The Heritage Network

Proposed by-laws changes 2008

Lorinda Travis — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:20:00 GMT

The changes that were proposed at the March meeting of the Network are in blue. They will be discussed and voted on at the annual meeting on April 21, 2008. These changes were made to make the election of officers to coincide with the fiscal year, which runs January through December.

THE HERITAGE NETWORKBY-LAWSAs proposed on April 21, 2008 ARTICLE I—GENERAL Section I—Name This organization is incorporated under the laws of the State of Washington as a non-profit corporation and shall be known as THE HERITAGE NETWORK. Section II—Purpose The Network is formed to promote, discover, protect and preserve the natural, civic, literary, educational, religious and other related matter of a historical nature; to promote tourism associated with the historical aspects of this area; and to provide educational opportunities. Section III—Operation The Network is a non-profit organization and as such operates within the regulations governing such organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Network shall observe all local, state and federal laws which apply to “501(c)” corporations. ARTICLE II—Membership Section I—Types of Memberships 1. Heritage Members—Each heritage organization (historical society, museum or other official heritage organization) located within Old Stevens County may designate one of their members to become Heritage Members of The Heritage Network. 2. Tourism Members—Each tourism organization (visitor center, chamber of commerce, or other official tourism organization) located within Old Stevens County may designate up to one of their members to become Tourism Members of The Heritage Network.3. General Members—Any individual interested in becoming a General Member of The Heritage Network. Section II—Dues The Board of Directors shall establish a dues schedule. This schedule shall be reviewed and acted upon yearly at the April annual meeting. Any changes shall be published to the membership in the next publication prepared by the Network and posted prominently at the meeting place of the membership and/or the Board of Directors. Section III—Voting In any proceedings in which voting by members is called for, each member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one vote. Votes cast by mail, proxy or attorney-in-fact shall not be counted. Section IV—Annual Meeting The annual membership meeting of the Network shall be held in April. The meeting place shall be fixed by the Board of Directors and shall always be within Colville, Washington. Other general meetings of the membership may be held from time to time as the Board of Directors shall deem desirable for the purposes of the Network.Section V—Special Meeting Special meeting of the membership may be called by the President, the Board of Directors or any group of 10 or more members. Notice of said meeting shall comply with RCW 24.03.080 as now and hereafter amended. Section VI—Quorum At any membership meeting, a quorum shall consist of two thirds majority of those present. ARTICLE III—BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section I—Definitions All references to “Director or Directors” or “Board of Directors” shall be taken as referring to “Trustee”, “Trustees” or “Board of Trustees” as referred to in the Articles of Incorporations. For all legal and practical purposes a Director shall be considered as a Trustee, and Trustee as a Director. Section II—Directors The business of this Network shall be managed by a Board of Directors. Section III—Number The number of Directors shall be no less than 10 and no more than 20. Seventy five percent of the Board must consist of Heritage Members representing individual organizations. Section IV—Eligibility Any member in good standing shall be eligible to serve as a Director. Good standing is defined as a dues paying member that has attended in the last year, half of the regular meetings. Any board member who misses six meetings in a row will be automatically removed from the board. Section V—Election Directors shall be elected by the general membership in December. Nominations are made by a nominating committee which is selected by the board no later than the November meeting. The nominating committee is responsible for ensuring the proper number of heritage members are elected each year. Directors shall serve a term of four years. Section IV—Regular Meetings The Board of Directors shall hold regular meetings as often as determined necessary, but no less than four times a year. A quorum shall consist of those Directors present at any regular meeting provided that under no circumstances shall a quorum consist of less than five Directors. No proxy voting nor voting by attorney-in-fact shall be counted. Section V—Special Meetings Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or any four Directors. Notice of a special meeting shall be given in person, telephonically or in writing on no less than three days notice. ARTICLE IV—OFFICERS Section I—Officers The officers of this organization shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Section II—Election The officers shall be elected annually by the general membership in December with the term to begin on January 1 of the coming year. Section III—Eligibility Any member of the Board of Directors shall be eligible to be an officer of the organization. Section IV—Duties President—Shall supervise all activities of the Network, execute all instruments on its behalf, preside as Chair at all meetings of the Board of Directors, preside at all meetings of the membership of The Network and perform such other duties usually inherent in such office. Vice President—Shall perform the duties of the President when the President is not available. Secretary—Records the minutes at Board of Directors meetings and ensures each Director/Officer receives a copy at the next meeting. Files minutes, agendas and financial reports as the official records of the Network. Maintains the corporate book for the organization. Treasurer—Will maintain the membership database and notify all members in March of the time and place of the general membership meeting in April. Will be responsible for all funds associated with the Network. Submits a financial report to the membership/Board of Directors at each meeting. Any expense over $300 must have Board approval prior to payment being made. Files financial reports as the official records of the Network. ARTICLE V—PROCEDURES The parliamentary procedures of this Network shall be governed by the Roberts Rules of Order. ARTICLE VI—AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS These by-laws may be altered, amended or repealed and new by-laws may be adopted by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at a regularly scheduled board meeting, provided that no alteration, amendment or repeal to the by-laws shall be effective unless first proposed in writing at a regular meeting held prior to the board meeting at which the same shall be adopted. These by-laws of The Heritage Network are hereby adopted as amended by a majority vote of the Board of Directors on this 21st day of April, 2008. _________________________________________ _________________________________________President Secretary

