It takes a true visionary to see the landscapes of past, present and future as a whole. Tom Thomas brings his 360-degree view to bear inside the classroom and out.
Students who take one of Tom’s Colorado History classes will tap in to a well-seasoned expert. This native Coloradan and American West historian is a Project Manager at the National Park Service (NPS). In addition to his 17-year tenure at the NPS, Tom is also president of the Union Local 1105 of the American Federation of Government Employees. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from CU Boulder, including a PhD in History of the American West. In addition to his full-time work at the NPS, he is also a Colorado History instructor for the Boulder Evening program at CU Continuing Education.
What are the key Colorado-based projects are you currently working on for the NPS?
There are two. The first is Hovenweep National Monument. This site not only teaches us about the development of human culture before European contact, but also about migration and climate change. The second is the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Events here came much later than Hovenweep, but teach us about cultural conflicts and conquest and the changing perception of land use and ownership – a topic still very important in Colorado.
Why is it important to learn about Colorado’s history?
If you look at key issues facing Colorado today, such as water issues, the increasing migration to the West, or climate change and how it may impact everything from recreation to water supply, history becomes very important for two reasons. First, these issues played a role in the history of the state and we can examine the implications of our past actions in dealing with these issues. Second, we can learn from the past – some of the lessons on how to manage for the future may be right in front of us.
For some people history can be dry. How do you engage students in your class?
I like to connect the course of history to current-day places or events. These on-the-ground comparisons can bring history to life. Unlike studying European history, we can talk about what was happening in a student’s back yard 30 or 130 years ago. This is when the implications of history become very real. Perhaps 30 years ago your back yard was ranch land, or 130 years ago the Cheyenne and Arapaho migrated along the route you drive to work.
Less than two hundred years ago the state itself and its cultural composition were totally different. Whatever example we choose to dissect the question arises, how are current events an outcome of historic events?
You bring a lot of on-the-ground expertise to the classroom. What do you consider success in your role as teacher?
The potential of connections are virtually endless when you tie history into current events or places. If students draw a connection between Colorado history, the larger context of American history and their lives in Colorado today then I feel I have done a good job.
What are some of the most important issues facing Colorado today and how can learning about history help us?
Water use is one of the fundamental issues that connect the past and present of Colorado. Ancestral Pueblo peoples, Hispanic settlers in the San Luis Valley, ranchers and farmers in the late 19th Century, and urban dwellers in the modern era all had to find solutions to the problem of water allocation in Colorado.
The Colorado watershed is a primary water source for much of the American West, so protection and allocation of the water is one of the most important issues facing Colorado and the West. Conditions such as pine beetle infestation and potentially decreasing snow pack, resulting from climate change, will affect the way the watershed can function.
When we look at water issues, we also need to look at land use issues and increasing population, and therefore demand for water, in the west as a whole, not just Colorado. We have to look at on-the-ground environmental changes and how what we are doing is going to affect the future.
Again, we have to look at our history to both learn lessons for how to manage for the future and to better understand implications of our past actions – which are now staring us in the face.
CU: 
