Features
2/1/13: The Business of History, Part 2
Last week, we shared the AHA’s summary of “The Entrepreneurial Historian” panel from the organization’s 2013 conference. This week, we invite you to read a guest post from SHRA’s Jennifer Stevens on the History@Work blog. Dr. Stevens was invited by the National Council on Public History to blog about her own impressions at the AHA… Read the Rest »
1/25/13: The Business of History, Part 1
Earlier this month, SHRA’s Jennifer Stevens participated in the “The Entrepreneurial Historian” panel discussion at the 127th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association in New Orleans, LA. The panel included professionals that spoke to alternatives to academia for historians. The AHA posted a summary of the session on their blog, where you can read… Read the Rest »
1/4/13: SHRA Sponsors Scholarship for Local Historian
This past fall, SHRA had the opportunity to support a scholarship for a deserving historian to attend the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2012 Historic Preservation Conference in Spokane, Washington. Collaborating with Preservation Idaho to fund the scholarship, SHRA’s contribution allowed the recipient not only to travel, but also to participate in the conference’s orientation,… Read the Rest »
11/30/12: Abraham Lincoln and the Gem State
If it seems like you come across Abraham Lincoln at every turn in Idaho’s capital, you wouldn’t be far off. You might encounter him while walking through Julia Davis Park, driving along Capitol Boulevard, or grabbing a cup of java. The iconic Lincoln continues to keep a hold on our national imagination, as well, with… Read the Rest »
11/16/12: “Franksgiving” – Why Thanksgiving is when it is
Next week, we will sit down and observe that most American of celebrations – Thanksgiving. For generations, the fourth Thursday of November has been set aside to mark this tradition, and few people today realize that Thanksgiving was not nationally recognized until the late 19th century, let alone that it did not enjoy a fixed… Read the Rest »
9/21/12: A Look Back at the 1912 Presidential Election and its Parallels to Today
NPR teased its listeners on Wednesday morning with this: “It’s hard to be a Democrat in the Deep South.” The teaser was a plug for a political story that aired later that day and no doubt mentioned the increasingly contentious upcoming presidential race. It’s likely that some of the story’s interviewees may have lamented our… Read the Rest »
9/7/12: The Evolution of American Public Education
With autumn approaching, school buses and children carrying backpacks have again become a common sight in most communities. And, as in most election cycles, many communities are facing ballot measures over school funding, union rights, or some other related issue that will have a major impact on their public educational institutions. In Idaho, a ballot… Read the Rest »
8/10/12: Remembering the Great Fires of 1910
As Idaho, Colorado, and other western states suffer through another season of wildfires that claim lives and homes and pollute the summer air, we remember our region’s long history of forest fires and the evolution of the U. S. Forest Service’s approach to them over the past 100 years. Author and journalist Timothy Egan has… Read the Rest »
7/27/12: The Path to the Modern Olympics
In the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, there has been a deluge of print, TV and internet coverage on everything from infrastructure upgrades, security concerns, cost overruns, political shenanigans and especially the human interest stories that make the athletes and their accomplishments transcend from the simply incredible to the mythic. Much is also… Read the Rest »
7/10/12: Historical Research and the Importance of Cursive Writing
Historical research often bears a resemblance to detective work. Following clues, gathering evidence and piecing together sources can lead to a triumphant “aha!” moment when a key question is answered or can gradually construct a large historical narrative for the topic at hand. Investigating a historic question can mean reading books, searching for original documents,… Read the Rest »