Site Visit. Vesterheim. Cultural museums and what they mean.

Every time I visit a new historical site or museum, I struggle with how to evaluate it for this blog. What criteria should be used to measure what it does? If I am evaluating it for interpretive merit, is it trying to be an interpretive site or simply a place to learn or showcase? If it is a place to learn and showcase, is it fair to evaluate its interpretive merits? This month I visited Vesterheim; The National Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage center in Decorah, Iowa, with my little family. Norwegian blood does not flow through my veins, so far as I know, but they do through my wife and it was her suggestion to visit. It was important to her because it was about her heritage; I was the outsider. So I thought this would be an excellent opportunity not only for a blog post but also to evaluate a cultural museum as someone who is outside of that culture.

Decorah has a reputation as a "Norwegian" town in Iowa; the way the Pella is associated with the

Activity: prop and environmental interaction inside of the

"Old World" Norwegian exhibit

Dutch and the Amana colonies with the Germans. It included several building examples of old Norway as well as of Norwegian-Americans, including homes and businesses like mills. While interesting, we did not visit these sites. We came at the end of several exhibits that were just finishing up so this evaluation will be a dated one, but I think will still hold true for general observations of the static displays. The museum building was probably a warehouse of sorts before being put to its present use as there were several heavy doors that sat in tracks. We examined the gallery of textiles from an exhibit before going into the museum's static displays. Photos were welcome but needed to have the flash off (I used the low light feature on my camera to take some of the photos and it looks like the quality of the photo decreased with it).

Activity: making "Rømmegrøt Tvare" and "Lefse" with 

children. Zero calories, no mess.

First was a display on Norwegian food as it was in olden days to more modern times and into the modern contemporary age of today. Along with food were the materials used to prepare, use, and store food and how these things have changed. There was a nearby trunk that had costumes that resembled characters from Disney's "Frozen" animated film. The intention was to wear the costumes and take photos with the life sized cardboard cut-outs placed randomly through the museum. Vesterheim was one of the resources that apparently Disney Studios used to find and create props for the film. Soon came traditional dress and how it was different from region to region. There was also a house that could be explored that gave an example of what life was like in the times right before immigration to America. Viking presence here was expressed in the arts and motifs used to harken unto the olden days in terms of style and cultural identity but the museum seemed to have a very definite time period from where Norway began immigrating to the New World. Exploring the creaking house gave a sense of "Old World-ness" that the immigrants left. The next large room described the crossing. In it was the TradeWind, the actual 25 ft long ship that carried two amateur sailor brothers to America in 1933. Along the way, there were several things for children to do and interact with the museum. For example, there were bunks and mattresses in replica sizes that they could climb in to understand how much room each family had to sleep on such long oceanic voyages to America. 

The TradeWind is the smallest known sailboat to have crossed the Atlantic without assistance. It was sailed by two brothers, Harald and Hans Hamran.

Climbing up the stairs brought the visitor to what life was like in America. A cabin of a Norwegian

An example of a Mangletre board - a decretive
ironing tool often given as a wedding or
engagement gift. The handle is usually a horse
(upper portion of the board in the picture).

family that eventually settled in Decorah was on display and was supposed to give a contrast to the home downstairs. One of the highlights of the Norwegian culture is its craftiness in regards to woodworking, silver, and textiles. Beyond the Life in America segment were rooms showcasing wood crafts, particularly furniture, and a room on silver crafting beyond that. Descriptions do not truly do the workmanship involved in making these items and there are only so many photos that can be put on this blog. Therefore, it would be best to see it for yourself. Downstairs in the basement described Norwegian newspapers and cultural impact on American culture. This included church art from Norway and in America. A rather inventive idea for simultaneously displaying large items and items that are also in storage and are too big or odd to go in any one kind of exhibit is also in the downstairs and had examples of benches, desks, chairs, and a high-chair potty combo that my wife and I appreciated if only for the novelty. There was an exhibit on US military service during the American Civil War and the Second World War that described the efforts of Norwegian Americans. Overall, it was a great visit.

Gear used by the 99th Infantry Battalion

(Seperate) for use in field operations in Norway

in support of sabotage and liberation efforts

in WWII. 

