Digital History...Oh the Places You'll Go!

This week's readings delve into the pros and cons of Google Books and the many many research projects that have grown up within and around it. Dan Cohen, the Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America, asked "Is Google good for history?" and answers with a resounding Yes! Without a doubt. Google Books has not only made available previously obscure print books but also enabled further historical research to grow from this online repository. In fact, not only has it enabled new research, it also sheds new light on previous research. The sentiment expressed in Dr. Cebula's blog post Bring Me the Head of Stephen Burroughs! regarding looking back on prior research with newly available material is reiterated by other historians. Cohen describes a similar moment, "Researching in the pre-Google Books era, my textual evidence was limited—I could only read a certain number of treatises. The vastness of Google Books for the first time presents the opportunity to do a more comprehensive scan of [the literature available]."

We also looked at the progression of digital information and its dissemination. To the left here is an example of an early computer, (here being used by the CDC,) but similar to those used within newsrooms in America. In 1981, KRON news channel reported on newspaper companies using this new technology to print and send articles 'online'. The telephone modum and length of time it took to send an entire copy was laughable but in hindsight there is irony in the newspaper team saying they didn't want to profit from it - little did they know that print newspapers would disappear along with vendors and printers just a couple of decades later.

History & Memory - Facts and Interpretation

The National Park Service (NPS) oversees, preserves and promotes historic sites, parks and other spaces all across the United States. In 2011, out of the twenty-two thousand employees within its service, only one hundred and eighty-two were formerly employed as historians. In that same year the NPS published its report Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service which had been sent to fifteen hundred members, (both current and retired,) of the park service. Five hundred and forty-four of those surveyed responded and generated over eight hundred pages of discursive replies. Out of all that discussion there emerged a fairly common thread - the National Park Service was doing a pretty bad job of maintaining historic credibility. Many noted that its content was 'sporadic' - some sites were doing a great job but many others were doing a really poor one. One respondent accused them of "timid interpretation."

But is this fair? The NPS was originally charged with preserving the parks and markers without worrying too much about cultural interpretation or current education. It spent time and man-power on the upkeep of sites that were deemed historically significant and would be looked at by the American public as a part of their shared past. With so much money spent on simply preserving those sites, is it even possible to stay current with changes in historical memory? The report suggests yes. Obviously more money is needed and better training for all involved but the biggest change would be hiring additional historians and allowing them to do their job alongside other non-NPS historians.

One historic site the park service oversees is the Whitman Mission, originally known as Wailaptu in Walla Walla. The Whitman Mission, established by Narcissa and Marcus Whitman with the blessing of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, was set up in 1836. There were several other such missions in the region established around the same time including the Tshimakain Mission overseen by another famous couple, Mary and Elkanah Walker. The missionaries had all left the East coast to move west into a territory that was still fairly unknown. Fur traders used the trading routes from Canada into Washington and Oregon but this was one of the first times white men and women had set up homes in order to civilize and convert the Native tribes in that area.

The Whitman's spent ten years with the Cayuse Indians - their intent to convert not only their spiritual lives but their tribal customs also. They wanted the Cayuse to settle down and grow crops, to attend church and to seek salvation for their 'wickedness.' The tribes were initially curious and some of them did indeed convert to Christianity but their curiosity and patience wore thin when more missions continued to settle bringing disease. In 1847, after years of living reasonably peacefully with the Whitman's, a band of Indians descended upon the Mission and slaughtered twelve people including Narcissa and Marcus.

And that is often how the Whitman Mission is remembered. Two missionaries filled with zeal and a desire to teach and convert the Cayuse tribes were butchered for their efforts. Of course, there are always two sides to a story and it is how we remember and memorialize this site today that is interesting. Scholars have moved away from calling it the 'Whitman Massacre' and instead use terms such as 'conflict' or 'tragedy.' The Whitman's may have originally desired to do good works but they lacked any cultural understanding of the tribes they administered to and were impatient and often angry with them. The Cayuse were unimpressed. After their members began dying of diseases brought with other settlers they had had enough. It is thought that the Indians who killed the twelve people may have actually been from a neighboring tribe but the fact remains, twelve people lost their lives and around fifty-two were captured and held for ransom.

The NPS keeps most of the bloody details out of the public eye and only barely touches upon the underlying reasons for the killings. School children learn about the tribes as well as the mission but it's a pretty sanitized program. The Whitman College itself used to devote an annual celebration to the Mission and freshman students were required to visit the Mission. Today, the college and the town have tried to move past this part of their history.

