Historic and Cultural Treasures

At many national wildlife refuges, you can see evocative pieces of America’s past, including fossils, buildings, museum objects and archaeological remains. That’s because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conserves cultural and historic resources found on its lands and waters, as mandated by Congress under the National Historic Preservation Act.

4.5 Million Museum Objects
15,798 Recorded Sites
114 National Register-Listed Properties
1,927 Historic Buildings

Honoring Our Past

Wildlife refuges exhibit and interpret many historic collections to enrich visitor experience and deepen understanding.

A collection of Civil War-era artifacts from the Steamboat Bertrand is on display at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and Nebraska. The ship sank in 1865 in the Missouri River. Video: “Sunken Treasure: The Steamboat Bertrand.”
A lighthouse at Hawaii’s Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than two dozen historic lighthouses (https://www.fwws.gov/refuges/features/Lighthouses-of-the-Refuge-System…) managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Interpretive panels recount the history of Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, once a hideout for escaped slaves and a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Many historic sites and artifacts have deep meaning to Native American tribes and other groups or are located on lands historically associated with tribes. For example, petroglyphs at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada are sacred to the Nuwuvi people. Please respect cultural sensitivities when you visit refuge sites.

Tribal consultation (https://www.fwws.gov/nativeamerican/) is a cornerstone of the Service’s historic preservation. In 2015 the Nuwuvi finalized a plan with the Service and partners to showcase and respect the rock writings.

More about historic and cultural resources

Every Refuge Tells a Story (https://www.fwws.gov/historicPreservation/everyRefugeTellsAStory.html)

Interpreted Refuge Sites (https://www.fwws.gov/HistoricPreservation/FWSInterpretedSites.html)

Civilian Conservation Corps (https://www.fwws.gov/HistoricPreservation/publicEducation/CCC.html)

Shipping Fish by Rail in 1874 (https://www.fwws.gov/historicPreservation/publicEducation/pdfs/FishCarE…)

Test Yourself

How many historic and cultural resources do you know on national wildlife refuges? Take a cultural resources quiz.