Did the Vesterheim museum "explore the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American  experience and highlight the best in Norwegian folk and fine arts"? I believe so. It had a simple immigration story (Life in the Old World, the Crossing, and Life in America) and meanwhile provided examples of Norwegian and Norwegian-American folk and fine arts. As an outsider (non-Norwegian American, but married to one) was this something that I could enjoy and appreciate? Yes, it was and worth my time. Would the kids like it? My son is too young to participate in the activities that were placed around the museum in the exhibits but my wife and I tried a few of them and I think that children would be interested in the provided activities. What were the interpretive opportunities? This is a museum that has a fairly involved schedule of folk classes and events and get a lot of support from the community. That means to me that Vesterheim has meaning to the community in that it helps give meaning to Norwegian American community. In the exhibits, especially for the activity centers for children, the question was generally asked,"What would YOU have done?" and "What if YOU were in this situation, what would you think/do/feel?" There was no guided tour but probably could have used one. However, some of the interactive exhibits like the houses were small and a large group would be difficult to maneuver around them.

I decided to not wear an Olaf costume.

Maybe next time.

The Vesterheim museum engages both the young and adults through activities related to the exhibitions and by tapping into the larger American culture (such as 'Frozen') to help make the connections between old and new and what they already know. The primary focus of the museum seems to be on adults through craftsmanship and the immigrant's narrative. Teens might have a hard time with this museum as a result. The Vesterheim museum nevertheless is an excellent visit and worthwhile for people, even if they are not Norwegian in their heritage, because it speaks to the visitor as an immigrant rather than exclusively a "Norwegian-only" cultural heritage museum that can be similar to other immigrant stories throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. If you are Norwegian in heritage, than this museum should be especially meaningful to you.

Dealing with the Public, Part 3 Communication is Key

The foundation of impacting interpretation is effective communication.

It is also the foundation for a lot of other things, such as relationships. Whether spoken or written, communication must bridge the gap between the visitor. Basically defined in two parts, communication is the (1) giving and (2) receiving information. As such, interpretation is information and communication is the key to making that happen. Most of communication is the responsibility of the interpreter, as will be explained.

Common ground is the basis for communication;

without it, no communication can take place. No

communication means no interpretation.

 The first part, giving information, is the practical side of interpreting. Whether information is written on placards or waysides, or spoken like in videos, demonstrations, or talks, the interpreter is the one giving information. The message must be carefully selected, edited, practiced, reviewed, and improved before it can be delivered. Communication is tough, because the message must be given in such a way that everyone can understand. No one likes being given useless or vague information; we do not have time for that. Besides, it is boring and that is counter to what is trying to be achieved in interpretation. The interpreter cannot be boring! Good interpretation provokes! Also, being factual is very important. Making up information is not a good idea, especially if you are trying to teach something. Repeating myths or legends as facts only reinforces perceptions; take the time to do the research.

An interpretive placard at the National Frontier Trails Museum, in Independence, MO

provokes some interesting comparisons between a covered wagon and the very familiar

modern "wagon".

We can break giving information into two parts, written and verbal, because they require two different approaches.  Many interpretive places like museums and parks use placards and waysides to give meaning and context to static displays or when staffing is low. Some experts have suggested writing for a 4th Grade level to make it understandable, but not too simple, for all readers. What is troublesome with some placards or waysides is that they are done once and are permanent. On one hand, once the text is finished, it is done and does not need to be repeated, however, if it was poorly written or incorrect, then it is stuck that way for a very long time. One additional challenge for writing interpretation is providing for special needs, such as blindness or hard of seeing people. One option would be to include a Braille text portion on the placard or wayside. A cheaper option would be to provide the text on a sheet they could take with them. The placard or wayside also needs to be placed where small people, like children, and people in wheelchairs can see them easily. Video displays should be closed captioned.

