10 landmarks you didn't know had Native American origins

Talia LakritzNov 7, 2020, 21:22 IST

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is built on sacred Hualapai land.Flickr/Ariane Middel

Native Americans built vibrant communities in what is now the United States before colonizers arrived.
From the Gateway Arch in St. Louis to Alcatraz in San Francisco, these US landmarks have Native American origins.

Native Americans built vibrant communities in what is now the United States long before colonizers arrived. Some of their villages, sacred sites, and names remain, while others have been razed, renamed, or forgotten.

Here are 10 US landmarks you may not have known have Native American origins.

The name of Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri, was changed to reflect the area's Native American history.

Gateway Arch. Shutterstock

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California, was used by Native communities to house those who broke tribal laws.

Alcatraz Island. Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is home to the remains of the Ancestral Pueblo culture.

Mesa Verde National Park. MarclSchauer/Shutterstock

The Grand Canyon Skywalk in Peach Springs, Arizona, was built on sacred Hualapai land.

Grand Canyon Skywalk. Nootprapa/Shutterstock

The Everglades in Florida were full of Native American communities.

The Everglades. iStock/ferrerivideo

The name of Niagara Falls comes from the Native American village of Onghiara.

Niagara Falls. lastdjedai/Shutterstock

The Four Corners Monument in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, is run by Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation.

Four Corners Monument. Shutterstock

Twenty-six tribes are connected to areas and resources within Yellowstone National Park, according to the National Park Service.

Yellowstone National Park. elegeyda/ Shutterstock

Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, was carved into the Black Hills — a sacred site for the Lakota Sioux.

Mount Rushmore. J. Pat Hodges/Shutterstock

Denali, the tallest mountain in the US located in Alaska, is central to the Athabascans' traditional beliefs about the creation of the world.

Denali. zzvision / iStock

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