General Public History

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 »

6/15/12: The Boise Foothills

Idaho Public Television aired an episode of Outdoor Idaho focused on the Boise Foothills last night. Producer Joan Carten-Hansen did a knock-down job of nailing all of the things that make the Foothills so special to all of us who live in the Boise area. The first few minutes of the episode discuss the history… Read the Rest »

6/15/12 – The Boise Greenbelt

The end of World War II signaled the beginning of America’s great modern suburbanization. As Americans flocked to places like Levittown and similar bedroom communities, they demanded not only modern technology such as washing machines, but also clean and open green spaces to enjoy increasing leisure time. They wanted to recreate, and began to insist… Read the Rest »

10/06/2011 Visionaries in Boise History

My involvement in the Boise civic community and knowledge of the city’s history sometimes brings me welcome invitations to participate in things that I really love. Last week, I was asked by the Boise Chamber of Commerce to conduct a tour for their 2013 Leadership Boise class, a program from which I graduated in 2005…. Read the Rest »

7/26/2011 The Evolving Historical Profession

The NY Times printed an article today (7/26/2011) about how Geographic Information Systems have helped historians “see” the past in more unique and arguably more accurate ways. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/arts/geographic-information-systems-help-scholars-see-history.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp Although the article does not specifically discuss SHRA’s specialty – environmental history — the use of Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, represents a major leap forward in… Read the Rest »

9/30/2010 Book Release – Breaking the Wave

Jennifer Stevens authored an essay in a book that was released this week by Routledge called Breaking the Wave: Women, Their Organizations, and Feminism, 1945-1985. Dr. Stevens’ essay details the role of Portland, Oregon’s League of Women Voters in the debate over that State’s famous land use laws in the early 1960s.  She argues that… Read the Rest »

7/26/2010 SHRA working to complete Boise’s new Historic Preservation Plan

SHRA is putting the finishing touches on Boise’s new Historic Preservation Plan.  The plan has not been updated since it was first written in 1979.  Much has happened since that time, and society values historic properties differently now than it did then.  Many things had to be addressed in this plan, including how to merge… Read the Rest »

7/7/2010 Historians and Gettysburg Casino

In June, many individual historians as well as the National Council on Public History and the Organization of American Historians wrote to the Pennsylvania Gaming Board to express opposition to a Casino requested for one-half mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park.  Gettysburg was the site of a critical Civil War battle as well as… Read the Rest »

6/17/10: History News

In the news this month are stories that demonstrate just how important good archival management and record keeping is to the successful functioning of our government. As part of the process of holding hearings on Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan, the William Clinton Presidential Library opened approximately 46,500 pages of files relating to U.S. Supreme… Read the Rest »

6/17/10: Writing Boise’s new Historic Preservation Plan

We spent this past week drafting an almost complete version of Boise City’s new Historic Preservation Plan.  The Plan has not been updated since it was first written in 1979, and so much has changed since then!  The City has made so much progress toward preserving Boise’s heritage, but so many structures and sites remained… Read the Rest »

1 … 10 11 12