Old buildings and the DAHP

Joe Barreca — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:33:00 GMT

I spent hours on the phone Thursday talking to Greg Griffith at the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) and Leslie Jones at TEDD. At usual, the to-do list is longer than the original question list. Nevertheless I feel like a status report is in order. A note on technique. I had to call both of these people. They didn't answer emails or place phone calls. But let me emphasize that they were both very helpful, informed, congenial and (by inference) overworked.

The two burning questions (in my mind) are 1) How can we accept financial contributions to our grant project right now and count them in the application and 2) How should a research grant application be structured? Neither conversation was much help on either question.

What is evident, is that despite Preserve America itself being not about buildings, most of what is being done at the State level is all about buildings. With cultural assets that are underwater (old towns), sensitive to disturbance (Indian habitations) or remote and somewhat dangerous (old mines) we are going to have a tough time of it.

The DAHP relies heavily on its inventory of historic structures and culturally significant places. That information is restricted to planners, archeologists and similar professionals. We can't know what is on that list without going to Olympia personally to do research right now, though they are working to put most of it into restricted web access. If we want our historic properties listed, we need to work through approved professionals. Those professionals however can train and oversee local volunteers.

The DAHP is working on a new Historic Preservation Plan for the state. We are in the last year of a five year cycle for those. We are all encouraged to review the current 52 page plan, downloadable from the DAHP website, http://www.dahp.wa.gov/. We are also encouraged to answer their online survey preparing for the next plan - due out at the end of this year. You can do that survey (15 minutes or so) right off of their front page (you need to scroll down a little).

The situation with CTED is much the same, emphasis on preserving and renovating mainstreets. Being a Certified Local Government (CLG) is very much encouraged. There is money available to help survey local historic structures once a city gets CLG status.

May is Historic Preservation month.

One-on-One

Joe Barreca — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:29:00 GMT

There has been an upsurge in interest for Stevens County History. The Colville Chamber of Commerce has designated April as "History Month" and is scheduling history theme presentations for their Tuesday, noon, meetings at the Eagles in Colville. The first, on April 1st, (no this is not a joke), is Pat Graham, speaking on the origins of the City of Colville. We are also hoping for presentations on Leno Prestini, Civil War Soldiers buried here, Genealogy and progress on Preserve America.

The first batch of Preserve America Crossroads on the Columbia DVDs flew out the door, and more have been requested. Thank you Grady Knight! As a matter of fact, many people have been lending their time and experience to the project. I have a tally of some $1400 in contributed time, mileage and other expenses right now. If you have been spending any time in research or plans for research, I would like to know about them so they can be added to the tally. Grant applications have a lot to do with showing local interest and support. Partnerships and plans go a long way toward demonstrating that we are working together. If your museum, municipality or even just you and your family have been spending time on local history, I would like to hear about it.

Some people I have talked to lately are Alan Bedford with the City of Colville Historical Preservation Committee, Fran Bolt, the mayor of Marcus and Kathy Berrigan of the Kettle Falls Historical Society. I have a long list of others to talk to - and add to the tally. Fran contributed a nice sketch she wrote of the history of Marcus. They are working to restore their old High School Gym into a Community Center and have a grant to work with. It may be a nice opportunity for historical interpretation. I have a list of other people to talk to within the County and at higher levels of preservation activities. If you don't hear from me in the next few weeks and have some ideas, please call me, Joseph Barreca, (509) 738-6155 or email Joe.Barreca@gmail.com.

Discussion now available as a forum

Joe Barreca — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:00:00 GMT

There is a new forum available to discuss our first Preserve America Grant proposal and related topics. Two main differences make the forum format different. It is easy for you to submit comments in the Forum. So far we are not screening comments so it should stay easy for now. The second is that Forum content extends down rather than adding to the top of the stack. If you want to follow a forum discussion, subscribe to the RSS feed and get all comments, updates etc. as an email.

Latest on the Preserve America Program

Joe Barreca — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:43:00 GMT

The Preserve America Program has been moving ahead in DC. 20 new communities have been added. Our acceptance has yet to be announced. $5,000,000 in grant monies were awarded in 2007 in 60 grants. The next round of awards will probably come in June. The deadline for those applications was November 1st for recognized Preserve America Communities. So I expect another application deadline in late spring and hope to have an application ready as well as Preserve America Community Status.

At the last meeting I presented an idea centered around Hudson Bay's Fort Colville. It had some merit but left some of the hardest working museums at a disadvantage. I want this next concept to bring us all into the mix with some direct results in creating a sustainable mix of Heritage Tourism and Preservation.

