General Public History
11/4/15 – Teaching Business with History: A Case Study on Garrett Freightlines
Idaho’s history is rich in many ways, but one facet of the state’s history that seems to strike a particular chord with me is the history of its abundant legacy family businesses. I first came across this history as a graduate student at Boise State where I focused my thesis research on the history of… Read the Rest »
10/21/15 – The Legacy of Public Libraries – Then and Now, Part II
Today’s blog is the second installment in SHRA’s series on libraries. The first installment discussed the role that libraries played in historic mining towns. Today’s installment looks at the more contemporary issues that mining communities face. When people think of U.S. mining industry history, many people immediately think of the 1850s California Gold Rush. But… Read the Rest »
10/14/15 – Starvation Heights
I’ve never been a fan of Halloween. As a child I didn’t enjoy dressing up, so I gladly took my parents’ offer to buy one candy bar of my choosing to enjoy every October 31st instead of going trick-or-treating in Washington’s infamous drizzle. Growing up in the small, idyllic town of Port Orchard, Washington, the… Read the Rest »
10/7/15 – Book Review – The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck
During the 15 years prior to the Civil War, historians estimate that more than 400,000 pioneers headed west via covered wagon. In the summer of 2007, I found myself driving from Western Washington to Rhode Island, a true “coast-to-coast” crossing, using a modern vehicle. My dog Griffin kept me company and from Utah to Iowa,… Read the Rest »
9/23/15 -The Legacy of Public Libraries – Then and Now, Part I
In the course of doing research for our active projects, SHRA researchers often come across articles from historic publications or find fascinating archival material that triggers a memory or provokes a question that compels us to further explore. I recently had such an experience when researching in a historic issue of the Engineering and Mining… Read the Rest »
9/16/15 – A Quick Look at the Gas Tax
This summer I traveled extensively for work, and as a result I found myself shuttling to and from the airport at odd hours of the day (and night). And while each trip was somewhat of a blur, whether it was because of catching a 6:30am flight or arriving back home well past nightfall, there was… Read the Rest »
9/2/15 – A Study of Traditions and Superstitions at Two Universities
Editor’s Note: Today’s blog installment comes from Molly Myers, SHRA’s college intern in summer 2015. We are sorry to see her go, and we wish her all the best during what will be her last year of college at St. Andrews. The University of St. Andrews and College of William and Mary Joint Degree Program,… Read the Rest »
8/26/15 – John Hope Franklin
The SHRA team was recently in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the state’s second largest city. As I was researching dinner options and looking at a city map, I noticed a street called “John Hope Franklin” Drive. The street name instantly took me back to my 1994 graduate seminar with Professor Carl Harris at U.C. Santa Barbara, and… Read the Rest »
8/12/15 — The National Archives: Making and Keeping History, Part One
As the newest member of the SHRA research team, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my first day in the office would not take place in the office at all; instead, on my first day of work, I would be traveling to Washington, D.C. with the rest of the SHRA team for a week-long… Read the Rest »
8/5/15 – Basqueing in Boise: The Jaialdi Festival
Editor’s Note: Today’s blog is from our summer intern, Molly Myers. Learn more about Molly here. Last week, Boise saw an influx of thousands of visitors drawn to town by the promise of culture, camaraderie and kalimotxos (more on these later). Between July 28 and August 2 the weeklong festival called Jaialdi was predicted to… Read the Rest »