Warm Valley Historical Project

The Warm Valley Historical Project, conducted in coordination with the Shoshone Episcopal Mission, sought oral histories regarding Wind River Indian Reservation life during the early 1900s. Dr. Sharon Kahin, project director, and other research assistants interviewed elderly tribal members who had resided at the reservation in Wyoming during that time. Interviews were conducted in 1990-1991. The project also catalogued and indexed or transcribed interviews completed in 1986-1987 for the Valley of Three Worlds Project. Research material focused on turn-of-the-century reservation life, Indian experience with the Great Depression, boarding schools, traditional crafts and therapies, employment opportunities, reservation ranching, dude ranching, farming, language use, etc.

The Warm Valley Historical Project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, was conducted in coordination with the Shoshone Episcopal Mission. The project sought oral histories regarding Wind River Indian Reservation life during the early 1900s. Dr. Sharon M. Kahin of Dubois, Wyoming, Dr. Anne Slater, and other research assistants interviewed tribal members who had resided at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming during that time. Some of the interviews were conducted in order to gather information related to certain historic photo images, slides of which are included in the collection. Interviews for the project were conducted in 1990-1991. The project also catalogued and indexed or transcribed interviews completed in 1986-1987 for the Valley of Three Worlds Project. Research material focused on turn-of-the-century reservation life, Indian experience with the Great Depression, boarding schools, traditional crafts and therapies, employment opportunities, reservation ranching, dude ranching, farming, language use, etc. Though the project focused on Eastern Shoshone perspectives and memories, interviews were also conducted with Arapaho tribal members and several interviews from the Valley of Three Worlds Project included non-Indian prospectors, business owners, and teachers.