This is the concept as it stands:

Crossroads on the Columbia
The Columbia River as a highway for sturgeon-nosed canoes from the north and dugout canoes to the south opened up to steamboats, wagon roads, railroads, ferries and bridges as white settlers moved in. New communities sprang up where roads crossed, each with its own unique blend of resources, culture and conflicts. Researching the flow of goods and people over and around the flow of the Columbia River will bring together their stories. The construction of Grand Coulee Dam cut off and drowned many of these roads and communities marking the end one era and the beginning of our own. This research project will find the ties that bound these communities together in the past and weave them into a roadmap for heritage tourists to follow in the future.

For over 9000 years, Native People gathered at Kettle Falls on the Columbia to fish, trade, govern and celebrate nature’s bounty. With the arrival of David Thompson and his party in July of 1811, British, Scottish and Eastern Native people brought new transportation, new goods and international trade to this cultural Mecca. The declaration of the International Boundary in 1846 brought more structure and strife to the crossroads as the boundary survey parties, British and American, Chinese miners, homesteaders, military and commercial enterprises pursued their interests, often at the expense of the native Sinixt People.

Each of these groups tried to adapt to the others as best they could. There were good and bad actors on every side. National and civil wars rippled into these far corners. Our museums, private citizens, libraries and living memories hold the lessons of those days. The objective of this grant is to bring those stories into focus and organize the materials we have and the questions that remain around them.

If this concept gives each of us enough room to work and enough focus to combine our efforts, we can move forward quantifying how it will get done. The meeting agenda is full, as usual. Email responses are welcome, especially if you won't be there to represent your organization.

April 16th, 2007

Scott Hirsch — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:04:00 GMT

Call to order

Janet Thomas called to order the special membership meeting of The Heritage Network at 10:00 on Monday, April 16th, 2007 in the Stevens County Museum Building.

II. Roll Call

The following persons were present: De Pelan, Janet Thomas, Elaine Colby, Ted Eppler, Dianne Eppler, Susan Dechant, Grady Knight, Kathryn Berrigan, Susan Harris, Loyce Akers, Lorinda Travis, David Bull, Marvin Ray, Nola Landucci, Lorna Nutini, Shirley Dodson, Jael Regis, Jackie Franks and Scott Hirsch.

III. Standard Meeting Business and Open Issues

MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES from last meeting. FLOORED by Scott Hirsch; second Dianne Eppler; passed with no dissenting votes.

Financial Report from Scott Hirsch included the year end a profit and loss statements. Scott Hirsch informed the gathering that there was approximately $120 in the checking after the Garland Printing cost for the brochures was paid. Janet Thomas explained that she thought the opportunity to speak in Wenatchee to represent the THN was too late for this year. She did say the membership to the Washington Museum Association was in the works - she needed to complete a form.

MOTION TO APPROVE FINANCIAL REPORT FLOORED by Kathy Berrigan and second by Lorinda Travis; passed with no dissenting votes.

By-Laws with some changes were introduced to the group and a brief discussion of the proposed changes were made. MOTION TO ACCEPT THE BY-LAW CHANGES was FLOORED by Lorinda Travis and seconded by De Pelan?

IV.Elections

Elections of Board Members were held and the following thirteen Heritage Members as defined special articulated in the Articles of Incorporation were unanimously approved: (Seconded by Janet Thomas)

Janet Thomas (SCHS), Karen Meyers, Dianne Eppler (Hunters Museum), Joan Nullet (Kettle Falls Library), Kathy Berrigan (Kettle Falls Historical Society), Merlin Rosser (Land Conservancy of British Columbia), Bill Sebright (Clayton Historical Society), Susan Dechant (NeWGS), Judy Cornelius (Geronimo), Susan Harris (Tiger Museum), Lorna Nutini (Trail Historical Society), Jackie Franks (Chewelah Museum) and Jael Regis (Northport Historical Society).

It was then determined that a ballot should be cast for fill the 4 available board positions that constitute the 25% ration allowed in addition to the required 75% Heritage Members. The following were nominated to be included in the vote: Lorinda Travis, De Pelan, Scott Hirsch, Joe Barreca, Ted Eppler, Grady Knight, and David Bull. Marvin Ray declined to be included in the election due to his expected duties with The Stevens County Historical Society.

Ballots returned were counted by Elaine Colby and Merlin Rosser and the following were elected as board members:

Lorinda Travis, Scott Hirsch, De Pelan and Ted Eppler.

Officers ballots were then passed around and the returned results were Kathy Berrigan as the new Secretary and Susan Dechant as the new Treasurer. There was a tie for both President and Vice-President. A second ballot broke the ties and the new President elected was Lorinda Travis and the Vice-President was Scott Hirsch.

