PRESIDIO MUSEUM AND FORT LOWELL MUSEUM
DOCENT AND INTERPRETER TRAINING 

September 9, 23, 30 and October 7
9 am – 12:30 pm
Venue: TBD - somewhere near the Presidio Museum.

Ready to support your community? Love history and culture? Then we want you!

This training class is mainly for individuals who are excited about local history, want to learn more, and want to share their enthusiam with Presidio Museum and Fort Lowell visitors.  Docents decide for themselves which activities they participate in and have a variety of opportunities to get involved, including leading tours of the museum, participating in children’s programming, or becoming re-enactors during various Living History programs. 

However, "history buffs" who are not interested in volunteering after the class are also welcome if there is availability.  (See below). This extensive course provides historic detail, tour training and broad context.  "Graduated" docents and interpreters are expected to share their knowledge with the public and maintain a level of accuracy and quality as representatives of the Presidio Museum and the Fort Lowell Museum. This course will not be offered again until 2025. New volunteers will be asked to apply and fill out a commitment form.

Classes will cover

• The early people of the Tucson basin 

• Tohono O’odham Culture and history

• The history, geography and people of the Spanish Presidio

• Basic Spanish military history and uniforms

• The Mexican Republic

• Reconstruction of the Presidio and the archaeology of the museum’s site

• Geography of the Presidio neighborhood, the Santa Cruz River and Sentinel Peak (A Mountain)

• The history of Fort Lowell and a tour of the property

Presenters in the course include:

• Naomi Tom, Curator of Education for Himdag Ki (Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum)
• Rick Collins, Presidio Museum board member and National Park Service ranger
• Dave Faust, retired curator of Fort Lowell Museum 
• Elaine Hill, Fort Lowell Historic District Zone Advisory Board member
• Gayle Hartmann, archaeologist and Presidio Museum board member
• Mauro Trejo, Presidio Museum board member and local tour guide
• Allen Denoyer, Southwest Archaeology preservation archaeologist

This training is available for current and prospective volunteers. (Prospective volunteers must apply in advance.) Those wanting to expand their knowledge base without the commitment of volunteering afterwards are also welcome based on availability and with an altered fee structure.  (See below).

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*Committed EXISTING volunteer and member or NEW or EXISTING student volunteers $25  
Must have minimum of 25 active recorded volunteer hours in the last 6 months (pre-Covid or more recently). If you are a current volunteer but not a current member we ask that you purchase a membership as well.

*Committed NEW Volunteer   $75
Prospective docent must submit an application and commitment form which will be provided. Fee includes a one-year Family Membership after three months of docenting. Commitment of one weekday a week or one weekend each month is required.

*For Personal Knowledge or Docents at Partner Museums   $100
Open to anyone interested in taking the class for their personal knowledge but not interested in docenting at the Presidio. This category is available for tourism professionals as well as for docents/volunteers at TMA, Mission Garden, AZHS, San Xavier and other partner museums.  These spots are limited, based on availability.