The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is a unique urban Native American community located within Scottsdale address. Though the neighborhood itself has limited outdoor experiences, they have the thriving Talking Stick Entertainment District which has become Arizona’s playground. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is also located within a stone’s throw from all of the amazing outdoor experiences in the neighboring areas of Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa and Fountain Hills.
One standout in the community is the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River. The USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River was completed in February and honors the brave individuals that served aboard the USS Arizona that sank on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It pays tribute to, and recognizes the individuals aboard the ship that day; sharing their stories, their efforts and their sacrifice. The Salt River Indian Community became the recipient of a large part of the superstructure of the USS Arizona (BB-39), identified as the original Boat House, and built the Gardens around it. The Boat House relic was part of the original memorial built at Pearl Harbor in 1951 and is the largest and only piece ever given to a tribal community.
The USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River span the exact length and width of the USS Arizona with over 1,500 commemorative columns, outlining the actual perimeter of the USS Arizona. The project extends across the entry drive of Salt River Fields to the north and juts into the lake on the south. Each column is representative of a life aboard the ship that day. In addition, there are gaps within the column outline representing an individual who survived the attack. As the day ends, each column illuminates, transforming the memorial at night representing each individual as a light and that their light will continue to go on and stand through the test of time.
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