V.New Business

Dianne Eppler raised the issue of fairs and having a booth that would represent the individual members manned by the membership. David Bull volunteered he could make available some aids and also that there was already an plan to have a Stevens County booth that could represent among others THN. Bull also mentioned an effort to produce multimedia CDs. No conclusion was reached about booths but in general the group appeared to support the effort. Handing out brochures was discussed and some members took away a quantity of the brochures. The remaining inventory is current stored at The Heritage Network offices at 524 S. Main Street, Colville and can be shipped on request to members. Scott Hirsch mentioned he would conduct a membership drive effort by sending out a few brochures each day with a personal invitation to prospective members. De Phelan was heartily complimented for all her work on the brochures and how it turned out so well.

MOTION TO APPROVE THE FEE SCHEDULE FOR MEMBERSHIP was FLOORED by Merlin Rosser and seconded by Scott Hirsch.

Steve Kramer spoke and showed slides in a session that lasted about one hour. He discussed the various ways to organize an effort to preserve a structure and made himself graciously available to consult with any of the membership if they needed advise or assistance.

The food brought by the membership was abundant and was a big success in providing all who attended with a great feast.

March 19th, 2007

Scott Hirsch — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:43:00 GMT

I. Call to order

Janet Thomas called to order the regular meeting of The Heritage Network at 10:00 on Monday, March 19th, 2007 in the Stevens County Museum Building.

II. Roll Call

The following persons were present: De Phelan, Janet Thomas, Elaine Colby, Ted Eppler, Dianne Eppler, Susan Dechant, Grady Knight, Kathryn Berrigan, Bill Sebright, Susan Harris, Loyce Akers, Karen Meyer, David Bull, Marvin Ray andScott Hirsch.

III. Open Issues.

Heritage Network Stickers were passed out. Washington Museum Association told Janet Thomas we could join as a group for $30. MOTION TO JOIN: by Scott Hirsch; second De Phelan as a second; passed; no dissenting votes.

Discussed opportunity to speak in Wenatchee to represent the THN. Susan Harris introduced herself from Newport's chamber. Loyce Akers introduced herself from Pend Oreille River Arts Alliance. Spoke of Driving Tours and establishing a website. Financial Report from Scott Hirsch related the checking had little activity and the balance would be $630 with a few more deposits to make that would amount to about $880, enough to cover the expected cost of the brochure in quantities of 10,000.

IV. New Business

David Bull mentioned the new Kettle Falls City website. Janet brought up how to gather links to THN website. Janet mentioned PASSPORTS should be ordered. Elaine talked about brochure activity. De Phelan expanded. It was decided on small change would be made and agreed the brochures would be ordered and hopefully available at the next meeting.

Spring Promotion was discussed including the means to generate content and coordinate the promotion. David Bull mentioned Mrs. Bull is now working for the Colville Statesmen Examiner which would be a great contact for the Spring Promotion. Map representing the Old Historical Network was replace with the more formal map of Joe Barreca. Marvin talked about gangs. Discussion of maps end up with a decision to make both version available on the website. MOTION TO APPROVE BROCHURE AND PRINT 10K: Scott Hirsch made the motion; second by Karen Meyer; PASSED, no dissenting votes.

Elaine Colby spoke about the WSU project. Sherri Wemlinger spoke to Elaine about future involvement from classes or individuals. Two professors want to meet with us about Kiosk as well as other ideas.

ANNUAL MEETING: Elaine Colby told the group about working with Steve Kramer to speak regarding the potential involvement with them on mutual projects. Janet mentioned it is May is Historic Preservation Month in Washington State.

Elaine Colby was to work on an election effort for the next meeting.

IV.Adjournment

Date of next meeting set at 16th of April, 2007

July 16, 2007

Scott Hirsch — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:32:00 GMT

I. Call to order Janet Thomas called to order the regular meeting of The Heritage Network at 10 a.m. at The Learning Center after a meeting of the spring promotion committee (Janet Thomas, Grady Knight, Lorinda Travis and Karen Meyer).

II. Roll Call Those present: Jo Nullet, Lorinda Travis, Susan Dechant, Janet Thomas, Elaine Colby, De Pelan, Kathy Berrigan, Scott Hirsch, David Bull, Dianne Eppler, Ted Eppler, Karen Meyer, Grady Knight, Bill Sebright, Jael Regis, Joe Bareca, Dani Bull (Statesman Examiner)

III. Treasurer's Report Susan Dechant reported $2504.07 left in the bank account and two debit cards recently acquired at Key Bank with balance of $1077.90 after Elaine Colby's trip. Financial report approved. New members added: Cheney Museum, Roger May and Ms. Saffer.

Susan requested authority to sign checks. Karen Meyer moved that Susan be the primary signer as treasurer, with Janet Thomas and Scott Hirsch as back-ups. Seconded by Bill Sebright. Motion passed. By-laws allow bills up to $300 to be paid without prior discussion and approval of the board which would help with timely payments. The treasurer is responsible for producing financial statements each month for the board's review, plus a yearly review along with the bank statement. The treasurer would also handle grant money with Janet, subject to corporate laws Angie, the bookkeeper at Scott's office is helping with the accounting. She is doing Quick books on-line. For a fee they could be linked to Key Bank, which would be helpful for checking statements. Web sales and passports can also be tracked. It is good to establish procedures while the account is still small.

