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The Ghost Town Initiative A Research Focus for HIST 710 Grassroots
History The Ghost Town Initiative is a line of research to be carried
out within the structure of the research seminar, HIST 710 Grassroots History. The idea is to produce a series of papers
treating individual ghost towns in Participants in the Ghost Town Initiative operate within the regular framework of HIST 710 and submit assignments as required for the seminar. The assignments are tailored, however, to meet the needs of the initiative. For instance, the book review assignment will be filled by selecting a book from the Ghost Town Bibliography. Parameters of Ghost
Town Papers 1. The author will conduct field research comprising site reconnaissance, oral history, and photographic documentation. 2. The author will conduct documentary research both in certain standard sources for the topic and in the full array of local sources available. 3. The author will produce a paper observing, to a substantial degree, the recommended format for papers in the series. See this page for guidance as to common format and a generic outline. Submissions to
Accompany Papers The following materials should be submitted on CD(s). 1. Collection of digital photographs documenting the site (JPEGs are fine) 2. Collection of historic photographs of the town (scanned, again, JPEGS are fine) 3. Collection of oral interviews about the town (wave files) The following materials should be submitted as hard copy. 1. Documentation form for key features (including coordinates) 2. Map of the site, noting key features 3. Field notes from site reconnaissance (Word doc) Disposition of the
Papers The Ghost Town Initiative is a long-term project with immediate, intermediate, and long-term aims. · Immediate: authors are encouraged and supported (financially) in presentation of their papers at regional conferences · Intermediate: papers and the accompanying submissions are used to build and expand the Ghost Towns of North Dakota website of the Center for Heritage Renewal (with full credit to authors) ·
Long-term: papers meeting the standards of
publication will become chapters in a book on ghost towns of What Is a Ghost Town? As the Ghost Town Initiative develops, it will be necessary to form a concise and lucid definition of a ghost town. For now we are operating on common conceptions. Obviously, one necessary condition is that a once-vital town has been abandoned. Moreover, we are not interested in sites lacking any physical legacy; there must be some physical features of the town remaining. A list of ghost towns as possibilities for research is under development. |