In parks and on trails across America, the signs we pass at historic sites are more than wayfinding tools—they’re storytellers. They give voice to people, places, and events that shaped the nation, including those long excluded from the dominant narrative. Some signs name indigenous lands, explain forced migrations, describe environmental damage, and illuminate civil rights struggles. They are public records, accessible history, truth on display.
But that truth is now under threat.
The Trump administration is currently reshaping how American history is told—particularly around race, climate change, and colonialism. It’s clear that signage in national parks and monuments will soon be altered, removed, or “sanitized” to include only the viewpoints of right wing America. The executive regime is actively gathering lists to determine which signs will get the heave-ho. Unlike some of Trump’s idle threats, this assault is underway.
Earlier this year, we saw climate change references stripped from parks' and sciences' federal websites. Next on Trump's agenda is to make sure that visitors to parklands don’t encounter long-established signage that might conflict with his creepy version of American “greatness.”
That’s why a group of librarians at the University of Minnesota (our alma mater, by the way) launched Save Our Signs—a grassroots project to document and preserve the interpretive signs found in our national parks, national monuments, and other federally protected lands. The initiative is simple but urgent: photograph and archive existing signs before they disappear, or before they get rewritten.
At Archive Elements, we support this effort because it protects and preserves our history, and because it reflects the values we hold: common sense, respect for science and the academic process, and a belief that Americans deserve to know all of their history, not just the comfortable parts.
Signage in our parks doesn’t just describe landscapes—it confronts us with our shared legacy. That includes moments of injustice, struggle, and loss: internment camps, broken treaties, environmental destruction, and systemic racism. These stories belong to all of us. And without signs to point the way, future generations will miss some of the most interesting context for these landmarks.
Once these signs are gone—or rewritten—they’re not easily recovered. Documentation is our last line of defense. It’s a simple act, but a powerful one. Perhaps one day again we’ll have federal leadership that respects an honest and full-featured American history, and can promise to restore what gets taken by this backward regime.
Anyone can participate in Save Our Signs. If you’re visiting a national park or historic site:
- Photograph the signs—especially interpretive panels and historical markers.
- Note the location and date of your visit.
- Upload your photos to the Save Our Signs archive (visit the project website for full instructions, it's easy).
One photo at a time, we can build a public record that preserves these stories—even if the signs themselves vanish.
Learn more and get involved at https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/save-our-signs.
Be aware that Trump acolytes are actively tagging the same signs and using the link provided by Trump's NPS. Do not use the link posted at sites by the National Park Service. That wonderful agency, sadly, is for now under the thumb of those who would actively cheer its entire demise.
What about state parks and other non-federal parklands? Well, whether historic signage is being assaulted really depends on your state or local jurisdiction. It's a topic worth watching if you care about the interpretive value of signs and monuments on our public lands.