National Parks

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