Memories, Memorials and Missteps

Painting of the Sand Creek Massacre by Lindneaux

Ari Kelman’s A Misplaced Massacre: struggling over the memory of Sand Creek is not just a retelling of the massacre that occurred in Colorado in 1864. Instead, it is an examination of the memorialization process that took place over one hundred and fifty years later and how the past is never static. Although we learn what happened under the charge of Colonel John Chivington, via his own testimony, (as well as from Silas Soule, a soldier and George Bent, a survivor,) it is how the tribes and the community and the federal government in the present, understood and related to it that is of paramount importance.

But what did happen in November 1864? According to Chivington, he and his troop of soldiers heroically battled over five hundred Indian warriors who were planning an attack on the local population and possibly America itself. Because of his brave and victorious struggle against these murderous tribes, the women, children and citizens of Colorado and afar were now safe from harm. Silas Soule, a Captain leading company D in Colorado had a different story. According to a letter he sent to a friend, Colonel Chivington had butchered the Indians and lied about the battle to save his own reputation [p. 22.] The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes mown down by Chivington’s soldiers had included women and children and even unborn babies. George Bent survived the massacre and though he was neither asked to testify nor volunteered any information at the time, he later recalled the events and published his account in 1905 and 1906 which corroborated Captain Soule’s account.

In 2007, with the historic site unveiled, the tribes were angry and suspicious and the community of Kiowa County, (where the marker would be placed,) were also upset and anxious. There were still unanswered questions about the events and in particular, where the event had actually taken place. The Kiowa county residents worried that the possible bad press connected with the site of the massacre, (committed by federal troops of the time,) would create a negative impact on the small community. The tribes wanted to be sure the site would be honored correctly and in order to honor their dead they needed to re-inter the remains in the correct location. The problem was, no one knew for certain where the exact location was.

The creek where the massacre took place had shifted over time and most of the remains and artifacts had been scattered or scavenged. It took several more years and the help of a former crime scene investigator to determine where the events had most likely taken place. Jeff Campbell treated the site and the surrounding area as though it were a modern day crime scene and used all his training to map out the events of the time using the eyewitness testimony of Soule and Bent. With the help of another researcher, they pieced together the most likely coordinates and presented their findings to the tribes and the National Park Service.

Though it had taken several more years and there was still a great deal of mistrust from those tribes, both sides were finally in agreement and the site of the Sand Creek massacre was properly commemorated.

Treasure! at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Visited Sunday, February 7th 2016

It is February in Spokane and there aren’t too many tourists but the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, (or MAC as it is known locally,) is open year round and there were quite a few people visiting this Sunday. The MAC has undergone several changes within the last few years. There has been a shuffling of museum management with a messy firing and rehiring and a great deal of resentment and blame. The Inlander posted a few stories questioning the credentials of the most recent Executive Director and there were also public debates on next steps including online polls to both fire and re-hire him.

Despite this, the MAC is still very much part of the Spokane art and history scene with a Vision Statement reflecting this, “The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture will be the preeminent cultural showplace in the Pacific Northwest for the arts, history, and lifelong learning.” It offers highly sought after internship opportunities with local universities and graduate students. Restoration efforts include the Charles Libby photograph collection as well as other previously hidden gems that are now available in the Digital Archives Collection. There is also a new effort to modernize the museum, letting go of typical attic artifacts and bringing in much more vibrant and interactive collections including local tribe collaborations.

For now the MAC appears to be focusing very much on rebuilding its community involvement with school participation and family visits. All perfectly reasonable. Unlike Seattle, Spokane has fewer out of town visitors year round and most attendees likely live in the area and have visited more than once. The focus on schools and family attendance can be seen in its most recent exhibits, Art with LEGO® bricks and Treasure!

I visited the Treasure exhibit with my six year old and she was not disappointed. On display were a small selection of artifacts including a canon that had been recovered from a ship during the American revolution. It had actually been used by both the British and the Americans since the ship itself had been captured and then reclaimed. Most of the exhibit however was an interactive and tactile assortment of activities which included an underwater robotic camera that kids could manipulate and a set of cannon games where children could fire cannonballs onto a video screen of pirate ships. There were also stations where children could create their own pirate flag, make a coin rubbing or sniff the contents of several ‘pirate’ treasure chests and guess the odor. This was cute although I had no idea ‘sea air’ smelled exactly like Old Spice!

