SPOKANE, Wash.- Two Gonzaga University professors have been awarded $100,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to develop a platform which documents the history of northeast Spokane.
English professor Katey Roden and Environmental Studies professor Greg Gordon are the minds behind the innovative project, entitled “Finding Our Way,’ which will create a map of the Children of the Sun trail along the US 395 corridor and collect the stories of communities living along that route.
The Gonzaga faculty are partnered with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and will create physical installations to mark important periods in the region’s history.
WSDOT will offer video and audio content to the public about the ecological health of the state based upon data gathered by Finding Our Way, and the Spokane Tribe will create a garden which highlights the biodiversity of the area. The project will also highlight the effect of climate change upon eastern Washington’s climate.
Roden explained that in addition to providing an educational opportunity for Gonzaga students, the project would empower disenfranchised communities.
“It is an opportunity for the Spokane community to ensure that often over-looked communities have a place to access information about the place they call home and a platform to tell their own stories,” Roden said.
The project, which completed its first phase in 2023, will utilize the grant funding to build a prototype of the website and connect with community members moving into the spring of 2025. When completed, it will serve as a new resource for those interested in the history of the Lilac City.
