“Monuments signal what’s important and what’s memorable,” said Downs, who, while not affiliated with the project, was among several historians who urged President Barack Obama to designate ...

F our years ago, the Black Lives Matter movement reinvigorated public debate about historical monuments in the U.S. Monuments began coming down across the country. From Christopher Columbus in ...

Chuckwalla is important because it includes crucial habitat for the iguana-like lizard for which it is named, the desert bighorn sheep, the threatened desert tortoise and other animals and plants.

These are important places where we can remember the traumas of our past—maybe lay a wreath, or say a few words of prayer. But most monuments say much more about our identity than our history.