We also had the opportunity to pan for gold or use a metal detector in another kid-friendly area. There wasn’t too much on offer for older children and this wouldn’t be of much interest to many adults but my first grader loved it.

Visitors to the main museum also have the opportunity to tour the Campbell House just across the way. Sadly the 3pm tour had been cancelled and the previous tour was full so I didn’t get to see it this time. I did however visit the Carriage House on the property of the Campbell House and, while there, visitors can use the touch screen information centers to view the interior of the house itself as well as related images.

The Carriage House is an addition to the main house and it doesn’t hold much more than the carriage and car it was designed for but there are a few other items on display and some photographs with a little history behind them.

Many of those photographs and information guides were written by graduate history students and they are both visually appealing and informative. I had a few minor quibbles such as the use of obviously fake plastic vegetables, (corn, cabbage etc.) set out in a basket to convey the idea of what the Campbells might be eating. It would be nice to see dried corn husks instead or simply better fake replicas? There were examples of real items behind glass such as tins of original foods, (seen here,) so it was a shame to see the plastic examples.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the Campbell House proper but as I mentioned before, this was a Sunday afternoon in February and there will be plenty of other opportunities. In fact, Saturday afternoons offer a free tour of the home, without the need to purchase a museum ticket. Updates to follow.

References

Mike Bookey, “MAC Shake-Up: The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture suddenly fires its executive director” The Inlander, May 02, 2012. http://www.inlander.com/spokane/mac-shake-up/Content?oid=2138063

Daniel Walters, “Museum of Discontent: Rehiring Forrest Rodgers didn’t end chaos and frustration at the MAC” The Inlander, September 13, 2013. http://www.inlander.com/spokane/museum-of-discontent/Content?oid=2189834

The Digital Archives of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. https://ferrisarchives.northwestmuseum.org/

Beyond Preservation - alligning the past with the future

Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities, Andrew Hurley’s examination of preservation efforts across America, looks at several examples of historic, architectural, and economic preservation projects over the last one hundred years or so. He begins with those famous examples of historic preservation such as the Washington residence, Williamsburg etc. but then moves on to look at entire neighborhoods including Santa Fe, Georgetown, New Orleans, and Old North St. Louis.

Early examples of preserving neighborhoods highlight the many directions this can take. With Georgetown, for example, the narrow streets lined with rows of uniform townhouses formerly home to poor workers and a largely African American base, were reinvented to become ‘enclaves of affluent white people.’ Property values rose and those former diverse neighbors were pushed out. People loved the tall, narrow houses, brick-paved streets and businesses and artisans flocked to meet the demand.

Santa Fe used a different tactic and preserved the architectural design of the original Spanish settlers and Native Americans not by reclaiming older examples of those buildings but by asking property owners to use the adobe and stucco design in new buildings and storefronts. This allowed the city to have a distinct branding that gave a nod to the past while welcoming in new investment. And it worked. The city thrived.

One of the problems preservation societies and urban planning committees have is bringing together the needs of both in a way that will preserve history but also stimulate new growth. It’s impossible, (unless you have a very rich investor or benefactor,) to maintain a building or a neighborhood without the economic stimulus to continue those efforts. Hurley points out the early raze and rebuild process did revitalize some areas and neighborhoods but it created worse problems in its wake. Displaced communities and people created a burden on the larger area and saw an increase in crime and dependency. Hurley uses the term ‘urban surgery’ which describes its effects well - you can see the economic and community impact the freeway had, here in Spokane, on the East-Central neighborhood for example.

Another term Hurley uses is ‘adaptive reuse’ which describes the final outcome of the Jensen-Byrd building here in Spokane. Originally a warehouse built in 1909, it changed hands over time and was adapted but essentially remained a storage/warehouse property. When WSU bought it their original idea was to tear it down and build a modern college dorm as part of their expanding campus. Local people and preservation societies got involved, despite the fact that it wasn’t listed on a register. Eventually, after much lobbying and the fact that the construction company pulled out, WSU decided to repurpose or adaptively reuse the building instead. They plan to keep its basic structure and integrate it into their campus and the wider community.

And, that appears to be the way forward. People love old buildings with history and a sense of the past. Keeping that past while integrating it into the social and economic community allows everyone to win.