Most of the interpretation an interpreter will do is in person through

verbal communication

The interpreter is more likely to use verbal communication in the day-to-day life at their site. Making a personal connection to the audience helps connect them to the resource and can be modified to suit the interpreters style. It also allows the interpreter to adjust and chance their style to accommodate their audience as their skill allows. For example, if the interpreter knows American Sign Language, that would be a benefit to visitors that use ASL, but of course, not all interpreters know ASL. If the audience is from another country and understands little English, but has a translator, it is best to boil down the essence of the presentation and speak in smaller sentences so the translator can speak to their audience without trying to remember everything that you said. Being loud enough for everyone to hear takes some practice, especially if you are not a loud person. Eye contact and eye-sweep are important factors in engaging your audience. Getting them involved helps make personal connection to the resource better and helps communicate or illustrate what the interpreter has been speaking about. Speaking at a college-level vocabulary might be great for the adults in the audience, but not great for the children. If an interpreter accidentally uses a word that might be out of the audience's level of understanding, back up and explain the word as a "vocabulary word" that can be tested later on to see if they were "paying attention". Repetition is helpful but do not abuse it. The point is to make oneself understood and clearly as possible, the cannot read your mind and get your passion for the place where you are, you have to get them to understand you and the resource.

Giving and receiving questions helps reinforce concepts and satisfies curiosity

Getting interpretation received is important and can be tricky. Making a message clear and understood is the responsibility of the interpreter. Do little quizzes along your presentation to check for understanding; this helps people remember key elements and keeps them engaged. Do a small, informal debrief at the end, asking questions like "What did you learn?" or "What surprised you about...?" Always leave some room to answer questions and give them a couple seconds to think about it, almost to the point that it becomes awkward.

Everyone benefits from a great interpretive encounter, especially if it is done well. By improving the communication methods, an interpreter can make their job easier and the audience's experience better and more enjoyable overall.

Getting Interactive with Students

"I see and I forget,
I hear and I remember,
I do and I understand"

We have all seen this sentiment expressed somewhere. It is a good sentiment with a lot of truth to it. Doing something as a learning experience is probably better than a lecture, or a whiteboard full or information, or a documentary or movie could provide. It certainly is one of the main positive aspects of Living History: people doing things in the old way as if they were really there. While I like to harp on about the joys of Living History, for some safety reasons, the general public cannot do everything that Living Historians can do, like fire a musket or drive beasts of burden. But is that to say that they should only be spectators? The above proverb clearly states that getting the public involved in some way is much better than hearing or seeing it. The challenge is "how?" How do we make meaningful connections to the past by getting the public safely involved with their learning experience? This was one of the challenges that I had before me when I worked at Fort Scott National Historic Site in 2013.

Fort Scott, Kansas

Fort Scott, Kansas, is in the south east portion of the state about an hour south of Kansas City. The National Park is one of the major sites to see around town, aside from US National Cemetery #1. It is hard to believe that such a small town has national importance. As a military fort, not much happened there. A lack or resources made it difficult to build. It was built be serve as the border of the US with the Native tribes placed there and prevent problems. With the West open after the Mexican American War, the border was dissolved and the forts with it. The fort buildings were sold off at auction and became the nexus of the town of Fort Scott. Since it was only 4 miles from the Missouri border it was generally a slave holding and supporting town and the Free Stating settlers had problems getting land in the area and getting along peaceably with the locals. Even though tensions were high as a result of the conflicts further north in Kansas, no bloodshed had come down that far south. By 1858, troubles finally came to Fort Scott, which is the only National Park site to interpret the "Bleeding Kansas" conflicts today. Allegedly, the Marais de Cygnes massacre was plotted in the pro-slavery supporting hotel, which was once one of the infantry barracks. A Free State supporting man was held imprisoned for allegedly stealing a pro-slavery man's horse in the top closet of one of the former Officer's residences when he was liberated by James Montgomery and his Jayhawk (Free State) men, some of whom were men borrowed from John Brown. As a result, one pro-slavery man was shot and killed. When the Civil War came, the Union Army took control of some of the buildings in town, including some of the old fort buildings and used them as a gathering place for men and material. It was also where the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry formed, the first black troops of the Union to form as a regiment and to fight in combat (Island Mound in Missouri, October 1862). Fort Scott became a hub in the supply line to the Union Army of the west and was targeted by CSA General Sterling Price in the last stages of his retreat in 1864 but the attack upon his rearguard at Mine Creek prevented him from attacking.

The Quartermaster building is the center building in this photograph

My first task at Fort Scott was to create an interpretive station for visiting school groups. Since Fort Scott was mostly a Quartermaster depot, the focus was to be on material, supplies, and distribution and how that affected the war effort.

