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Founded in 1977
About Us
Working for more than forty-five years to keep Valley history and memories alive!
The Sun River Valley Historical Society is a 501-c-3 non-profit. EIN # 81-0370847
Mission Statement
The mission of the Sun River Valley Historical Society is to PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF THE SUN RIVER VALLEY and to this endeavor, we have published two books, are working to RESTORE THE 1800s FORT AND CEMETERY at FORT SHAW, to educate and to preserve the rich and important heritage of the Sun River Valley.
The Society was founded in 1977 with a goal of recording the history of the valley and preserving the Fort Shaw Military Fort. The Society has published two books. The first, A Pictorial History of The Sun River Valley published in 1989. Our recent publication, Sun River Valley History II just came out this past year. Both publications have been very well received, with copies shipped all over the country.
We have done much over the years to save and stabilize the two remaining officers buildings, the bakery and wash houses. A couple years ago we had a new roof put on one of the officers buildings and recently had a new roof put on the bakery.
We have seven buildings left of the almost seventy that were here when the fort was active. Since the primary construction material was adobe, most of them have either gone the way of the weather or had become deteriorated to the point that they were just torn down. We believe a lot of it probably had to do with the elementary school being here and concerns for the safety of the kids.
The two major structures left are the Commanding Officer’s Quarters and the Duplex Housing Quarters. We have been restoring them as much as we can to their appearance in the 1870s. They are also used as museum space to exhibit our artifacts.
Meet the Officers
President: Burnette Batista
Vice President: Randy Knowles
Secretary: Open
Treasurer: Open
Board consists of 9 Directors, with 2 open positions.
Meetings
Newsletter
Another building we have was the bakery. It is a sandstone structure that is presently being used for storage. And there are two sandstone wash houses that served as laundries.
The Fort Shaw Elementary School is on site and serves over a hundred kids in the valley. One wing of the school, presently in use, was originally part of the hospital.
We have also established a walking tour that exhibits the footprints of several buildings no longer there. One of the foundations served the pump house, which they used to pump water from the Sun River. It was then distributed to the various buildings by water wagon.
We are fortunate to have a decades long lease on the buildings and grounds. We’ve had Historic Structures Reports done and are in the process of costly building improvements.
In 2004 we proudly erected and dedicated a monument to the Fort Shaw Indian Girls World’s Basketball Championship team. In 2017 we had a wonderful 150th Anniversary Celebration. See related pages.
You will find many pictures and postings on our Sun River Valley Historical Society page on Facebook.
Volunteering
If you are interested and able, we want your help. We can always use assistance. Just come to our meetings and let it be known that you are available, or just show up when we send out a call by letter or Facebook.
We welcome youth and youth organizations to assist with our projects. In the past we have worked with the Boy Scouts of America and have assisted four Eagle Scouts in completing their certification. Community members from the Sun River Valley and beyond have been most welcome helpers.
Recent Programs
We’re continually working hard to make improvements at the Fort, recording history, and taking on projects. We have published two books, established a beautiful monument to the Championship Indian Girls’ Basketball Team. We are always doing tours and special events, so please check back often to see what’s coming up.