A tax form or letter signed by the treasurer, acknowledging receipt of $25,000 donation of software listing its serial number should be sent. Motion to approve treasurer's report by Lorinda, seconded by Jael, passed.

IV. Open Issues Minutes: Minutes of last meeting approved as read - motion by Susan D., 2nd by Jael, (passed). Today's agenda approved

Antique shops: Janet gave out lists of names and locations of area antique and secondhand stores.

Insurance: Elaine checked around and found insurance to cover camera equipment for $587.94/year with a $500 deductible. This covers theft/damage of the equipment we have now. There is a 30-day waiting period before the policy is delivered, but Elaine will check to see if the coverage begins immediately. As for liability insurance for board members, the risk is low. A video is available to educate board members on their responsibilities and liabilities.

WA Museum Association Workshop: Elaine Colby attended the workshop, staying with Philpotts in Wenatchee. After paying for registration, meals and a hospitality gift for her hosts, there was $80 left of the $250 allowed. This was an annual meeting, and she brought back reports and a financial report. A report is also on their Web site. Elaine went to 3 technical classes (including one on podcasts for tours) and one on community collaboration. One important point made was that a museum is, or can be, the hub of a community. Pierce County has outstanding educational support for its museum directors, and Elaine will get more info. A nicely done brochure includes museums of the Upper Columbia region. She noted that the recommended book was The Digital History Book.

Prestini: Grady Knight would like to do a documentary on Prestini, which might include a 9-minute segment done earlier. He would need to do research on Prestini and has names of people to interview. This could be followed up with a documentary on the brickworks at Clayton. This would be HD, since that is the trend. The goal would be 2-3 hours of video for TV, and more could be put on a CD. The Heritage Network could act as the host organization for applying for grants, once we have more concrete details on costs, needs and a time line. Prestini committee meeting to immediately follow this meeting.

Preserve America: Joe Bareca responded to a request to show the partnership between government and private sector. He cited the passport project, Vista, WSU, mixed types of memberships, tour map; these connections passed the test. Now he needs to know what kind of proposals to make based on needs of member organizations. Odds are very good of getting grant money, and Joe will e-mail forms to members to list their ideas.

Tourism Maps: David Bull got 20,000 maps printed with hotel/motel tax money and has distributed most already, including a batch that Cathy McMorris took back to Washington, D.C. He may get as many as 200,000 printed with federal funds. These include GPS info. The nearest gas station and cell phone coverage would be helpful for remote areas. David is also involved with promoting Rendezvous.

Spring Promotion: Committee met and offer these ideas: 1) Get Washington museum mailing list, send out brochure and ask them to send copies to their membership. 2) Regular press releases with help from a reporter that would "adopt" our group. 3) Public service announcements. 4) PBS profile of the passport tours. Look for grants for doing this. 5) Publicize digitizing equipment and the software donation. Dani Bull is willing to help us and can be reached at 490-1711 (cell) 738-6950 (home) or @statesmanexaminer.com.

V. New Business Banner: Elaine displayed the large grey Heritage Network banner with picture designed by Lynn at the Sign Shop (time donated), charging only for the banner and digital print (a $150 value for $40). It seems appropriate to give her a membership for donating her time. Since there was money unused from the Wenatchee trip, Elaine spent $40 on the banner. The question arose: How do we choose who gets a free membership for donating time? Should it be just the first-time membership, and they would renew if they want to continue? Think about it. The banner is to be stored at Elaine's office when not in use.

Other Museums: Ray Kresek (historic lookouts and Smokey the Bear collection), hopes to see that Stevens County gets his extensive collection sometime in the future. He has tour groups go through his place, and we might think about going down as a group. He loans items out by the year.

There is a museum at Cedar Cr. (Civil War era), and Mr. Henry would need to know in advance if people are coming. Note that the 100th anniversary of the US Forest Service is imminent.

Digitizing Photos: Scott and Elaine trained Barb Swanson in Chewelah, working on photos that were curling with age and moisture, and saving the label information. A clear sheet was used over the photos, but non-glare glass would provide more weight. Photo Shop can help restore faded or photos with deep shadows (a notebook of examples was passed around). .Grady Knight has experience with the technology on this. Pend Oreille wants to be next to be trained to use the equipment.

Visitors' Guide: New guides are being planned. Advertisers are welcome and there will be an ad for the Heritage Network next time. There is also a history page, and De may contact some members for a story.

VI. Adjournment Next meeting will be August 20, 2007 at 10 a.m. at the Colville Museum

September 17, 2007

Scott Hirsch — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:14:00 GMT

September 17, 2007

I. Call to order

Janet Thomas called to order the regular meeting of The Heritage Network at 10 a.m. at The Learning Center.

