Faculty Projects
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
»
Graduate Student Projects
»
Resources
»
»
  |
Nature, Culture, and History |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduction: The Grand Canyon is one of the most identifiable and remarkable landscapes on earth and the most internationally recognized symbol of nature in North America. But this grand natural wonder is also, importantly, a cultural landscape. It has been lived in, traveled through, feared, marveled at, exploited for profit, and utilized for education and inspiration by an incredibly diverse array of people over a very long time. The national park, which presently protects this stunning landscape, is an artifact of contemporary times reflecting a distinct set of values about the relationship between nature and culture. Our aim in this project is to explore the cultural significance of the canyon to those people who have lived here or passed through during the past 400 years. These include Native peoples, European-American explorers, miners, ranchers, farmers, artists, scientists, tour guides, tourists, and government land managers. We will develop interpretive materials that reveal how people have understood the canyon over time, how it influenced them, and how they in turn influenced the physical, cultural, political, and economic landscape of this park. We will also explore the ways that this unique place has influenced American science, education, art, and popular culture. Through these analytical lenses we hope our audiences will gain a deeper understanding of how the Grand Canyon is both a natural and a cultural landscape and how the relationship between people and place in this iconic landscape of the Southwest has significantly shaped our nation’s history and values. Outcomes: This project is aimed at public education. Over the long-term, our aim is to produce an interactive web site and DVD on the natural and cultural history of the Grand Canyon, an audiotour of the South Rim’s Grand Canyon Village, additional brochures and signage of historic features along the Bright Angel and North Kaibab Trails from rim to river to rim, and “Travelin’ Trunks” for public school teachers on the history, geography, and civics of the Grand Canyon. Arizona State University Project staff: Director— Paul Hirt, Department of History; Co-Director—Linda Sargent Wood, Department of History; Graduate Research Assistants—Yolonda Youngs (Geography), Patricia Biggs-Cornelius (History), Sarah Bohl (History), and Adam Tompkins (History). Project implementation partner: The Grand Canyon Association, Brad Wallis, Executive Director, and Helen Thompson, Public Education and Publicity. Project consultants and advisors: Jannelle Warren-Findley (ASU, History), Stephen Pyne (ASU, History), Donald Worster (University of Kansas, History), Barbara Morehouse (University of Arizona Institute for the Study of Planet Earth), Julia Curley and Delbert Bighorse (Navajo Nation consultants), Donald Fixico (ASU, History), Peter Iverson (ASU, History), Thompson Smith (Montana Web consultant), David Rockwell (Montana Web consultant), Dot Lestar (ASU, Polytechnic). Funding : This project began with an ASU Institute for Humanities Research (IHR) seed grant in 2005 ($9,000) that supported our efforts to prepare a grant proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) “Interpreting America’s Historic Places” program. We were awarded a one-year Planning Grant ($44,000) in April 2006, and we received a three-year Implementation Grant ($365,000) in September 2007. The project will continue through 2010.
LinksProject Website |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
