Community Historians in the Making

When a fledgling program begins its second year with more participants than it had in the first year around…

When students living in Astoria and Bothell commit to fifteen weeks of Wednesday morning sessions in far-off Ilwaco…

When even husbands and mothers of Year One participants sign up for the second series…

And, when a few of last year’s participants hope there will be room so they can continue the learning experience… I think it can safely be said that the Pacific County Community Historian Project is alive and well!

Behind the Scenes at the Heritage Museum

Session One for the 2014 Program was held yesterday morning at the Pacific Columbia Heritage Museum, sponsoring organization and ‘home base’ for participants.  It was a day of introductions.  Not only did the nineteen class members have an opportunity to tell a bit about themselves and meet members of the museum staff and the program’s steering committee, but they were introduced to the museum’s archives – the important inner sanctum that the public seldom sees.

It was a grand first step for these historians-in-the-making.  Many will be utilizing those very resources as they investigate a project or pursue an idea over the next fifteen weeks.  The ultimate purpose of the program is to develop a cadre of community historians interested in documenting and disseminating the history of Pacific County – not all of it, but the portion that interests them in particular.  And, since each participant is encouraged to utilize their own skills and talents for their final presentation, it was heartening to hear the variety of backgrounds of the participants – several artists, a journalist, a railroad buff, a college professor…

Community Historian Alums

The approach of the program is two-fold – a) to give participants an overview of our history by bringing in speakers, by taking field trips to important sites and facilities, by introducing them to books and authors and documentation from the past; and b) to introduce them to some tools of the historian’s trade such as how to conduct an oral history interview, where to find primary or secondary resource information, how to verify facts etc.

A number of last year’s participants joined us for lunch and talked a bit about their projects – most still ongoing.  They ranged from locating one of the old portage trails to learning more about family farms and food production in the 1920s and 1930s.

“Suitable for Framing”

Almost everyone spoke of the many side tracks they had become interested in along the way and several people admitted that their focus had changed more than once as they learned more about our rich heritage.  Each was presented with a Certificate of Participation “suitable for framing.”  But, as several of the recipients said, the real reward for this program is the feeling of satisfaction in ‘finding out’ and ‘spreading the word.’ Amen to that