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Highways & Trails of the WPA This section of the The basis for work is North Dakota: Guide to the Prairie State (Works Progress Administration, 1938; republished 1950 Oxford University Press; again 1990 by State Historical Society of North Dakota), and more specifically Section IV of the WPA guide, “Highways and Trails,” which details ten auto tours spanning the state, enumerating local points of interest and precise routes as they were in 1938. The current proposal is for a pilot project treating two of the ten tours. The aim is to recreate the 1938 tours as closely as possible, providing guidance for travelers to follow the same highways and trails today. This involves careful study not only of the published tours but also of period maps; correlation of historic data with current; and fieldwork to confirm feasibility on the ground. At the same time, archival and field research will track the points of interest designated in 1938, discuss the disposition of such points, update facts and pertinence for the modern traveler, and add new points of interest. This done, guidance will be provided to travelers in three ways. 1. A comprehensive website, enriched with maps, interesting text, images, GPS data, and interactive features 2. Signage on highways and roadways (to be accomplished by a collaborating contractor) – to be outlined and discussed, but not contracted or implemented in pilot project 3. A glove-compartment-size published handbook (to be published by the State Historical Society of North Dakota) – to be outlined and discussed, but not contracted or implemented in pilot project The pilot project treats only two of the ten tours outlined in the 1938 guide: Tour 1 (including 1A) and Tour 9. It also deals only with research and website construction (not with signage or book publication). The website you are viewing now is not the website for public use; that will be constructed during summer 2007 and will include rich stores of text, image, and sound. The pages here rather are an incremental report on work being done. They are offered only partly out of a sense of public responsibility and transparency; the greater hope is that persons with knowledge about sites and features visited by the tours will get in touch with the center and provide helpful information.
Research Assistant for “Highways & Trails of the WPA”: Jeff Armstrong NDSU Center for Heritage Renewal |