Purpose: The purpose of the project is to help you develop an awareness and appreciation of the rich historical legacy in the Los Angeles Area and to express this through your writing.

Mission San Gabriel
State Historical Landmark  #158

Activity One: Introduction (Journal) -- When you hear the term "historical landmark," what do you think of? Have you ever visited an historical landmark? Which one(s)? What was it like? Write a 500 word journal entry in which you explore your existing knowledge of Landmarks. Do not do any research for this journal entry. This is simply an opportunity for you to see what you already know about the topic. 
 

Activity Two: Background Reading -- Read over The American Antiquities Act of 1906, and sections 1 and 2 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Write a summary of each of the readings. What do each of these acts propose to do? 

Activity Three: Defining Terms--Use the web resources provided below to define the following terms:

• State Historical Landmarks
• Points of Historical Interest
• California Register of Historic Places
• Cultural Landmarks
• National Historic Place
• National Landmark

Activity Four: What's It All About? -- Use the web resources provided below to answer the following questions (be sure to indicate where you are finding the information to answer the questions by providing MLA style citations and list of works cited):

• What is the difference between the six designations defined in activity three?
• What is the State Historic Preservation Plan?
• How does the California State Historical Landmark Program Work?
• What criteria are used to determine if a site is eligible for registration?
• How are the sites selected?
• What is the criteria used to select National Historic Places?
• How does this selection process differ from the selection of a California Historic Site?
• How are preservation efforts coordinated between national, state, and local agencies?

Activity Five: Addressing Diversity --Read over the Forward of Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California and write a 500 word journal that discusses the relevance of the survey. Then select one of the following topics:

• American Indians
• Black Americans
• Chinese Americans
• Japanese Americans
• Mexican Americans

Read over the relevant sections of the Five Views report and write an information essay. Your essay should enable your readers to begin to understand the issues important to preserving the historical past of the ethnic group. Remember to indicate any quoted material and to provide both in-text citations and a list of works cited.

Activity Six: Research Paper --You will choose one of the State Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles or Orange County and develop a report about that site. Your research paper should include information on the history of the site, the cultural significance of the site, the condition of the site today, and a list of works cited. Use the information you collected during the first five activities. You have learned a lot about historical landmarks, the process of selecting a landmark, and why we have historical landmarks. Don't be afraid to draw on what you have learned.  Your research paper  will need to be a minimum of three full pages.

Grading: Each element of the project will help you develop the background necessary to successfully complete the final project and each activity will be worth points, so it will be important to complete each activity. 

Resources

• Bureau of Reclamation's Cultural Resources Management
• California Office of Historic Preservation
• California State Historical Landmarks
• California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES): California State Historical Landmarks Listed by County
• Lupin: Historical and Cultural Resources
• The National Historic Preservation Program
• The National Register of Historic Places
• The National Historic Landmarks Program
• Cultural Landmarks Revisited

Avila Adobe, Los Angeles State Historical Landmark #145