In-Classroom Resources | Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area

These resources are designed to support teachers across the state as they share the stories of the Poudre River and its people. They include activities, and materials created by Cache NHA staff, as well as curated resources from other trusted organizations that align with the themes and stories of the Cache NHA. Whenever possible, resources are aligned with Colorado State Education Standards.

Some topics you will find in the resources below include:

- Native American History (Predominantly the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes with some other resources)
- Irrigation & Water Conflict in the Western United States
- Local History (Fort Collins, Greeley, and Windsor, CO area)
- Colorado State History (select topics)
- Geography, Mapping, and Exploring the Poudre (c1800s)

If you have questions regarding the resources here or are looking for additional support in teaching local, regional, or state history please check out our Learning In Our Watershed Page or contact us.

Teaching Native American History

It’s important to recognize and teach that there is no one singular “Native American History.” The histories, experiences, stories, cultures, traditions, celebrations, and languages of Native Americans are diverse from tribe to tribe, nation to nation, and person to person.

The area along the Poudre is the ancestral homeland of the Ute and later the Arapaho and Cheyenne people. Other tribes such as the Comanche, Apache, and Kiowa have used and moved across this land. We honor and pay our respect to our Indigenous neighbors who protect and preserve these lands and waterways, as they have since time immemorial.

The following collections of resources may be useful in teaching Native American history, especially the stories of the Northern Arapaho and Ute. Most resources were developed by or in partnership with Native individuals and/or tribal governments. You’ll find general resources first followed by resources for the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples.

View Resources Sheet

4th Grade Ute STEM Classroom Kit

Are you a 4th Grade teacher looking for resources to teach Native American history as part of your social studies standards? Consider bringing the Ute STEM Kit to your classroom or incorporating it into a field trip! During this program students will investigate how the Ute people used science, technology, engineering and math to survive and thrive in the Rocky Mountains. Through activities such as an interactive map exploration, matching and challenges, students will work as a class and in smaller teams to test materials and strategies to see how Ute people solved problems in the past and still do today. This program meets history, math and science standards. The Ute STEM kit was developed by History Colorado in partnership with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation.

Cache NHA cannot guarantee availability, please speak with your local organization. Reach out to these sites to learn more about the kit or to schedule a classroom visit:

Greeley History Museum

Poudre Learning Center

Town of Windsor Museums

Loveland Museum

Teaching Local & Regional History

The Cache NHA spans the 45 miles of the lower Poudre River located in Northern Colorado. The resources below may be useful when teaching local history (communities including Bellvue, Laporte, Fort Collins, Timnath, Windsor, and Greeley, or neighboring areas), regional history (Northern Colorado or Northern Front Range of Colorado), and state history. However, the history of these communities and regions mirror and impact the greater stories of the American West and classrooms outside of Northern Colorado may find them helpful when exploring western history.

Archives & Primary Sources

Elmer Foster sits in trap hitched to goat while his dog, Bryan, sits on the porch. Archive at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, H10319.

Archives & Primary Sources

Grades 3-12
If you’re looking to use local primary sources–including maps, photographs, letters, etc.–local archives have a lot to offer!
You, or your students, can explore digitized (avalible online) portions of collections from your classroom. Here are some free resources for accessing digitized collections:

- Fort Collins History Connection
- Greeley Museums Weld County Images Digitized Collection
- Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
  - Note: Not all newspapers are accessible from CHNC. The Windsor papers, for example, are only available from Newspapers.com (amazing resource, not free)
- Denver Public Library Digital Collections

Additional national resources for exploring digitized source material include:

- Library of Congress
- Smithsonian Learning Lab

Several local museums offer in-classroom outreach centered around source investigation. The Cache NHA also offers learning kits for teachers to check-out. See “Classroom Outreach” below.

Video Resources

Grades 2-12
The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area’s YouTube channel is a fantastic resource for videos exploring the history of the Poudre, the region, and its people. Some select videos are included below, but visit our channel for all options. Video resources for teaching Native American history can be found in the resource sheet above.

For older grades, our channel has several documentaries on water related history including agriculture, irrigation, and water innovation.

The Colorado Experience history documentary series from Rocky Mountain PBS is another fantastic resource for exploring the people, places, and events of Colorado history. Full documentaries for Grades 6-12, clips for Grades 2-5. Key episodes connecting to Northern Colorado include Dearfield (the African American community near Greeley), the Bison in Colorado, Western Water, Wickiup Investigation (rare shelters built by Ute people), White Gold (the sugar boom), Centennial Farms, and more!

For younger grades (K-5) check out our ever expanding series with our animated characters, Drip and Drop, as they explore the history of the regionn and various primary sources with their friends.

Video: Poudre River Heritage Tour Northern Arapaho Tribal Elders
Listen to Northern Arapaho elders share about the importance of the Poudre River to their people. (Part of a series of videos)

Video: Homelands with Drop & Hesta’se
Explore what the word “Homelands” means and the connections of the Northern Arapaho to the Poudre River.

Video: Following Water
Learn about the history of exploration along the Poudre from the earliest explorers to the mapping expeditions lead by Long, Fremont, and Hayden. Learn what sources can help us understand this history.

Video: Homelands
Join Drop and Hésta’se as they explore what “homelands” mean and learn about the connection between the Poudre and the Northern Arapaho tribe from several Arapaho elders.

Video: Source Explorers – Fremont Expedition Map

Let’s explore a primary source together! In this video, students will participate in a guided investigation of the map created during and detailing the 1842-44 exploring expeditions of John C. Fremont.

Video: Agriculture on the Poudre (best for older grades)
A brief overview of agricultural history along the Poudre.

Video: Irrigation, Ditches, and Canals (best for older grades)
A brief video exploring the importance of irrigation to farming along the Poudre and key historic moments and innovations.

Video: Western Water Law (best for older grades)
A brief video exploring how the Poudre forever changed western water law and how it impacts our lives today.

Video: A River Runs Through It (best for high school grades)
Introduces the Cache NHA and the key role the Poudre played in forever chaning western water law, irrigation, and agriculture.

Video: Source Explorers – Long Expedition
Let’s explore a primary source together! In this video, students will participate in a guided investigation of the map created from the 1820s expedition of Stephen Long through portions of the American West.

Classroom Outreach

Grades K-12
Looking to bring an outside educator into your classroom to enhance the learning experience of your students? There are several organizations that provide outreach to classrooms in the Cache NHA communities. Reach out to the following organizations to see what opportunities they can offer your students. Options could include exploring local history through hands-on examination of artifacts and sources, lesson plans, and more. (The Cache NHA cannot guarantee outreach availability for these organizations, offerings may change based on staffing, time of year, etc.):

Heritage Interpreter demonstrates a changing river using a PVC model.

Field Trip Resources

Looking to extend learning outside the classroom? You’ll find all our resources for finding field trip destinations and more over on our Learning in Our Watershed page!

Whether you’re looking to explore history, science, or nature there are many incredible museums and organizatons along the Poudre that specialize in supporting K-12 students in out-of-classroom learning.

You’ll also find resources on funding your trip, the Cache NHA may be able to provide funding to cover transportation and admission fees for your school!