I decided to start with appearances. I asked to be outfitted like a quartermaster from their Living History wardrobe. The best that could be come up with was a cavalry first sergeant's uniform. Of course, I later found out that a quartermaster would be a captain with quartermaster sergeants beneath him but I don't think in the end the students cared. This stationed interpretation took place at the fort's quartermaster building, to fully maximize the power of place in interpreting. Outside, to the students, I briefed them on what a quartermaster does, that they were responsible to store, maintain, and distribute equipment. I would then add, that it did not handle weapons and powder or food, since those were maintained by separate departments at the fort area. So with a whiteboard we drew comparisons between what the quartermasters of the 19th century did and what a Wal-Mart does. I picked a student volunteer with nice handwriting to draw a Venn diagram to put down the differences and similarities the student's called out. We walked around the back and asked them to use their imaginations as I told them about the other buildings that are no longer present, like the ice-house, blacksmith shop, and carpentry shops.

Inside a side room of the quartermaster building we talked about how the the quartermaster helped the community of Fort Scott. I asked for volunteers that were willing and had loud speaking voices. Getting volunteers to do most of my teaching for me engages the student, and makes it easier on my voice if I have to do 3-4 presentations in a row. The cards that the students read from informed the students of how the quartermaster and his help created a marketplace that would purchase from the locals, sell captured goods, and provide civilian jobs in the form of teamsters and drivers. This helped the town of Fort Scott to grow as people came to sell, buy, and stay in the area.

My persona in the 'Commissary room'

As we went further inside we examined the prop barrels of food. I called it the "Commissary Room" since the quartermasters did not handle food, but the Commissary needed places to store the food before it was distributed. We switched gears to food. I asked them to get into groups and count how many barrels of bacon, coffee, and etc. were in the room. This allowed them to move about and not be so wiggly. I gave out some more reading cards about the food items and asked the students to read aloud the contents of the card to inform their fellow students.  Some things like hominy or molasses were foreign to them and had to explained. We discussed a soldier's diet and what it consisted of and whether they would have liked it or not. Since time was running out at this point (it was supposed to be only 25 minutes from start to finish) I quickly told them about the room, which was one of the first built on the fort grounds and showed them the rough cuts from the axes, saws, and adzes used to shape the wood beams on our way out of the building to debrief.

My years of a teamwork building facilitator  was some great training for handing groups, because I learned how to ask questions to students to get responses in debrief. Debriefs are very important because they help cement information and knowledge in their heads, like a pop quiz. I ask very simple open ended questions that gather facts first, since they are the easiest things to remember. It is important to ask open-ended questions because asking yes/no questions does not reveal much knowledge since it requires no knowledge to answer. If a question is answered with a one word answer, a follow-up question is immediately asked to probe deeper. One example of fact finding question is  "What does a Quartermaster do?" or "What were the differences between a quartermaster depot and a Wal-Mart?" This is fact recollection, and depending on where I had the white board, they could glance over the  board quickly and see our answers. If you are an educator, you may be familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy, which is a hierarchy of questioning difficulty and can be used with great effectiveness in questioning; the limit is time.

The Quartermaster Office

The next toughest questions to ask are analytical questions, because they ask the student to process what they were told or did. These questions usually begin with "Why?", for example, "Why do you think the soldier's diets were that way?" or "Why were the carpentry shops, quartermaster building, and the blacksmith buildings so close to each other?" I could go on to harder questions but I am pressed for time at this point and rotating in a timely fashion keeps everyone on task so that the next session is not short. Because of this, I usually wrap up my station with a concluding type question, such as "What was the one thing you learned about this station?" or "What surprised you about this station?" By the time I am done wiping down the whiteboard, the next group has arrived to fill it back up again.

The point of all this is to get the students to engage. In this example, we have students interacting with a costumed interpreter and asking questions and giving answers. They have a primitive visual stimulus of a white board (though anachronistic) with their answers on it. We move from place to place every so often to keep them from getting wiggly. They have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion and were encouraged to participate. Some students are outgoing and want to volunteer, where some students do not want to and can stay more anonymous. Students teach other students with the reading cards and learn at play with the foods in the form of games and mild competitions. Finally, they also review some of the information that they learned as a way of cementing the time in in the station.

Origins of Ryan's History obsession, Part 2

Last month I revealed my early interest in history. This month the two themes I wish to explore are Passion and Professionalism. Passion comes from passio- meaning 'to suffer' in Latin, and I am using it to describe the trials and tribulations through determined effort and enthusiasm on my journey until now, 'my journey' meaning how I transitioned from being an amateur enthusiast into a professional.

