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Yuma, AZ - The Colorado River State Historic Park is pleased to announce the receipt of a $5,000 Arizona Humanities grant.
Grant funds will be used to support the Legacy of the Indian Wars Project, developed in partnership with the Quechan Tribe. This project will include the creation of a new exhibit of the same name, the development of a mini-documentary, and a public presentation on tribal history and culture.
The Colorado River Park is home to the historic Yuma Quartermaster Depot, an Army Supply depot that operated from 1865-1883 during the Indian Wars of Arizona. The depot played an instrumental role in the post-native development of the Yuma area and beyond, resulting in profound changes to the lives of the region’s indigenous individuals.
The Legacy of the Indian Wars exhibit will explore both the immediate and long-term effects of this time period on the Quechan Tribe, which historically controlled the Yuma Crossing on the Colorado River. Quechan Cultural Committee members and the Quechan Historic Preservation Officer H. Jill McCormick will work directly with Park Manager Tammy Snook to develop the exhibit.
“We are really excited to be able to curate this new exhibit in cooperation with the Quechan Tribe. The legacy of the Indians Wars at the Yuma Crossing is their story to tell, and it is a story that has too long been neglected at the park.”
While this story involves much adversity, it is also important to recognize how the Quechan Tribe has maintained their cultural identity in the face of such challenges. To this end, the exhibit will showcase a mini-documentary that will explore the diversity of the tribe's modern-day identity and culture.
The new exhibit is slated for installation within the park’s historic Quartermaster’s Office building in late 2021. The exhibit opening will coincide with a free public presentation from Quechan Historic Preservation Officer and Humanities Scholar H. Jill McCormick. McCormick will present, "The Quechan: We Are the Land."
The presentation will explore the diverse history of the Quechan. After her presentation, McCormick and a panel of Cultural Committee members will engage the audience in a question-and-answer session.
For more information, please contact Tammy Snook at (928) 329-0471.
ABOUT COLORADO RIVER STATE HISTORIC PARK
https://www.coloradoriverpark.com/
The Colorado River State Historic Park is managed by the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Corporation (YCNHA), which operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The mission of the YCNHA is to restore, preserve, maintain, and promote Yuma’s history.
ABOUT ARIZONA HUMANITIES
Mission: Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.
Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since 1973, Arizona Humanities has supported public programs that promote understand of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona.
