The Uneven Landscape of California's Historical Landmarks

Bibliographic Data

ID4491260
AuthorsSarah M Otterstrom (0000-0002-6871-2384, Brigham Young University), Samuel M Otterstrom (Brigham Young University), James A Davis (0000-0001-7978-1652, Brigham Young University)
Year2016
Volume106
Issue1
Pages28-53
Publication date2016-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1931-0846.2015.12133.x
OpenAlexW1871591355
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

Historical markers help preserve and display history and communicate what a group deems important about a place's past. This paper analyzes the changing themes and landscape relevance of California's official historical landmarks. California's thousand‐plus markers are classified and mapped by themes, analyzed for changing topical emphasis over time, and evaluated for landscape presence. The thematic distribution and relative density of these landmarks is uneven. Gold Rush and Spanish themes have become less prevalent over time as culturally related landmarks have grown in importance. This paper illustrates how historical landmark programs help sustain and define the public's collective memory through designating dispersed geographical locations as particularly important points of reference to the past

Archaeology · Art · Cartography · Collective memory · Cultural landscape · Distribution (mathematics · Genealogy · Geography · Historical memory · Landmark · Political science · Relevance (law · Thematic map · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Religious Tourism and Spaces

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