobe homes which I had never seen. Houses, businesses, government buildings including museums are almost built in this style. The colors seem to blend in with the desert. One of the most exciting events I attended in New Mexico was the museum presentation of the Zuni tribe. Although we actually did not meet the Zuni tribe, we learned a lot about them because Dawn Kaufmann who is a guide at the Museum of

To start off, a Natural History Museum is usually a place where the public can visit to obtain knowledge on the history of the earth and its inhabitants. Much about people’s culture and customs is found in a Natural History museum, especially people that have made a difference or played a role in history that we learn today. Therefore, the Indigenous peoples are represented in these precise museums. The indigenous people have various amount of customs that are even used today, however, the fact that many of their descriptions are led by the word “histor” or “ancient” almost makes the guests at museums believe that these indigenous people are no longer alive, and that is incorrect. The key objective for a Natural History museum is to simply help connect the understanding of human beings, connections based on culture, communities, to the earth and to each other. Precisely, The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles does not fully represent in depth the qualities that made the indigenous people so innovative, intelligent, and powerful; Therefore, the importance of the indigenous people is almost overshadowed by everything else that is presented at the museum. Overall, the indigenous people are represented here because of their

I had been wanting to visit the Palmer Memorial Institute since Professor Porter mentioned it in class because Sedalia is not far from where I live. Today, I finally got the chance to visit. I actually enjoyed walking around this historic site more than I thought I would. The first plaque I read was on that described the origins of the Palmer Memorial Institute. The school was previously named Bethany Institute and was founded by American Missionary Association in 1870. Not too long after, in 1902, the AMA was forced to withdraw its limited financial support. Because of this, Charlotte Hawkins Brown courageously reopened the school in the fall of 1902 and renamed it the Palmer

During this time my brother and I were taught how to fish for Sharks and Alligator Gars. We were also taught to hunt for deer and pigs. I learned to ride horses and I was always amazed at how they were handled. I grew up as country girl, and a part of me will always be that girl because I was fearless when my father was beside me. I knew I had to be tough around him. I always knew that when my dad was taking us somewhere I had to wear jeans and a pair of boots because anything could happen on an adventure. My grandparents’ house was great too, we went on tractor rides and hayrides, we climbed trees and skinned our knees. Their house was so close to ours that sometimes my mom would take my brother and sister to their house in our

At the tender age of two I moved from a development in the town of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to the vast stretches of farmland that make up the area between Mechanicsburg and the neighboring town of Dillsburg. It was not a big move distance-wise, but it would forever change my life. If I would have stayed where I was I would have went to a different high school, had a different set of friends, and who knows where I would be today. While I did not know it at the time, (I was only two, cut me some slack.) my family and I moved within earshot of one of the most prestigious dirt tracks in the country. Each and every Friday night from early spring to late autumn thousands of people congregate at this track surrounded

Museums serve as a way to connect with the public on a large scale, and the knowledge held within exhibits can be a fruitful experience for those who choose to visit these institutions. Experiencing all that a museum has to offer, no matter how well intentioned, can at times be confusing and overwhelming to the individuals visiting the site. The Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian dedicates itself to Native Americans in North and South America, and worked tirelessly with varying tribes to create a new standard. Some visitors and scholars found their work to be successful in design and approach while others found it to be lacking in execution. This institution does not approach Native American history in a familiar fashion; however it does cover an expansive period of time, and produces a great amount of detail while generating powerful emotions.