La Paz Trail of Tears, The Hualapai Memorial
Channel: seeouRView
Date: 2023-05-14

La Paz Trail of Tears, The Hualapai Memorial is a somber reminder of a dark chapter in American history. In the late 1800s, the U.S. government forcibly removed a group of Hualapai people from their ancestral lands in the La Paz Valley and relocated them to the Colorado River Indian Reservation, over 200 miles away.

The journey was grueling and treacherous. Children, the elderly, and the sick suffered the most, and many died on the two-week march. When they arrived at the place called La Paz, a remote desert location with sweltering temperatures, their suffering only continued. Disease and starvation took a heavy toll, and many more Hualapai people died during their yearlong internment.

Despite these hardships, the Hualapai people remained strong and resilient. They endured the injustice of their forced relocation and the harsh conditions of their new surroundings. Nearly one year later, in 1875, the remaining survivors managed to escape imprisonment and made the long journey back home to northwestern Arizona.

Today, the La Paz Trail of Tears memorial and site in Parker, Arizona serves as a powerful reminder of the Hualapai people's resilience and their ongoing struggles. Visitors can see the memorial and the ruins of a building that once stood on the site.

As we gaze upon the site and remember the events that unfolded here, we must also remember that the story of the Hualapai people did not end with their forced relocation. They continue to honor their ancestors through their annual run from Ehrenburg to Peach Springs, a tradition that has been passed down through generations.

The legacy of the Trail of Tears serves as a stark reminder that we must always strive for justice and equality for all people, regardless of their heritage.

Public Domain photographs used in this video:
* Photo: Two young Walapai Indian mothers with their children on their backs, Hackbury, Arizona - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two_young_Walapai_Indian_mothers_with_their_children_on_their_backs,_Hackbury,_Arizona,_ca.1900_(CHS-3176).jpg
* Photo: Walapai Indian school at Kingman, Arizona - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walapai_Indian_school_at_Kingman,_Arizona,_ca.1900_(CHS-3188).jpg
* Photo: Tathamiche - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tathamiche.jpg

Music from the YouTube Audio Library used in this video:
* Tribal War Council by Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions

La Paz Trail of Tears, The Hualapai Memorial video is hereby released into the Public Domain under the YouTube Creative Commons License.