Abstract
Jordan Valley, Oregon, and Emmett, Idaho, are two small towns in eastern Oregonand western Idaho that are based on mining, ranching, and agriculture. Both have had
varying levels of Basque populations throughout the past century. The Basque Museum and
Cultural Center, being established in 1985, has served the Basque community in preserving
its history in the intermountain west region of the United States. Through collaboration with
the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, a project was formed that built upon a previous
project for expanding gravestone photo documentation. This thesis presents both
photographic information that was collected through collaborations with the Basque Museum
and volunteers and an analysis on the presence of Basque symbols on their gravestones.
The results of the photograph analysis revealed transitions of symbol usage, expressing
potential revitalization through gravestone symbols.