Preserving History

Overview

The speaker explores how parks preserve not only nature but also human and earth history. They examine evidence, narratives, monuments, and interpretive practices, emphasizing how meaning, attachment, and “commemorative integrity” shape preservation.

Preserving History: Concepts and Tensions

• History cannot be preserved literally; only its evidence and narratives can be maintained.
• Heritage is often framed possessively (“our heritage”), which can imply ownership and feel problematic.
• Natural preservation can function as heritage preservation for some visitors, linking landscapes to ancestors.
• Evidence of history includes buildings, roads, artifacts, artworks, tools, and geological features.
• Earth history evidence includes mountains, valleys, canyons, hot springs, and fossils.

Evidence vs. Attachment (Magical Thinking)

• Preservation focuses on evidence of past events rather than the past itself.
• People often attach significance to objects/places touched by notable individuals or events.
• Autographs and owned artifacts feel specially connected; this is common, everyday thinking.
• Sites gain emotional weight when specific events are known to have occurred there.

Monuments, Markers, and Meaning

• Protected areas may be designated as monuments or historical markers.
• Markers can anchor narratives and invite reflection on consequences of events.
• Signage at mundane places (e.g., former school sites) confers perceived significance.

Thomas’s Theorem and Preservation

• Thomas’s Theorem: If situations are defined as real, they become real in their consequences.
• Defining a site/object as significant leads to real-world preservation and concern.

Counterfactual Reasoning at Sites

• Monuments prompt “what if” thinking about how history could have unfolded differently.
• This can foster gratitude for beneficial outcomes or regret for harmful events.

Conservation and Cultural Interpretation

• Conservation aims to prevent further decay, keeping artifacts and structures intact.
• Interpretation communicates reasons for significance; formats include staff, signage, and exhibits.
• Reenactments and paleo art can feel like “time machines,” risking over-realism and propaganda.

Reenactment, Art, and Propaganda Risks

• Reenactments (e.g., period costume, scripts, language) are engaging but can bias narratives.
• Paleo art reconstructs scenes scientifically but may be perceived as direct observation.
• Story is powerful yet slanted; institutions must weigh narrative strength against inclusivity.

Museum Storytelling: A Case Observation

• The new Royal Alberta Museum splits natural and human history.
• Human history side is “story thin,” avoiding a progressive, wiggish narrative.
• Some critique it as “a garage sale” of labeled objects lacking explicit storyline.

Commemorative Integrity (Parks Canada)

• Framed as the desired “healthy and whole” state of a national historic site.
• Three elements:
  • Resources tied to designation reasons are not impaired or under threat (conservation).
  • Reasons for designation are effectively communicated to the public (interpretation).
  • Heritage values, including those beyond designation reasons, are respected in decisions/actions (context).

Field Example: Alberta’s First Natural Gas Discovery Marker

• Location: Near Medicine Hat, along a gravel road close to the CP main line.
• Enclosure: Chain-link fence with cattle guard; minimal difference in grazing outside/inside.
• Marker: Rusty pyramid with plaque; some corrosion/yellow staining on text.
• Plaque content (key points):
  • First natural gas discovered December 1888 by CPR while drilling for water (date legibility partially corroded).
  • Gas ignited January 1884/1885, destroyed the rig; a second well nearby produced gas for company buildings for ~50 years.
  • Memorial by Pan-Canadian Petroleum Limited on the CP centennial.
• Environmental context: Prairie setting, hot day (~30°C), trains passing; views north across fields.
• Visitor reactions:
  • Initial skepticism about scale and fence necessity; humor about triangle strength and Stonehenge scale.
  • After reading, acknowledgment that heritage feels maintained but could use maintenance (sign staining).
  • Suggestions for increased visitation (food trucks, live band) were playful, not official.

Applying Commemorative Integrity to the Marker

• Resource condition: Pyramid and plaque present but need maintenance; fence offers unclear protection.
• Communication: Plaque conveys discovery, ignition, production, and commemoration details.
• Heritage values: Site context retains rail adjacency and prairie feel; fence may detract from experiential integrity.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Heritage: Cultural or natural inheritance often framed as owned by a group; conceptually possessive.
• Conservation: Protecting artifacts/structures from decay to maintain their original state.
• Monument/Marker: Designated objects/places commemorating events, persons, or processes.
• Magical thinking (attachment): Belief that people/events impart special significance to objects/places through contact.
• Thomas’s Theorem: Defining situations as real creates real consequences.
• Counterfactual reasoning: Considering how outcomes would differ if past events had not occurred.
• Paleo art: Artistic reconstructions of prehistoric life and environments.
• Commemorative integrity: Parks Canada framework ensuring intact resources, effective communication, and respect for heritage values.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Maintain and clean plaques to ensure legibility and preserve interpretive value.
• Assess the necessity and impact of fencing on visitor experience and site integrity.
• Balance engaging storytelling with caution against wiggish narratives and propaganda.
• Ensure interpretation highlights ongoing relevance and multiple perspectives where appropriate.

Structured Summary Table