Date
Summer 2023
Type of Culminating Activity
Student research paper
Abstract
The purpose of my capstone project is to preserve the oral histories of the people who grew up in the Silver Valley of Northern Idaho. It was once an area known as the Silver Capital of the world. More Silver was produced in the small towns in this area nestled between the Connection of Highway 3 and the Montana border on I-90. It earned its name as the Silver Capital of the world before most of the mines closed in the 1980s. At that time, they had produced more Silver than anywhere else in the world. Now there are several of the towns that are lost and the rest are turning into ghost towns. Who will remember the history of this once proud area? Through the oral histories of those raised in the area before 1990, we can preserve the history through those that lived here in their own words and voices. Baylor Institute for Oral Histories says, “Oral history enables people to share their stories in their own words, with their voices, through their understanding of what happened and why” (Baylor Institute, 2012). This will serve as a historical piece legacy for members of the families of the interviewees, and personalized historical additions. I feel that hearing family stories in the voice of a distant ancestor could be comforting to the listener. The importance of this project raises daily as more and more of that generation pass away leaving us with no way to reclaim their stories. It is a history that can never be reclaimed.
Degree Program
Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Professional Studies
Mentors
Margaret Sass, J.D., Ed.D.