National Parks

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a vast park in northeastern Arizona, on Navajo tribal lands.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Ancient Puebloans found the canyons an ideal place to plant crops and raise families. The first settlers built pit houses that were then replaced with more sophisticated homes as more families migrated to the area. More homes were built in alcoves to take advantage of the sunlight and natural protection. People thrived until the mid-1300’s when the Puebloans left the canyons to seek better farmlands.

Descendants of the Puebloans, the Hopi migrated into the canyons to plant fields of corn and orchards of peaches. Although the Hopi left this area to permanently settle on the mesa tops to the west, the Hopi still hold on to many of their traditions that are evident from their homes and kivas.

Related to the Athabaskan people of Northern Canada and Alaska, the Navajo settled the Southwest between the four sacred mountains. The Navajo, or Dine’ as they call themselves, continue to raise families and plant crops just as the “Ancient Ones” had. The farms, livestock and hogans of the Dine’ are visible from the canyon rims.

When was it established?

April 1, 1931

About this park:

This canyon is home to Dine’ families who raise livestock, farm lands, and live here. People have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years, which is longer than anyone has lived continuously on the Colorado Plateau. In this place called Tsegi, their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, the park and Navajo Nation work together to manage the rich cultural and natural resources.

Why did we choose these colors?

We were inspired by the heading image on this page for our Canyon de Chelly colorway: https://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm

Instagram: n/a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canyondechellyNPS/

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

The Amache National Historic Site, formally the Granada War Relocation Center but known to the internees as Camp Amache, was a concentration camp for Japanese Americans in Prowers County, Colorado. 

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Kiowa, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Arapahoe Plains Indian tribes migrated through the area and many wintered along the Arkansas River.

When was it established?

Added to NRHP: May 18, 1994

Designated NHL: February 10, 2006

Designated NHS: March 18, 2022

About this park:

Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, near Granada, Colorado was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to unjustly incarcerate Japanese Americans. Over 10,000 people, most American citizens, were incarcerated at Amache from 1942-1945. Amache – a place to reflect, recommit, and further the pursuit of freedom and justice.

The smallest incarceration site by population—the Granada Relocation Center, as it was designated by the War Relocation Authority—was in Colorado, only 15 miles west of the Kansas border and less than 2 miles from the town of Granada. Although all WRA records refer to the incarceration camp as the Granada Relocation Center, early on, incarcerees began referring to the camp as Amache, after the camp’s postal designation. Built to accommodate up to 8,000 people, Amache housed 7,318 incarcerees at its peak in 1943, making it the 10th largest city in Colorado at that time. During its three years of operation, 10,331 incarcerees passed through Amache. Its population often fluctuated due to work, education, and military leave programs, as well as indefinite leaves as part of the resettlement program.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this image for our colorway inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Yh1oxvaDL/?igsh=a3c2YmFpMjl3NXpi

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/amch/index.htm

Instagram: n/a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amachenps/

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

San Juan National Historic Site is located in the Old San Juan section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Puerto Rico’s first inhabitants were the Taínos, a group of indigenous people who lived on the island for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrival. 

When was it established?

February 14, 1949

About this park:

The parks website doesn’t have much about the people who lived on the island before Europeans descended, nor does it talk about the enslaved people who were brought to the island to work the plantations, so we aren’t doing a lot of info-gathering from that site for this park. The park itself (and by extension, it’s website) concerns itself mostly with the colonizer history, and the strategic location of the island and its capitol city for wartime maneuvers. If you do want to read about the colonizer history, here’s the link: https://www.nps.gov/saju/learn/historyculture/index.htm

On December 6, 1983, the historic site and La Fortaleza were together designated a World Heritage Site under the name La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico “because of its outstanding, universal cultural value.” It quickly grew to become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, drawing more than 1,400,000 visitors in 2016.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this photo that our friend Jenna Kate shared:

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanjuannps/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanJuanNPS/

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in Warsaw, Virginia.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Rappahannock people were the dominant tribe of the Rappahannock River valley, maintaining thirteen villages along the north and south banks of the river named after them.

When was it established?

1996

About this park:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the first tract of land for the refuge in 1996. Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s goal is to protect 20,000 acres of wetlands and its associated uplands along the Rappahannock River and its major tributaries. This refuge was one of the first established specifically for the conservation of an entire watershed and as such, is comprised of multiple units located on both sides of the river. Refuge units are located in Essex, King George, Caroline, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties and include fresh water tidal marsh, forest swamp, upland deciduous forest, mixed pine forest, and grassland habitats.