II. Roll Call

Those present: Lorinda Travis, Karen Meyer, Janet Thomas, Bill Sebright, Kathy Berrigan, Grady Knight, Joe Barreca, Marvin Ray, Susan Harris, Susan Dechant, Angi Engebretsen, David Bull, Glendine Leonard, Elaine Colby, Loyce Akers, Jo Nullet Guest: Becca Gordon {a potential curator for the Stevens County Historical Society, also does forest archeology}.

III. Treasurer's Report

Treasurer's printed balance sheet as of September 16 showed no change from previous one. Susan noted that there were no Web sales in the last month and a half. Some people still owed money. Verify with Susan on sales after shipping. Motion to approve treasurer's report made by Bill, seconded by Jo, passed.

IV. Open Issues

Minutes: Minutes of last meeting approved as read - motion by Bill, 2nd by Karen, passed.

Today's agenda approved.

Leno Prestini: Glendine presented a printed outline of the Prestini project, its purpose, goals, funding, market and activities involved in creating results (collections and exhibits). Discussion of needs (protection for individual owners of Prestini items, giving credit where due, copyrights, question of "holdings" of group items, rules for distributing items created, royalties, attorney, possible escrow account, etc.) One goal is to bring out and document the role of the history of this area in Prestini's work. Also De outlined the project in a who, what, why, when format.

Motion for the Prestini project to be a Heritage Network project with committees handling the details made by Angelina, 2nd by Lorinda, passed with one abstaining. Individuals with Prestini items and specific knowledge, such as Wally Parker on copyrights, could serve in an advisory role. We would need to make the processes "legal and sustainable," with a release to be signed, and protection provided for owners of items used and exhibited. Income should be generated for workers on the project. Lorinda mentioned a possible Lutheran grant. Bill said that a Prestini item was taken to the Antiques Road Show, but since none had been sold to the knowledge of the appraiser, a value could not be set.

Discussion of software that can assist in tracking the progress of committee members and subcommittees, delineating jobs, times for completion, resources, etc. Core committee members can meet and assign jobs. Use this as a pilot for future Network projects

Elaine's grant project: Elaine reported that Michael Schwartz, Learning Coordinator, and history professors want to complete the kiosk project with their history students. Elaine is to coordinate this. They are also interested in other Heritage Network projects.

2008 grant applications may require an assessment of museum buildings and storage, etc. The Washington Museum Association may be a source of reduced cost help. Digitizing progress: The Pend Oreille gallery is now on line to view. Loon Lake, the Kettle Falls Library and Northport are next on Elaine's list for digitizing collections. She is also involved with the Colville National Forest to help insure there is money for preservation. February 1 is the end of her first year. In the second year, the focus of the project may change to education.

Elaine is registered with the government grant system (has DUNS #, etc.).

Preserve America: Joe called Preserve America organization in Washington DC, which is waiting for Laura Bush to make the announcement, who is waiting for Congress to approve funds and set deadlines. Joe has distributed forms to list projects and asked that museums prioritize and estimate time needed for research, etc. for the grant. He hopes to collect this info from members in two weeks (by mail or e-mail). Check Joe's blog on his Website.

David Bull's report: David has shown the Historical Preservation Trust CDs which are available free in Spokane. Susan Harris can get some for us. More mud maps are coming, with other areas to have their own as well.

County Recording fees have been increased by $1 which is supposed to be used for historical preservation in the County. Janet will check on this. Might such money be used to keep the Hunters Museum open? Dani Bull is writing an article for the Statesman-Examiner >on the Hunters Museum predicament.

Correspondence: E-mail request from Marsha Rooney for objects, photos, archives or biographies related to women's suffrage in Eastern Washington. E-mail info from Shanna Stevenson on women's history local project grants. E-mail from Wallace Parker to Lorinda regarding handling of materials used for the Prestini project.

VI. Adjournment

Next meeting: October 15, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. at the Colville Museum Learning Center

Recorded by secretary Kathy Berrigan

Chewelah Needs Research

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:41:00 GMT

Here is a response from Barbara Swanson at the Chewelah Museum:

Hi,
I am not sure this is what you want but here goes.

#1 Documenting and reserching the museum items.
#2 ? Reserch or Interpretation
#3 Once it is documented we would only have to add the donations or loans as they come into the museum.

Barb Swanson
Chewelah Museum

Clayton Needs Research

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:40:00 GMT

Here is a response from Bill Seabright at the Clayton Historical Society:

The Clayton Deer Park Historical Society spends most of its time in research. Planning and training go right along with that. We are doing a lot of interviewing, digitalizing pictures and material, posting information on our web site, and publishing books from our interviews and pictures.

I'm not sure what form you want this info, but that's it in a nut shell.

