Special to the HT
MEEKER | The White River Museum will host the Smithsonian traveling exhibition “Americans” from May 16 through July 6 at the Old West Heritage Culture Center, 517 Park Ave.
Presented through the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program and the National Museum of the American Indian, the exhibition explores how American Indian images, words and stories are deeply woven into U.S. history, popular culture and national identity. The White River Museum was selected by History Colorado as one of five Colorado hosts on the statewide tour running from September 2025 through July 2026.
Adapted from a major exhibition in Washington, D.C., “Americans” examines the everyday presence of American Indians in imagery and language—from product branding and sports mascots to film, television and place names—alongside well-known historical narratives such as Thanksgiving, Pocahontas, the Trail of Tears and the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Through photographs, objects, interactive displays and video, the exhibition invites visitors to consider how these stories have been created, remembered and represented over time. A short animated film, The Invention of Thanksgiving, offers a reflective look at how a shared meal became a central national origin story and holiday.
Three central narratives anchor the exhibition: the life and legacy of Pocahontas; the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which reshaped the nation while devastating Native communities; and the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, and its evolving place in American memory.
The title “Americans” is a deliberate play on words, referencing the name once applied by Europeans to the continent’s Indigenous peoples while underscoring the complex, intertwined relationship between American Indians and the United States.
With support from History Colorado, the White River Museum will offer public programs in conjunction with the exhibition, including speaker events developed in partnership with Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Tribal communities. Programs will explore regional history, Native identity and the challenges of preserving and presenting Indigenous stories.
“These critical Indigenous and Tribal stories are interwoven in the fabric of our country,” said Philip Gover III, senior director of Tribal and Indigenous engagement at History Colorado. “It is vital for all of us to hear them and understand why they matter.”
Support for “Americans” is provided by the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 initiative, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary, with signature funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. and additional local sponsors.