On March 24,
2003, with the help of the Trust for Public Land (TPL) Tribal
Lands Program, and the American West Heritage Center (AWHC), twenty-six
acres of the Bear River Massacre site were donated back to the
Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation.
AWHC initiated the project after completing, with tribal leadership,
the planning and design of a cultural and interpretive center
at AWHC to help the tribe tell its story. The 26-acre site is
in the Bear River Valley, near Preston, Idaho which itself is
just north of the Utah-Idaho border. The site is comprised of
two parcels, one of 19 acres and the other 7 acres, which TPL
purchased privately.
"The massacre site is a
sacred and holy spot because the bodies of the Shoshone were
never buried, but were left to the wolves and the coyotes to
devour. Therefore, it is good that it is finally being recognized
and preserved. It is wonderful that the Trust for Public Land
is helping save this land."
Brigham Madsen
Historian
The Trust for Public Land, established
in 1972, specializes in conservation real estate, applying its
expertise in negotiations, public finance, and law, to protect
land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways, community gardens,
urban playgrounds, and wilderness. TPL has taken the lead as
a national conservation organization to develop a tribal lands
program, which will restore to tribes the ownership of lands
that contain significant cultural, historical, and natural resource
values. Across the nation, TPL has helped protect more than
1.4 million acres.
"This is sacred land to
us. It is the burial ground of our ancestors and it is deeply
satisfying to have it protected,"
Bruce Parry
Northwestern Band Shoshone
Executive Director
"We've waited many years
for this to happen, our dreams have become a reality today."
Gwen Davis
Northwestern Band Shoshone
Tribal Chairwoman
