Context
Fort Chambers / Poor Farm, located near Boulder, Colorado, is connected to the mobilization of Boulder-area men in Company D of the Third Colorado Cavalry before they participated in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.
While at City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Phillip Yates helped communicate public-history and stewardship planning work involving Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives, the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property, Boulder County history, and the city’s responsibility to tell a fuller history.
Challenge
The public needed accurate historical context. Local public narratives had not fully reflected Arapaho and Cheyenne perspectives or Boulder County's connection to Sand Creek. The City of Boulder needed to communicate a stewardship planning process and public history effort responsibly.
Approach
- Historical research and public-facing historical summaries
- Press releases and media relations
- Public input communication
- Project webpages
- E-newsletter and social media communication
- Messaging with guidance from Tribal Representatives
- Public explanation of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm stewardship planning process
- Communication around a proposed healing trail and future interpretation
Results
The work helped raise public awareness of Boulder's connection to the Sand Creek Massacre, communicate perspectives shared by Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Representatives, support public understanding of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property, and generate media coverage from local and regional outlets. The communication work received Colorado PRSA recognition as part of City of Boulder public communication efforts.
What this demonstrates
- Historical storytelling
- Public land communication
- Strategic communication
- Media relations
- Native-guided consultation-support communication
- Documentation and follow-through
- Public trust communication around difficult history