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Apr 08
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Mexican American History Project Greeley

By News

Did you know a book has never been written about the history of Mexican Americans in Greeley using their voices, stories, and perspectives? Now, a group is working to change that.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area recently sat down with the Mexican American History Project Greeley (MAHPG) to learn more about their work to tell their stories and address this gap in Greeley’s recorded history.

”“Our organization’s goal is to provide a resource book that highlights the history and contributions Mexican Americans have made to Greeley’s success since there is a gap regarding this information in Greeley’s general history. This book will help to give a voice and perspective of Greeley Mexican Americans that is seldom heard and validate our history and contributions in a place we call home.”

Emma Pena-McCleaveProject Coordinator for MAHPG

The book will delve into personal stories of Mexican Americans from Northern Colorado and their long-standing history in Greeley. While Mexican Americans have a longer history in the region, the book will focus on stories from 1920 and later. The goal of this work is to provide young Mexican Americans a strong cultural self-identity while helping to educate the community at large on the contributions and impact Mexican Americans have made on Greeley’s culture, community, and major industries such as the farming, packing plants, construction, and more recently, oil and gas.

The first section of the book will provide a collection of intensive research into historical documents from Greeley about the history and contributions of Mexican Americans in the community. The second half will hold thirty-nine stories from first-hand interviews with Greeley Mexican American residents. Gathered as part of the group’s oral history project, the stories showcase the residents’ perspectives of Greeley’s past, present, and future.

The group hopes to complete the book by April 30, 2025. Once published, MAHPG will distribute sets, English and Spanish, to Weld County schools, libraries, museums, and community centers, providing updated resources about local Mexican American history for school-age students and the community. The book will also be one of the few resources available in Spanish that provides an insight into the past and present of Greeley’s Mexican American community.

Dr. Dierdra Pilch, Weld District 6 Superintendent, was very receptive to the concept of the book stating, “It’s about time.”

While the Mexican American History Project Greeley has come a long way from inception, the group is still in the process of raising money for the publishing and distribution phase of the book.

To learn more about this incredible project, visit Mexican American History Project Greeley – Home (mahpg.org).

Aug 27
Love1

“Lifting Voices from the Shadows” – Fay Soldier Wolf interview

By News, Video

The “Lifting Voices from the Shadows” project is an opportunity for Northern Arapaho women, like Fay Soldier Wolf featured in this video, to share their personal experiences with voting, both past and present.

The project is funded by a “Women in Parks Innovation and Impact” grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF). The goal of the grant “is to support projects and programs that help the NPS share a more comprehensive American narrative that includes the voices of women.” In particular, the initiative is meant to raise awareness of the 19th Amendment’s centennial this year and to “highlight stories of women who continue to shape the world.” However, Indigenous women did not gain the right to vote in 1920. It was not until the Snyder Act passed in 1924 that Indigenous Americans earned their full U.S. citizenship, though some states continued to deny Indigenous Americans their enfranchisement as late as 1962.

Learn more about the Poudre Heritage Alliance and the “Lifting Voices from the Shadows” project at: https://poudreheritage.org/lifting-voices/ 
Jun 02
Love1

Interview: “Lifting Voice from the Shadows” Oral History Project

By News, Video

The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA), nonprofit managing entity of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), is collaborating with the Northern Arapaho tribe, Colorado State University’s Native American Cultural Center, and the National Heritage Areas Program to compile stories from Northern Arapaho women.

PHA Executive Director, Kathleen Benedict, interviewed Yufna Soldier Wolf of the Northern Arapaho Tribe in Wind River, Wyoming, to introduce the project and discuss why it is important to record the stories of Northern Arapaho women.

The Northern Arapaho lived in the Cache la Poudre River basin for centuries before the United States military forcibly removed the tribe to Wyoming in the 1870s. It is vital that Northern Colorado communities learn the stories of the people whose historic and spiritual homeland is the Cache la Poudre River. Doing so can help people properly understand the complicated history and ecology of the region. The involved organizations hope that the “Lifting Voices from the Shadows” project will strengthen partnerships, build the PHA’s education and interpretation program, and connect people to their collective Poudre River heritage.