Why did we choose these colors?

The 3rd photo in the carousel linked here: https://www.fredericksburgva.gov/1562/Rappahannock-River-Heritage-Trail was the inspiration for our colorway. It’s a photo on the Canal Path part of the trail.

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/rappahannock-river-valley

Instagram: 

Facebook: 

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, originally Harpers Ferry National Monument, is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Algonquians, Delaware, Catawbas, Shawnee, and Tuscaroras likely fished these waters and set up temporary camps along the banks.

When was it established?

June 30, 1944.

About this park:

At the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, on the ancestral home of the Tuscarora and Shawnee people, lies Harpers Ferry. Here you can explore John Brown’s Raid against slavery. Find your connection to the struggle for freedom, education, and civil rights at Storer College. Discover miles of trail in the Blue Ridge and along Civil War battlefields.

On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and his 21-man “army of liberation” seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. He intended to use the weapons there to arm a slave rebellion, but he was captured by US Marines just days later. During the Civil War, Harpers Ferry became a Union garrison town where runaway slaves sought refuge. Today, the park is home to historic reenactments and trade workshops, where you can experience the lifstyle and skills used during the era.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this image on the Harper’s Ferry NP Instagram page for our inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0636M6O15U/?igsh=MXM4NDNoaGgyNzdmYw%3D%3D

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HarpersFerryNPS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harpersferrynps/

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California.

Whose land does it reside upon?

Before the arrival of the Spanish, the San Francisco Peninsula was occupied by a people known as the Ohlone or Costanoan. Archeological evidence indicates an Ohlone/Costanoan presence at the site of the Presidio by about 740 A.D. Ohlone/Costanoan people were organized into over fifty societal tribes.

When was it established?

June 27, 1988

About this park:

Located in the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers visitors the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history. The Park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, a Visitor Center, Maritime Museum, Maritime Research Center, and Aquatic Park Historic District.

In the 1870s, San Francisco was the center of the whaling industry, which became the main livelihood for African American seamen on the West Coast until World War I. William T. Shorey, born in Barbados to a Scottish sugar planter and an Indian Creole woman, was one of the last whaling captains based out of San Francisco. During World War II, the opportunity to work as shipbuilders brought one of the largest migrations of African Americans to the Bay Area—from 20,000 individuals in 1940 to over 60,000 in 1945. At the park, you can tour the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier and join ranger-led tours and presentations.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used this image: https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/hilairehilerseahunt.htm and this color psychology wheel, created by the artist: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ_95BCIu0w/?igsh=MXJkMTVxNnV2ZnBrZA%3D%3D

The artist who made the mural used triad harmonies for color palettes, and we were inspired by this use of triad harmonies. We picked this park because of the African American connection/history.

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfmaritimenps/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SanFranciscoMaritimeNHP

It’s time for the annual National Parks Club! Find out information about participating shops and more here.

Where is it located?

The Iñupiat Heritage Center is a museum in Utqiaġvik in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located on the Chukchi Sea coast, Barrow is the northernmost community in the US. Regularly-scheduled jet services provide the area’s only year-round public access.

Whose land does it reside upon?

The Iñupiat are a group of Alaska Natives whose traditional territory roughly spans northeast from Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the northernmost part of the Canada–United States border. Their current communities include 34 villages across Iñupiat Nunaat (Iñupiaq lands), including seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, affiliated with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; eleven villages in Northwest Arctic Borough; and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation. They often claim to be the first people of the Kauwerak.

When was it established?

February 1999.

About this park:

On the rooftop of the world, the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska, tells the story of the Iñupiat people. They have thrived for thousands of years in one of the most extreme climates on Earth, hunting the bowhead, or “Agviq.” In the 19th century, the quiet northern seas swarmed with commercial whalemen from New England, who also sought the bowhead for its valuable baleen and blubber. Dedicated in February 1999, it is an affiliated area of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and recognizes the contributions of Alaska Natives to the history of whaling.

Why did we choose these colors?

We used images we found in this article, particularly the ones of boats on the water and whales, for our inspiration: https://www.hcn.org/issues/52-7/indigenous-affairs-climate-change-what-choice-do-we-have/

For more information:

NPS website: https://www.nps.gov/inup/index.htm

Instagram: n/a

Facebook: n/a