Preserving the past

ONE ARTIFACT, ARCHIVE AT A TIME

BY HUNTER HARRELL

rom medicine and technology to art and music, every piece of a modern society has a history. Examining the past gives people the data and tools to better understand the present. In the Four Corners, there are a variety of nonprofit organizations dedicated to interpreting and preserving these important pieces of our past.

“It’s becoming clear that if you don’t study history, you miss out,” said La Plata County Historical Society and Animas Museum board secretary Susan Jones. “We have such great stories to tell, and it is so good we have the opportunity to tell them.”

Even as the next historical moment unfolds in front of us, like the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Animas Museum volunteers document events and maintain records, then share the research with the public in the form of exhibits and seminars. The group is preparing to reopen the museum after shifting to serve members primarily online.

“What we really learned is that the Animas Museum is not just this building. It is all the people and the stories and the community that we can share,” Jones said. “With webinars, we can do different talks that are relevant to the things that are going on or to the season, and people from all over the United States can and do participate. It’s not just the locals anymore.”

These stories often highlight the similarities and differences in cultures, ideas and traditions, expanding our comprehension of our current communities. Each piece of history can contain valuable lessons and showcase how beliefs and behaviors change over a period of time. It can also highlight how our natural landscapes change as well.

“One of the things our organization does is help people better understand how our landscape was inhabited in the past by many different cultures, and how they were able to

Futilize the resources on our landscape to sustain them throughout time,” said Shaine Gans, executive director of Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance. Studying both cultural and natural landscapes can help residents learn to balance our ecosystems. Volunteers with Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance monitor and document damages from natural causes, animals or human activities. With increasing visitation to trails and other public lands, including the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, sharing this knowledge with visitors is equally important. Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance addresses education through volunteers called Trail Information Specialists. These individuals position themselves near popular trailheads or roam the high-use recreational areas to help visitors stay oriented and enjoy the cultural sites with respect. “We love heritage tourism,” Jones said. “Heritage tourists tend to come here and spend more, and really appreciate the history of the place.” Maintaining cultural and historical sites, such as ancient cliff dwellings or abandoned mining towns, attracts a variety of visitors from around the globe, and in turn, generates both regional job opportunities and tax revenue. To that end, the donors, educators, members and volunteers that support the diverse nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving the past are the key to progress and prosperity in our communities. “There’s so much that history can teach us, so it is important to learn it, to educate people and that’s how we really appreciate our country,” Jones said. “That’s how we will make our country move forward.”

San Juan Basin Archeological Society

Visit sjbas.org to learn more about our programs and membership opportunities.

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