The project is funded by a $25,000 “Women in Parks Innovation and Impact” grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF). The goal of the grant “is to support projects and programs that help the NPS share a more comprehensive American narrative that includes the voices of women.” In particular, the initiative is meant to raise awareness of the 19th Amendment’s centennial this year and to “highlight stories of women who continue to shape the world.” However, as Benedict and Soldier Wolf discuss in the video, Indigenous women did not gain the right to vote in 1920. It was not until the Snyder Act passed in 1924 that Indigenous Americans earned their full U.S. citizenship, though some states continued to deny Indigenous Americans their enfranchisement as late as 1962.

The “Lifting Voices from the Shadows” project is an opportunity for Northern Arapaho women to share their personal experiences with voting and address contemporary issues in a respectful and professional context. Soldier Wolf believes this is the first opportunity that Northern Arapaho women have had to share their stories with the public. The PHA will record 8-12 women’s oral histories in the coming months. Thanks to the grant support, the organization will also create educational videos and interpretive materials, and share relevant content about the promises and failures of the 19th Amendment.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area is treasured by a community that values it for a variety of recreational activities and the tranquility of a natural corridor, while also depending on it as a water source for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses. A wide range of cultural perspectives form our rich Poudre River heritage. This project will help the PHA present creative and balanced interpretation representing the variety of cultures that make up our river corridor and helping citizens find a sense of place and continuity in a rapidly changing world.

To stay up-to-date on events and information related to this project please visit: https://poudreheritage.org/lifting-voices/

Apr 15
Love0

PHA Awarded Grants for Strategic Interpretive Planning & Oral History

By News

Photo credit: City of Fort Collins

The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA), nonprofit managing entity of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), has received two large grants to support their programs that promote historical and cultural opportunities, engage people in the Poudre River corridor, and inspire learning, preservation, and stewardship.

Through the Colorado the Beautiful Grant Program, administered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), PHA has been awarded $96,877 to complete a new Strategic Interpretive Plan for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Grant funds will be used to: 1) Update the original Feasibility Study and Resource Inventory completed in 1990; 2) Develop a Strategic Interpretive Plan to help CALA become more accessible to the public as a whole; 3) Provide visitors with a seamlessly integrated experience; and 4) Build partner capacity.

The PHA will collaborate with a variety of stakeholders throughout the strategic planning process, including partner sites, staff, user groups, neighbors, government agencies, towns and municipalities, community decision makers, and local businesses.

The PHA has also been awarded a $25,000 “Women in Parks Innovation and Impact” grant from the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Park Foundation (NPF). The goal of this grant “is to support projects and programs that help the NPS share a more comprehensive American narrative that includes the voices of women.” In particular, the initiative is meant to “increase awareness about the 19th Amendment’s centennial and highlight stories of women who continue to shape the world.”

Through their project, “Lifting Voices from the Shadows,” the PHA, Colorado State University’s Native American Cultural Center, the National Heritage Areas Program, and the Northern Arapaho Tribe will work together to compile stories from Northern Arapaho women that run in parallel with, or counter to, the Suffragette movement and modern society. Grant support from the Women in Parks grant will enable PHA to 1) record women’s oral histories; 2) create educational videos and interpretive videos; and 3) share relevant content that aligns with 19th Amendment milestones.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area is treasured by a community that values it for a variety of recreational activities and the tranquility of a natural corridor, while also depending on it as a water source for municipal, industrial and agricultural uses. A wide range of cultural perspectives form our rich Poudre River heritage. These grant funds will help the PHA present creative and balanced interpretation, representing the variety of cultures that make up our river corridor and helping citizens find a sense of place and continuity in a rapidly changing world.

For more information or questions please contact Megan Maiolo-Heath, Communications Coordinator, at communications@poudreheritage.org.

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