Remember 1998? I had been a reenactor

for a year that year as this old-school 

photograph illustrates. 

The first bit I want to share is when I started doing Civil War Living History. I talk about it a lot on this blog but it is important to understand why it is important to me. I had seen reenactors and living historians before on one of our trips. I saw my first Civil War Living History demonstration in Yorktown, VA, where a Confederate battalion demonstrated firing techniques. But I had not yet seen a battle reenactment and it would be years later before I would see one. It was when my father went to a Boy Scout leader meeting with other troop leaders and one of them mentioned going with his boys to a Civil War reenactment at Irvine Regional Park, in Irvine, CA, that day, and it would be there all weekend. My father and I went over there to see what we could see, and what we saw impressed us. At the time it was something fun to do that was appealing to me. As I got more and more into the hobby, the more I began to learn about it in fine detail. The truth was that it was given deeper interest by research and brought to life with imagination. I had previously experienced the Civil War in books and maps with red and blue arrows and sepia-toned photographs of frumpy men with beards. At a reenactment or Living History, history could be interacted with on a personal level. A curious public could ask a Living Historian the questions about why they were the way they were and receive a personal answer. Such learning fosters more learning while providing "customer service". Since joining, my interest in the shooting and running around part of the 'war' has waned, but new things take their place. Some of these new things included taking leadership of a unit and researching an officer's roles and responsibilities, civilian life, looking into 19th century past-times like Faro, and other similarly related topics. I've also branched out to other time periods like early 19th century mountain man as well as World War Two French Foreign Legion and Australian impressions. One of the elements that demonstrates passion is that this is all funded by myself. I own all my own gear; nobody bankrolls me and my impressions. I cannot calculate how much time and money I have invested in my gear. These experiences and interests remind me of a few things: we can learn to understand some of the past by walking in its shoes and that history is made up of people and not impersonal forces of nature.

My WWII Aussie Impression for the 50th
anniversary of the closing of the Kokoda
trail. The 39th Bn AIB was nearly nearly
destitute, threadbare, and starving but
saved New Guinea from the Japanese. 

Since I had a pretty good idea that I excelled at history, I decided to pursue it as a major course of study and become a teacher. I thought that if I could get kids excited in history that they would be more excited about school in general and be better, more wholesome people. Plus, I'd get summer vacations! So when I went to California State University Long Beach, I knew what I was going to major in. I attended a number of exceptional classes that challenged me academically and intellectually and all together were a fantastic experience. Once I neared the end of my undergrad, I got into the introduction to teaching classes. As I started doing my teacher training, I learned about classroom management, how to come up with lesson plans, and the education system. However, I realized that the teaching profession was not what I expected or what I wanted. Also, for years California had been clamoring for new teachers to replace the retirement aged teachers supposedly phasing out of employment and claimed there was a great need. Either the rush to retire was less than expected or the educational system had not anticipated such a response to the call and suddenly there were no teaching jobs, no funding, and a surplus of well qualified and trained teachers without jobs being dumped into the job market every May with graduation. So rather than go into teaching, I wrapped up my undergrad without the teaching credentials.  Without much direction after graduation, I went back to work at summer camp as I had done every summer of college. I had watched their outdoor education program change over a few years and I asked to join when summer was over. Steve, the program director, had been moving the program to be from a 'science camp' experience to a 'using history to teach science camp' and I liked the idea enough that I worked in this program for four seasons. The outdoor education teachers were called Trail Leaders and we led groups of 6th graders in week long camps. 

2006, it was a start.

We dressed as 'mountain men' to teach outdoor science like fire building and mammal biology in activities. We dressed as lumberjacks to teach tree ecology and geology, with activities like 'panning for gold'. Since I had experience in Living History culture, I was able to help made suggestions for costuming and curriculum corrections that helped with future programming. The informal structure of the classes really appealed to me because it was education that the student could engage in while doing an activity outside of the classroom and the strict eye of 'formal education'. I and my Trail Leader friends put in long hours for months on end to make the greatest experiences for the students, parents, and teachers. My experience with Outdoor Adventures further shaped the kind of educator I wanted to be and helped prompt me to go back to school to get my Masters degree from California State University Fullerton.

M.A. History with an emphasis in

public history, 2011.

