The tribe that refused to be erased from Death Valley National Park

The Timbisha Shoshone’s Battle Against Park Service Eviction

Death Valley National Park holds the only story in America where a tribe got their homeland back from the federal government.

When President Hoover created Death Valley National Monument in 1933, the Timbisha Shoshone lost land they had called home for over 1,000 years.

Park officials forced them into a segregated village of adobe houses without running water or electricity. For decades, rangers destroyed their homes whenever families left for summer migrations.

But Timbisha women like Pauline Esteves and Barbara Durham fought back through courts and Congress until President Clinton signed the Homeland Act in 2000.

Here’s how they made history and where you can see their village today.

Hoover’s Pen Stroke Erased Timbisha Homeland in 1933

President Herbert Hoover signed an order on February 11, 1933, that turned 2 million acres of Timbisha Shoshone land into Death Valley National Monument.

The government called the area an “empty wilderness” even though Timbisha families had lived there for over 1,000 years.

Their winter homes at Furnace Creek and summer camps in the Panamint Mountains suddenly fell under government control.

Behind the scenes, the Pacific Coast Borax Company pushed for monument status to help their tourist business at Furnace Creek Inn.

Park Officials Built a Separated Village After Failed Relocations

The National Park Service tried to move Timbisha families to faraway reservations between 1933 and 1936, but the tribe refused to leave.

Government officials then signed a deal on May 23, 1936, to create an “Indian Colony” inside Death Valley. They put the Timbisha on a 40-acre sandy patch far from tourist areas and park offices.

The plan included permanent houses built with New Deal workers and $5,000 from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Eleven Adobe Homes Lacked Basic Utilities

Workers built 11 simple adobe houses in 1938 for about 60 Timbisha people. These homes had no electricity, running water, indoor toilets, heating, or cooling.

Power lines ran just 300 feet away but never connected to the village.

The government set up one water tap, a shared washroom, and a trading post where tribe members could sell crafts to tourists.

Officials set a $3 monthly upkeep fee but never collected it, so the buildings quickly fell apart.

Rangers Destroyed Homes When Families Left for Summer

Park boss Fred Binnewies created the “Death Valley Village Indian Housing Policy” in 1957. This rule let rangers destroy any homes they thought were “left empty.”

They targeted houses when families went on traditional summer trips to mountain gathering spots. Park staff knocked down five adobe structures by spraying them with water, which broke down the earthen walls.

The Park Service also banned all normal activities like gathering firewood, picking plants, and hunting.

Four Elderly Women Stood Their Ground

Pauline Esteves, then in her early 30s, watched rangers destroy her community’s homes and started fighting back.

Four older Timbisha women, including Pauline’s mother Rosie, refused to pay permit fees and stayed firmly in their homes.

These women led the tribe’s fight as many men left to find jobs in Beatty, Nevada and California cities.

Things got worse in 1958 when Congress got rid of “Indian Ranch,” another Timbisha settlement created for Panamint Bill’s family.

Legal Help Arrived in the 1960s

Pauline Esteves reached out to California Indian Legal Services in the 1960s when the National Park Service tried to kick out the remaining families.

The Native American Rights Fund took up the Timbisha case in 1975 and helped organize the tribe under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Tribal member Alice Eben handed a petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1977, which got them known as an organized group. This gave them legal standing to fight removal attempts.

Tribal Recognition Came Through in 1983

The Timbisha Shoshone became one of the first tribes to gain federal recognition through the new Bureau of Indian Affairs process in 1983.

They got the 40-acre Death Valley Indian Community reservation at the original Furnace Creek village site. While federal recognition gave some rights, the tribe stayed mostly landless with very limited self-rule powers.

Fights with Death Valley National Park continued over land claims and cultural practices.

Clinton’s Desert Protection Act Created an Opening

President Clinton signed the California Desert Protection Act on October 31, 1994, which changed Death Valley from a monument to a national park.

The law specifically told the National Park Service to find good lands for a bigger Timbisha reservation. The act added 1.3 million acres to the park, making it the largest national park in the lower 48 states.

Talks between the tribe and government started but quickly hit roadblocks over land transfers.

Memorial Day Protest Grabbed Media Spotlight

Tired of stalled talks, Timbisha leaders organized a protest on May 26, 1996.

Seventy-five protesters, including tribal elders, members of nearby tribes, and environmental groups, marched half a mile toward the visitor center in the hot desert sun.

They carried signs reading “THIS IS OUR HOMELAND” and “CULTURAL RESPECT NOT CULTURAL GENOCIDE.”

The protest caught worldwide media attention and led to appeals to the United Nations about the tribe’s struggle to survive.

Bipartisan Support Pushed the Homeland Act Through Congress

Senators Daniel Inouye, Dianne Feinstein, and Barbara Boxer introduced the Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act (S. 2102) on February 24, 2000.

The bill passed both houses of Congress with support from both parties after years of lobbying by tribal leaders Pauline Esteves and Barbara Durham.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost $14 million over five years to implement the land transfers and water rights.

The bill authorized giving approximately 7,754 acres plus 508 acre-feet of annual water rights to the tribe.

Death Valley Became the First Park to Return Native Land

President Bill Clinton signed the Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act into law on November 1, 2000, ending 65 years of federal displacement.

The act transferred 7,800 acres back to Timbisha control, including 314 acres at Furnace Creek. Death Valley became the first and only U.S. national park to return lands and create an Indian reservation within its boundaries.

New entrance signs now proudly state that Death Valley National Park is the “Homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone,” officially acknowledging the tribe’s presence.

Visiting Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park costs $30 per vehicle for seven days. Visit the Furnace Creek Visitor Center from 8am to 5pm to learn about Timbisha Shoshone history.

The Timbisha Shoshone Village is on Highway 190 south of Furnace Creek Ranch, where you can see 1938 adobe ruins and tribal homeland signs. Their Indian taco shop runs Tuesday through Saturday.

Check out the ancient grinding rock in Furnace Creek Inn’s lower parking lot.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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