Native Memory Project's mission is to connect the past with the present by documenting stories & traditions of Indigenous peoples and early settlers of the Rocky Mountain West.

Native Memory Project

Wildlife consultant John Mionczynski describes the migratory patterns of the bighorn sheep of Whiskey Mountain, Wyoming.

The Wind River Range is a breathtaking mountain range surrounded by national forests in western Wyoming. Known for its stunning alpine scenery, high peaks, and pristine lakes, it's a popular destination for hiking, climbing, and backpacking. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, such as the Shoshones and Absarokas (Crow) lived in and around the range, with villages as high as 10,000 ft. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho people still maintain a presence in the region and are federally recognized as the Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River Reservation. One of the most iconic features of the Wind River Range is the Cirque of the Towers, a cluster of towering granite spires and jagged peaks that rise dramatically from the valley floor. The Cirque is a favorite spot for climbers and photographers, and its sheer walls and stunning vistas make it a must-see destination. 

Wind River Range

Bighorn Sheep: Whiskey Mountain Herd

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is rich in archaeology. The Paiute settled many of the same sites as the ancient Pueblo people. 


Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a breathtaking and expansive protected area in southern Utah. Encompassing nearly 1.9 million acres, it boasts a landscape characterized by rugged canyons, towering cliffs, and colorful sandstone formations. It is located in the ancestral lands of the Puebloan and Fremont People, and their descendants, including people from the Hopi, Paiute, Zuni, Ute, and Navajo tribes. Some of the most remote land—and the last to be mapped—in the contiguous United States, the Monument protects the  Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante (Escalante River). The monument is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of the National Conservation Lands system. 

Grand Staircase-Escalante NM

“Pueblo Village Site”

The Point of Rocks Station was built in 1862 when the Overland Trail became the main East-West Passage. It was the terminal serving the mining towns.

The Overland Trail, also referred to as the Overland Stage Line, played a vital role in the American West during the 19th century. While parts of the trail were used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, its significance grew in the 1860s as an alternative route to the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails through central Wyoming. The Overland Stage Company used the trail for stagecoaches, transporting mail and passengers to Salt Lake City, Utah. Beginning in Atchison, Kansas, the trail passed through Colorado before looping back to southern Wyoming, ultimately reconnecting with the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger. Its operation ceased in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, rendering stagecoach mail service unnecessary.

Overland Trail

Point of Rocks Stage Station

As a young boy, Plenty Coups went fasting in the Crazy Mountains, there he had a vision which allowed him to become a great warrior & leader.

Within the Crow Indian Reservation in south-central Montana, 40 minutes south of Billings, lies a day-use park preserving Chief Plenty Coups' log home, sacred spring, and farmstead. This National Historic Landmark belonged to Plenty Coups (Aleek-chea-ahoosh, meaning "many achievements"), a man who transitioned from a warrior to a peacemaker, bridging the gap between cultures. Honored for his bravery and leadership, he became chief of the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe at just 28. The park covers 195 acres of his land and features a Visitor Center commemorating his life and efforts to lead his people towards settled reservation living. Walk the 3/4 mile trail and enjoy the shaded picnic area.

Chief Plenty Coups State Park

Chief Plenty Coups' Vision

Finds them and Kills Them was one of 25 Crows who engaged the enemy north of Rosebud Creek and became the hero of the day.

Rosebud Battlefield State Park, a National Historic Landmark on the rolling prairie of eastern Montana, preserves the site of the June 17, 1876, battle that was a harbinger to the Battle of Little Bighorn. Also known as the Battle of Rosebud Creek, the battle was between the United States Army and its Crow and Shoshoni allies against a force consisting mostly of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians during the Great Sioux War of 1876. Remote, quiet and undeveloped, the 3052-acre state park remains much the same as it was during the time of the battle in the 1870s, though the park does not cover the entire battle grounds. It features interpretive trails, markers, and a visitor center with exhibits and artifacts. For generations before the battle, many peoples used the Rosebud Valley for hunting and gathering, including a cliff site used as a “buffalo jump” still marked with petroglyphs. 

Rosebud Battlefield State Park

Finds Them and Kills Them at the Battle of the Rosebud

The Indian Wars Battle of the Rosebud was fought in June 1876. Grant Bulltail recounts the Crow Indians actions during this engagement. 

Battle of the Rosebud

Crow historian, Grant Bulltail, reveals some historic incidents that occurred near Indian Springs on Sage Creek.

The Crow tribe originally owned a vast territory of 38 million acres in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. In 1851, they signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which recognized their right to this land. However, in 1868, they were forced to sell 30 million acres to the U.S. government. The remaining 8 million acres became the Crow Indian Reservation. The Crow tribe's land was further reduced in subsequent years due to dams, military expansion, and mining. Today, the Crow Indian Reservation has a land area of 2.2 million acres and is home to approximately 11,000 people, of whom 7,900 reside on the reservation. Twenty percent of the tribe speaks Crow as their first language. The reservation is bordered by Wyoming to the south and the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to the east. It includes the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains, Wolf Mountains, and Pryor Mountains.

Crow Reservation

Indian Springs

Ed Varley reveals a cliff face near a sulphur springs along the Overland Trail where immigrants in the 1860s carved their names.

Register Rock

This archaeological site near GSEMN reveals clues of the lifeways of the ancient people who occupied these lands and the changes they endured.

The Anasazi State Park Museum in southern Utah displays archeological finds from an Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) village that dates from A.D. 1050 to 1200. One of the largest communities west of the Colorado River and located near the presumed border of the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont cultures, the Coombs Village Site reflects a fascinating blend of traits from the two cultures. This intriguing fusion is evident not only in the recovered artifacts but also in the architecture found at the site. The presence of elements from various branches of the Ancestral Puebloan suggests a flourishing and expansive trade network during ancient times. Visitors can explore a life-sized, six-room replica of an ancient dwelling.

Anasazi State Park Museum

Coombs Village Ancient Pueblo Site

Dragon's Mouth, a popular Yellowstone attraction, was known by a different name by the Indigenous people. Grant Bulltail tells the Crow origin story.

On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Within Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, explore geothermal areas that contain about half the world’s active geysers, and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.