It was there at California University Fullerton where I was introduced to public history as a discipline and historical interpretation as a vocation. At first the idea did not register with me; the term was unfamiliar to me and it was not explained very well at the time. As I spent more time in the History office (as a student office assistant) I got to know the professors better and understand a little bit more about what they did. I explained my background in Living History and Outdoor Adventure and someone asked,"Why don't you go talk to Dr. Rast about public history?" I did so and was soon enrolled in his Intro. to Public History seminar class. As we explored topics from Culture Resource Management, Archives, Historical Interpretation, Museum Curating, and all things in between, I realized that this was what I really wanted to do as an educator and a History enthusiast. I switched my emphasis as a Master to public history shortly afterward, but I needed to do an internship as part of my course of study for my Master's degree. I was blessed enough to be selected to go to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. The link describes what I did there and my thoughts about it. In preparation for my work at Harpers Ferry, the Rangers directed me to the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands website to take some online courses on the National Parks, the foundations of interpretation, and the federal government. Since then, I have taken additional interpretive courses to further my education and to make myself a better interpreter.

By the end of the internship, I knew that historical interpretation was for me and I have been working to getting a permanent position ever since. It has not been easy because while seasonal and part time positions are relatively available, the permanent jobs are few and the competition fierce. My experience at Harpers Ferry showed me what a great organization the National Park System is, and it has since been my goal to get in. I was warned beforehand that it was not easy to get into the Park system, but I failed to understand how hard it would be. Unfortunately for me, I made a number of mistakes. The first was probably leaving Harpers Ferry, but there has been no indication that I could stay. I had to finish my degree, after all. The next hindrance was the reorganization of the Pathways program. While Pathways makes getting a federal job easier if you are a college student, it was late in getting jobs ready for recent graduates. Even with an extended grace period from graduation, the amount of Park jobs available to recent graduates was practically non-existent. Consequently, that time ran out before I ever saw a Pathways opening for a Park Service position that I was qualified for. My only ways in were to be a veteran (which meant boot camp, uncertain futures, possible deployment, and years of service I simply don't have) or national service with the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps VISTA program.

Stationed interpretation at the Guard House

While I worked as a director of my own outdoor education program in 2012, I simultaneously applied to VISTA and the SCA. The SCA (Student Conservation Association) is attractive on a resume in pursuit to a National Park job since many of the positions partner with the National Parks. It is primarily a conservation program, the positions extended to cultural and historical conservation as well. While I am more history focused, a interpreter with a will to interpret the environment would also benefit from a term of service with the SCA as well.While Fort Scott National Historic Site selected me and I had a great time there as well. I was charged with putting together a 30 minute activity lesson on the Quartermaster Depot during the Civil War which ran about twice a week for a month. I created my own tour of the site at their behest. Since it is the only NPS site that includes the 'Bleeding Kansas' time period, I thought it was an excellent topic for my tour and I focused on the events in Fort Scott in 1858 when the town was directly involved in the conflict. This time on the old frontier helped hone my experience and training into something that was much more professional. The problem of it all was that the 3 month appointment would separate me from my wife since she had an excellent job and it would be a tough time for her to find a new job for just 3 months. So with a heavy heart I headed to Kansas without her in pursuit of my career.

As a VISTA, I managed the

Northeast Iowa Food Bank Garden

and recruited and trained volunteers

and quadrupled the production from

900 lbs. in 2014 to 3,896 lbs in 2015

After Fort Scott, my career started to take new turns. The summer after Fort Scott, I worked at Living History Farms in Iowa and really took my Living History game to another level. You can read about some of my experiences here on this blog. It was also during this time that I started this blog, which was originally supposed to be about my experiences at Living History farm and take each week as a lesson, but as I examined the vast internet further, I noticed a lack of historical interpretive websites that were really meaningful or explored the topic further, so I decided to gear this blog into that gap in a way that demonstrates my web-savvy, some of my technical skills, and creates more of an 'online presence' for me. As before, my time at Living History Farms meant another period of separation with my wife, this time it was for 8 long months. While in Iowa, I finally got into VISTA in August of 2014 at a Food Bank.  VISTA is a segment of the AmeriCorps that fights poverty in America by increasing program capacity rather than directly serving. I use this example to explain: If my task is to teach middle school students how to improve their reading abilities after school with them, that is direct service. If I recruit, train, place, and manage volunteers in a program that teaches middle

school students to improve their reading ability, that is increasing the capacity. What I did was recruit, train, and manage volunteers in a garden program for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. I talk about that experience a little bit here. Rather with be separated with my wife for a whole year on top of 8 months, my wife and I decided that she would join me in Iowa and live on my 'living stipend' until she was able to secure work. Now that my term of service is done, I now have the much sought after thing I need to finally get my way into the National Parks: Noncompetitive Appointment Eligibility with the Federal Government.

