PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us

“We are grateful to announce that Phil has joined History Colorado to lead the necessary effort to uncover and reckon with the histories and ongoing traumas related to American Indian Boarding Schools in our state,” said Dawn DiPrince, president/CEO of History Colorado and state historic preservation officer. “Phil embodies a rare combination of professional and academic experience, a commitment to community and relationships, a gift for patience and good listening, plus his own deep connection to tradition and knowledge that make him the right leader for this work” 

In addition to his service at CDHS — where he engaged in government-to-government consultation with Colorado’s resident Ute Tribes and worked closely with the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs — Gover has a legal background and was the Native Youth Advocate for Adams 12 Five Star Schools from 2015 to 2023. He has a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from Arizona State University’s College of Law. 

Gover’s legal experience includes serving as an advocate for both the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of Arizona. He is currently a member of the Denver American Indian Commission and serves on the board of directors for the Denver Indian Health & Family Services.

“I am so happy to have joined History Colorado to assist with the important work they are doing in partnership with Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and the 49 other sovereign nations who have history tied to Colorado,” Gover said. “There are so many layers and levels of Colorado’s history to understand starting with the stories of the Tribal nations. Uncovering this multifaceted history is crucial to understanding how we got to where we are and informing our decisions for the future.”

As the senior director of Tribal and Indigenous engagement, Gover will help History Colorado as it strives to meet its broad obligations and goals to faithfully consult with — and present the histories of — Indigenous, Native and Tribal communities and histories. A central portion of Gover’s efforts over the next two years will be working closely with the American Indian Steering Committee created by House Bill 24-1444 and impacted Tribal nations and American Indian communities, to complete research into the physical abuse and deaths that occurred at federal Indian boarding schools in Colorado.

“I hope to help give voices to students who were voiceless while at these schools,” Gover said. “In the coming years, I will work with the communities impacted by Colorado boarding schools to preserve their stories and create avenues for understanding the lasting impacts of this history while being cautious of the trauma that was endured by the communities. This is important and long overdue work which has been needed ever since the first children were taken from Native families and forced to attend boarding schools.”

This ongoing effort is a continuation of the research conducted in 2022 and 2023 under House Bill 22-1327.

Gover will also serve History Colorado as a key team member in ongoing organizational compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act that was passed into law by Congress in 1990. Under Gover’s leadership, History Colorado will continue to partner with the Southern Ute and Ue Mountain Ute and the 49 other Tribal Nations with historic ties to Colorado as well as the urban Native communities and other members of the Native diaspora connected ancestrally or contemporaneously to the state.

About History Colorado’s American Indian Boarding School Research
Beginning in 1819 with the federal “Indian Civilization Act,” the United States government embarked on a systematic campaign of cultural genocide that included forcibly removing children from their families. Sent far away from their communities to boarding schools, these Native children were severed from their culture, language, traditions, and religion. Starting in May of 2022, History Colorado has been conducting research into the physical abuse and deaths that occurred at federal Indian boarding schools in Colorado.

To date, more than 523 Indian Boarding schools have been identified across the U.S. that were funded by the federal government, and often church-run, in the 19th and 20th centuries, including at least seven federal Indian boarding schools within Colorado.

In 2023, “Federal Indian Boarding Schools in Colorado: 1880-1920” was released in compliance with HB22-1327, which directed History Colorado, through the State Archaeology Office, to investigate the one-time federal Native American Boarding School in Hesperus, Colorado, also referred to as the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School; as well as to identify potential burial places of students who perished while attending the school. This report included recommendations for additional Tribal consultation, and engagement with members of the Native diaspora as well as continued research and the crafting of recommendations for policy and actions moving forward.

Additional information about History Colorado’s American Indian Boarding School Research can be found here.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 146-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado