Capturing the Collective Story of the Pipe Spring Community

An important first-step in preserving the stories of the past is collecting oral histories, a form of data preservation documenting the memory of people living today. Collectively, oral history accounts record a snapshot of community life in the present and capture first-hand accounts of what happened in the past. Throughout its history, Pipe Spring has supported native peoples, European settlers, cattle ranchers, Mormon militia, Civilian Conservation Corp members, and current National Park Service employees and visitors. The Pipe Spring community borders Utah, Arizona, and the Kaibab Paiute Reservation, and community members have a distinct story worth telling. Through this project, Pipe Spring will expand its oral history collection through interviews that connect the park’s resources with cultural meanings, the people, and their stories. Interviews with senior community members will focus on the historic and prehistoric uses of Pipe Spring and the surrounding landscape. An estimated 25 hours of high-quality archival recordings will be collected following best practices established by the Oral History Association. Once compiled, these accounts will be used to develop new exhibits, digital publications and podcast programs that extend the Pipe Spring visitor experience beyond its borders.