Later,

Bill

Preparing Grant Proposal for Preserve America

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:37:00 GMT

With this post I am starting a discussion online as we develop a grant proposal to present to Preserve America, assuming that we are accepted as a Preserve America Community. Your first thought may be "Well if this is a discussion, why is it his Blog?" Fair question. All of us are pretty new to the blog system on Community Server, including Scott Hirsch who manages and got me this far. As a moderated blog, I can build the content and filter it. I can also open it up to public or member posts, which may be faster and less work for me, but also riskier, though I think the worst would be blog spam (Is that as bad as it sounds?) At any rate here we go. I will start putting your emails on this site and try to has out the outlines of a grant proposal.

Hunters Museum's idea of a Virtual Tour of Museums

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:37:00 GMT

Hunters Museum's idea of a Virtual Tour of Museums

Please check out this website in detail. This is exactly what I have been talking about somehow doing for small out of the way museums and historical sites. They have made this site so interesting that I can't wait to go and see it in person. WHAT DOES EVERYBODY THINK?

http://www.miniatureworld.com/

Research Starter Kit

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:36:00 GMT

Hello Stevens County History Preservationists:

As agreed at the last Heritage Network meeting, I have created a form for listing stuff you think should be researched from your museum/group/stash....

In preparation, I visited the Hunters Museum - (This may be your last chance to see it.) I took some photos there, and they already have many suitable for a virtual tour. They also lent me some materials Ted, Dianne and friends have prepared about Hunters: a short history with pictures, a video CD and some post cards.

I have printed a blank Research Form as an Adobe PDF and also saved it as an Excel Spreadsheet. I also filled in a sample sheet to show you what I had in mind. You can find the Research form here: http://theheritagenetwork.org/blogs/barreca/ResearchForm.pdf and the sapmle fille-in form here: http://theheritagenetwork.org/blogs/barreca/ResearchSample.pdf. What I want out of it is a quantifiable number of research hours assigned to identifiable tasks. (Remember we will probably contribute at least half of them for free.) The items, quantity, dates etc. are to help in identifying what you have already and where you want to go with it.

To re-iterate, what the Preserve America program wants from research is to identify and prepare materials for interpretation to promote historical tourism, preservation and community identity. This little trip helped me visualize how this would work.

I see five fundamental outcomes from this research work:

It will create digital records to speed access for genealogy and interpretation (telling the stories).
It will help identify, organize and categorize materials for museum use.
It will highlight important and interesting stories and themes with roots in the collection.
It will help preserve with scans, photos of collections and copies of media a museum's collection.
It will help identify materials whose rights for use or copyright are owned by someone else.

This is my first take on the task. I'm open to suggestions. We can continue the blog and talk it over at the next meeting.

Joe

Share Information but Give Credit

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:34:00 GMT

Hi Joe,

Though I no longer live in Stevens County, I still own property there and certainly am still very much interested in the history of the area. This may not fit into your pending grant (which sounds like a great idea to me) but I thought I’d make you aware of it anyway. A few years ago I led a tour for the Northwest chapter of the Oregon-California Trails Association in which we visited historical sites in Stevens County (and a few in Spokane County) primarily associated with the fur trade and with migration routes into Stevens County, by fur traders and by pioneers, many of whom had come across the Oregon Trail. We also covered Indian sites such as Kettle Falls. In doing research for this tour it became clear to me that there is a whole lot of fascinating history and historical sites in Stevens County that are not known to the general public, and many not to Stevens County residents even. One of the leading guidebooks on historical sites in Washington State doesn’t even include any sites in Stevens County. There is work to be done to make the history of Stevens County known to people.

For that tour I put together a booklet that covered some history of fur traders, settlers, missionaries and miners, as well as some history of some of the Stevens County communities we went through on our tour. I have a huge box of information (and some photographs) that I gathered in researching the tour and accompanying booklet. I am willing to share any of this material with Heritage Network folks, with one caveat: In the past, when I have shared information that I had spent considerable time researching and writing up, when the information was made public, I was given no credit for it whatsoever, even though the wording was mine almost word for word; I really don’t want that to happen again. Also, I have some unique photographs that I would not be willing to share unless I am given credit for them. As I said, I am willing to share what I have learned, but with proper credit given. This is a matter of ethics and professionalism in my view, and is something that should be paid attention to in all that the heritage network does if you want to be taken seriously by the larger historical community.

Here’s to a successful outcome to your grant writing efforts!

Lethene Parks

Wish list for Grant from NEW Genealogical Society

Joe Barreca — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:03:00 GMT

As to fitting in to your Preserve America stuff.....definitely making old newspapers available digitally would be a high request for us. We use newspapers extensively in our research whether looking for individuals or looking for items of historical significance (like the building of Grand Coulee Dam and other major events, the history of a building, the history of an area). Having them OCR'd is even a bigger "wish" on our "wish list." Even if not totally accurate, it would be a huge help. We currently have almost 60,000 entries in our newspaper database but it took us over 10 years to get to that point and we still have lots to index.

