Today was the day I interviewed Larry, and I must say it went pretty well! My grandmother took me to the Corpus Christi Trade center a little after 3 pm and I found his booth. He was very nice and funny, and when it came to asking him questions, he spoke very openly about the Ennis Joslin Indian burial ground. I learned that he's no longer part of the Gulf Coast Indian Confederation, but a new organization called the South Texas Alliance of Indigenous People. The purpose of the fundraising that him and his organization are doing is to help raise money so they can build a giant monument dedicated to the Ennis Joslin burial ground. Aside from his booth that he has (the Ishka Indian Trading Post), Mr. Salazar is also selling and doing other things on the side in order to fund raise money. Their goal is to have more recognition for the forgotten Indians in Texas, and to also educate the people in Corpus Christi about this interesting group of people and how they impacted our community.

Although I was able to talk to Larry about the burial ground, it was difficult to make a proper recording of our interview due to the noise at the trade center. However, we decided to schedule another time to meet again so we can further discuss the burial ground and also have a better recording of it. I learned that Mr. Salazar has a book that contains all the information and details about the Ennis Joslin Burial ground. He's offered to lend it to me the next time we meet up and he also gave me his business card and a pamphlet about his organization, the fundraising, and the overall purpose of why he does what he does. Promoting the Indian culture and the historical significance it's left on Corpus is Larry's overall purpose in his life now, and I truly admire him for that. I really hope that they reach their goal so the monument can be built on Ennis Joslin. Based from what I've learned today, this ancient burial ground is hardly recognized at all. I feel that talking to Larry really opened my eyes about this historical landmark, and how Indians are not recognized enough like they should be. Seeing his passion and how much it hurts him that this burial ground is not being taken very seriously has really influenced me to make sure my Corpus Christi local history project leaves an impact on people, and to make them realize how truly significant this burial ground and Indian culture is to Corpus Christi.

To end our day together, I wanted to take a picture of Larry. Even though I hate pictures, my grandmother forced me to take a few with him. When I got up to take the picture, I got a bit embarrassed and began to blush very badly. Larry started to joked around by saying, "Hey I thought I was the red skin?!" He really was a kind man, and I really enjoyed meeting him. I look forward to talking to him soon. Below are the pictures we took together :)

Yesterday after looking into more information about Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar, I came across a website that included his email and phone number. Today when I came home from school, I decided to go ahead and give him a call. Considering that I get a bit nervous and shy when I talk to new people, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to convince him to allow me to interview him. Mr. Salazar ended up seeming very kind, and when I told him who I was and what I wanted to do, he jumped at the idea right away. He invited me to go visit him at the Corpus Christi Trade Center sometime this weekend because he actually has a booth there and is fundraising right now for something that pertains to the Indian culture. He said it would be a great place for me to interview him, plus maybe I'd uncover something there!  The time of the interview hadn't been determined yet because I needed to see if someone in my family could take me to the trade center, but I promised Larry once I found out the appropriate time I could go that I would call him back.

After talking with my grandmother, she insisted on taking me to do the interview. Nearly two hours later, I finally called Larry back and we scheduled to meet on Saturday at around 3:30 pm at the Corpus Christi Trade Center. It feels as though a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I now have at least one concrete person I can interview for this project. I'm really enthused about interviewing Larry because I feel like I could learn so much more than just what I've found from the articles I've read about the Ennis Joslin Indian burial ground. Not only will I be able to learn more about this ancient burial ground and the history of it, but hopefully I will also learn more about Indian culture and their community in Corpus Christi. I can't wait to meet Larry, and I really hope the interview goes well. More details about the interview will come soon! Wish me luck! :)

The topic I chose for my local history project was the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. This area was originally known as Ennis Joslin, a typical road in Corpus Christi, but in 2005 it was also found to be an ancient burial ground. Some of the bodies that were discovered were found to be dated back to 800 B.C.! Over the course of the next few years, there were many debates of what to do about this land. Many of the Indians argued that the road be named the Sacred Spirit Trail in recognition of the Indians that were buried in this location. Ancient remains and artifacts were also found in this area and raised questions of what was to happen to them. I feel that this plays an important part in Corpus Christi history because it shows us that there were others before us that had lived in this area. I want to find out what happened to these Indians, and wish to learn more about Corpus Christi's Indian community. I'd also like to dig deeper into the history of the Ennis Joslin Road, and see why this ancient burial ground was created and why it's so sacred.

My findings in my local history project have been quite successful so far. My trip to the library last weekend lead me to six folders full of articles, journal entries, letters, and papers regarding Indians who lived here in Corpus Christi. I spent about 3 hours just reading, taking notes, and taking pictures of the articles I thought would be useful for my project. I obtained a lot of new information regarding this historical landmark, and after a casual conversation with my family the other day I learned that my grandfather's brother's neighbor is an Indian priest. He's actually in some of the articles I found regarding the Ennis Joslin Road. His name is Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar and he's part of the Gulf Coast Indian Confederation, an organization that promotes Indian culture and tries to protect and preserve their artifacts. This news excited me because I knew that he would be a great addition to my local history project. I'm hoping to get a chance to interview Larry because I feel that he not only could tell me about his Indian culture, but also what he's witnessed and experienced first-hand regarding the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. With this new information in my hand, I can't wait to see what else I might uncover throughout this journey of my local history topic.