Within the Federal hiring system there are several special hiring authorities that essentially 'short-list' job candidates into a separate pool from the average U.S. citizen. Some of these special hiring authorities include Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA), 30% Disabled Vets, Schedule A (persons with disabilities), and Peace Corps and VISTAs. These are usually in separate categories or have jobs especially open for these candidates. To date, I have not been selected for a status candidate job or other related hiring path, but am working seasonally for the Park Service now. Hopefully, I will continue to get some more phone call offer from some great parks, as I know they would love having me and I think that I would have a lot to contribute based on some of the things I have outlined here and hopefully get into a permanent position. If you are interested in trying to get into the National Parks or other parts of the Federal government, all their open jobs can be found at usajobs.gov.

Professional but fun-loving

The culmination of my experiences in college and teaching formally and informally helped define where I wanted to use my training, talent, and experiences in order to share my excitement about history and help shape visitor's experiences into meaningful memories. My work experience with two National Parks, and a historical interpretation site gave my practical lessons on working with the visiting public and an appreciation for the craft of interpretation. My time in VISTA helped me to become more empathetic with other people in situations similar to mine. It also opened my eyes to the poverty and need embedded deeply in America and that while I have suffered separation, low wages, long hours, long drives, and pressing need, I have seen the suffering of others in people lacking the ability to get enough resources as to be able to feed themselves. While I talk about passion as my intense drive and willingness to to go to places for low wages for my future, I interacted with people who have to suffer limited or no choices in how they live and whether they can afford to eat in true passion.

It has been a long road to here. As this new year is already underway I hope that the time, money, learning, and passion will produce a good result in a site that can recognize that I am a truly devoted and unique person who wants to live and love my passion for history and is willing to go long and far for what I love to do.

Origins of Ryan's History obsession, Part 1

Everybody has a story. Some are more interesting than others, some don't want to share their stories, but we all have them. Our story is our own, unique to each person. My story is different than my brother's story and my sister's story as well, even though we grew up in the same household. These stories are shaped by outside forces, our own natures, and the collection of choices we made actively and passively that brought us to the here and now. Because, after all, isn't history a story that is well researched and documented? Excellent story-telling makes for a better experience than a recitation of dates, facts, and supporting documentary evidence. In order to demonstrate a little of what I mean, I have decided to talk a little bit about my story in two parts and the journey to being a historical interpreter.

Coloring books were the best! Although

the Dimetrodon was extinct long before

 the Pterodacyl came about in the Jurassic 

period. Just sayin'.

It started with dinosaurs. Like a lot of little boys growing up in the 1980s, I had a fascination with dinosaurs. I probably had a every published children's book on dinosaurs and knew all the major species and subspecies classified by what era. I can still do this, but to a much lesser degree now. I could say 'paleontologist' before most other 'hard' vocabulary words. Nearly all the books said that the dinosaurs lived ages ago, but you could still find their skeletons today. When you are a youngster, that is all the motivation you need to hear to start tearing up your backyard looking for dinosaur bones so you could name one yourself! I never did find any dinosaur bones, but I did have my first interest in historical things. My focus shifted to human history very soon.

Yes, it was a dumb movie, but if it

inspired me to take a path to understand

history better and to help others understand

it by making it real, does it matter that it

was dumb?  

