historic documentary record project
Learning Objective: To learn how documentary research is conducted by contributing to the documentation of a historic site for the State Historic Preservation Office and the US Forest Service.
Our study of the cabin below is driven by the research questions: Who lived in this cabin, when did they live there, and what were they doing there? We will visit the Pikes Peak Library District, the Ute Pass Historical Society and examine a variety of historic sources to answer these research questions.
Before you go to the library, review Hardesty (esp. CH 1) and Church (CH 1, Table 1, p. 13) and and generate a list of the documents you want to review so the librarian can be most helpful to you.
Organize your report around the three research questions presented in the MEF Cabin project draft report. List the three questions followed by an argument around a central claim for each question. Your argument must be well referenced, clear, and supported by data. See citing your sources page, click here. This is important!
Relying only on resources that were or were not available in the Pikes Peak Library is not the level of research expected for this course and has been discussed in class. Again, see Hardesty and Church, noted above. Listing resources that were consulted and were not productive is also valuable and provides documentation on the thoroughness of your research. It also provides future researchers a helpful guide on where they should begin their research.
The focus of your efforts should be on the documentary record, not the artifact assemblage. It is too big a project to take on the interpretation of the artifact assemblage, but you should keep in mind that we were seeing some pre-1900s artifacts near the cabin.
1) When was the cabin built?
2) Who lived there?
3) What was the cabin used for?
4) Suggested next steps in the research process
Email to Scott before class on Tuesday your results in Microsoft Word format, so I can use Track Changes, make comments, and return your write-up to you. Single spaced, is fine.
Expectations:
Our study of the cabin below is driven by the research questions: Who lived in this cabin, when did they live there, and what were they doing there? We will visit the Pikes Peak Library District, the Ute Pass Historical Society and examine a variety of historic sources to answer these research questions.
Before you go to the library, review Hardesty (esp. CH 1) and Church (CH 1, Table 1, p. 13) and and generate a list of the documents you want to review so the librarian can be most helpful to you.
Organize your report around the three research questions presented in the MEF Cabin project draft report. List the three questions followed by an argument around a central claim for each question. Your argument must be well referenced, clear, and supported by data. See citing your sources page, click here. This is important!
Relying only on resources that were or were not available in the Pikes Peak Library is not the level of research expected for this course and has been discussed in class. Again, see Hardesty and Church, noted above. Listing resources that were consulted and were not productive is also valuable and provides documentation on the thoroughness of your research. It also provides future researchers a helpful guide on where they should begin their research.
The focus of your efforts should be on the documentary record, not the artifact assemblage. It is too big a project to take on the interpretation of the artifact assemblage, but you should keep in mind that we were seeing some pre-1900s artifacts near the cabin.
1) When was the cabin built?
2) Who lived there?
3) What was the cabin used for?
4) Suggested next steps in the research process
Email to Scott before class on Tuesday your results in Microsoft Word format, so I can use Track Changes, make comments, and return your write-up to you. Single spaced, is fine.
Expectations:
- Maps and figures will be helpful to build your case and help readers and future researcher understand your arguments
- Precise and abundant citations are necessary to convince readers of your conclusions and to help future researchers build on your efforts. Inadequate citations/references will diminish the quality and usefulness of your research.
- Your submission should be a strong example of technical writing rather than a diary-like summary of your research efforts.
- Consider archaeologists at the Forest Service and State Historic Preservation Offices to be the audience for this document.