As I got a little older, my father brought home a VHS movie rental of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure". Before you moan and groan, appreciate the magic of movies and a young person's mind. When we were young, we saw the people on screen for what they are, Luke Skywalker, Marty McFly, and Bill S. Preston, Esq. not as Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, etc. We saw the character, not the actor. But back to Bill and Ted, why did these two clowns pass their history class? What turned them around from confusing Joan of Arc with Noah's wife? A personal experience with Joan herself. What we could learn if we could talk to the real thing and cut out all the academic and revisionist baloney that comes with study! Mr. Lincoln, when you said this, what did you really mean? Sure it was a goofy comedy about time travel and history, but it excited something within me that wanted to know what it was really like. Bill and Ted made history come alive for me because the past was not even really the past if it could step out of a time travelling telephone booth. Would not history be like it actually was? Or as Leopold von Ranke, one of the modern shapers of the discipline of history wrote wie es eigentlich gewesen (how it actually was)? With this idea that history could be made alive came the seeds of a fascination with history and learning from it and making it meaningful. It also started a slow fascination with Living History, or interpreting the time period while wearing the clothing styles of the time period I am interpreting.To present oneself as a historical character was to connect with a person who thinks and acts differently than we do today and perhaps understand them and therefore ourselves in the process.While the film has not aged very gracefully over the years, it was an inspiration that history is an important thing.

The Petersen house was where Abraham Lincoln died after his

assassination in 1865. It is presently administered by the NPS.

My father works for Delta Airlines. One of the great employee benefits was cheap travel. So we never did long car rides, just long plane rides. As I grew up, one of the incentives for doing well in school was to get 4 out of 6 grades to be A's, then we could fly to anywhere in the US, except Florida or Hawai'i. My mother insisted that it be educational, and not amusement parks. I loved to travel and explore new places and so that incentive worked well for me. As a result, we went to many places. Our family went to Boston, Gettysburg, Washington DC a few times, and all over Virginia more times than I can remember. As I look back, I realized that the places I went to were innately historical in nature. I wanted to see battlefields, monuments, and places where important things happened. I didn't want to go see nationally recognized aquariums, for example. But I understood the power of This is where it happened. Abraham Lincoln, who was depicted in that silly movie, his real blood is on that pillow on that bed that he died upon across the street from Ford's Theater. Having that opportunity to be able to go and be at those places helped form me further into the kind of historian that I am today. I soon began to understand the power of place even if I did not understand what it was. Being there on the very spot has power when connecting with visitors.

My journey began with dinosaurs, Bill and Ted, and travel and these early influences are critical in guiding me on my path today. Without them and their influence in my life, I would be a totally different person in terms of my interests, education, and chosen profession. This post is about inspiration and interest. The next segment is going to be about training and passion.

Whatever holiday you are celebrating this year, I hope it is pleasant and enjoyable and I hope that you have a happy new year, 2016!

Demonstration Animal Butchering and Dressing for Consumption: a Quandry

--This topic may be controversial and may include some pictures that some people might object to. If you feel you can handle it, read on.--

Oct 17 and 19, 1781, the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis to Washington

A white flag of truce held aloft. A simple symbol that meant so much on that 17th of October. It was 1781 and it had been six hard years of fighting since Lexington and Concord. With the flag of truce, the Continental Army had a decisive victory over Cornwallis' army pinned against the James River in Yorktown using a coalition of French troops and navy with the Continental Army. The 18th was a day of negotiations and deliberations. A thrill of victory elated the spirits of the victorious as they watched their British foes march away with arms reversed on October 19th when the terms of surrender were agreed upon; however, their feeling was temporary. The fighting was not over. Indeed, it would not be over until the peace brought by the treaty made it ashore and into the farthest frontier places of the British Empire and the new American nation. This happened nearly two years later because of difficulties in traveling around the world to inform everyone that the war was finally over. But at that time and place they had a significant victory, and to the British, it was a significant enough of a victory to realize that it was useless to continue. It was only later that Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown was viewed as the final battle of the Revolutionary War.

The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis is an oil painting by John Trumbull. The painting was completed in 1820, and hangs in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. - From Wikipedia

Some might recognize July 4th, 1776, as the most significant date in the history of the United States, since that is the date most associated with our national independence. But July 4th would only be a vague date of a piece of trivia had not Lord Cornwallis given the order to surrender. Nor would it be remembered had the war ended badly for Washington. As October 17th and 19th come and go this year, it is easy to not remember their significance. They will probably pass without much media or social comment since 2015 is not a significant anniversary year (The 234th anniversary). Still, without that surrender, the war could have dragged on. The United States, for all it's worth, good or bad, would not have existed if the British held out. Because of that surrender, our national history began, our independence was validated, and the separation from Britain was complete.

Just some thoughts I have on this date.