I know that the Washington State Archives has started to digitize some of our oldest newspapers in the state, but would expect it would be quite awhile before they get over here. You can see what newspapers they have done at http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/newspapers.aspx.

Picasa - A free image editing program.

Scott Hirsch — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:57:00 GMT

Picasa is a free software download from Google that can organize all your photos on your computer as well as edit them. While it is not going to allow you to add meta data to a photograph or batch rename, for the beginner it is a good place to start. And for those intimidated by Photoshop with either it's price or interface, Picasa holds its own with quick fixes and features a more intuitive cropping tool.

Picasa is easy to learn and allows you to see the changes you make to your photos in real time. Having said that it is worth mentioning that this program is not suitable for any sort of serious cataloging and does not allow one to edit image EXIF data and has no meta data tools. What is a historical photo without the caption or history of the photo?

Even the best historical photographs are normally not of great value unless you know something about what is being pictured. Making sure all the information on the back of the photograph or any other information you have on the image is attached or kept with your photograph is critical during your digitizing projects, but even for those who may have access to the latest CS3 Photoshop and/or sophisticated collection management software Picasa may have a place in your workflow.

For example, it may be useful to quickly migrate data from a camera or scanner for quick and painless cropping and sorting. Of course, museums and those digitizing images need a tool that associates a written history of the photo with the image itself which is certainly not Picasa. Photoshop, the most recognized and popular image editing software has good metadata tools. You can create and apply templates to hundreds of photos at a time and then you have only to worry about the few fields like description that will be different. There are also a number of Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Catalog programs and image management programs such as iView Media (now purchased by Microsoft and named Expression Media), BreezeBrowser, Image Info Toolkit, BlueBoxKeyWordCatalog, Photo Mechanic or Adobe's new entry; Photoshop LIghtroom. Whatever your sophistication, Picasa is a fun tool that may help with the basic chores of working with images and for smaller collection that have little or no history to apply it may be all you need to edit your historical photographs.

Preserving Local History

Scott Hirsch — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:56:00 GMT

Preserving Local History
Heritage Network receives $33,687 in
equipment and software

DANI BULL
Statesman-Examiner Staff Reporter

The Heritage Network is dedicated to protecting and preserving artifacts, including photographs, of a historical nature.
Thanks to grants and contributions in the amount of $33,687 obtained by the Heritage Network and SecureWebs for equipment and software, local museums and historical societies now have the ability to digitally preserve historical photographs and artifacts.

The Heritage Network is a forum for member organizations and individuals with an interest in history. Their goal is to connect history enthusiasts with local heritage organizations and together advocate for the smaller rural museums and historical societies.
The Heritage Network and AmeriCorps-VISTA Elaine Colby, with are collaborating on a digital history project based in Colville.

AmeriCorps is a federal agency program off the new equipment created to connect Americans with an used to digitize historical opportunity to give back to their country and photographs and artifacts. community. AmeriCorps-VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), specifically, provides available to the public through The Heritage full-time personnel to public agencies and Network website at http://theheritagenetwork.org/ community based organizations to expand and create local programs. Newport, Pend Oreille, Loon Lake and Stevens.

For The Heritage Network, Elaine Colby an AmeriCorp-Vista member, has proven to be a real asset with the preservation and digitization of historical assets.

"Many Heritage Network member museums and historical centers are understaffed, unfamiliar with digital technology, and lack appropriate tools to preserve these artifacts and make them accessible to the larger public," said Colby.

With this in mind, Colby assisted in the application and now the administration of a grant from Inland Northwest Community Foundation in the amount of $8,687.

These funds were used to purchase equipment to digitally preserve photographs, artifacts and documents that are regionally historical.
"The equipment is especially effective with items that must be handled delicately or rarely, are damaged or shaped in a way° traditional scanning is not possible," explained Colby.

Local museums and facilities can select 50 items for the project. The digital images will then be available to the public through The Heritage Network website at www.theheritagenetwork.org.

Newport, Pend Oreille, Loon Lake and Stevens County Historical Societies are just a few of the organizations lined up to take advantage of this opportunity.

Scott Hirsch with SecureWebs in Colville, also a member of The Heritage Network, obtained the software necessary to make the online catalog of digital images available.

The "Community Server" software was obtained from a generous contribution from telligent, a software company specializing in Microsoft NET technologies.

Blogs, forums, file and photo sharing is an integral part of what the software valued at $25,000 can do.

Historical images can then be offered to the public online for purchase. This win-win situation not only preserves the historical photo or document but generates revenue for the museums.

SecureWebs has donated office and work space for Colby and the equipment during this three year program.

Mission Point Fur Trader Encampment

Elaine Clough — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:38:00 GMT

Henry Matthews, Architectual Historian Speaks at the Cutter Theater

Elaine Clough — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:35:00 GMT

In case you missed it….
The capstone of a very fine exhibit at the historic Cutter Theater in Metaline Falls, Washington occurred on Sunday, May 20, 2007. Henry Matthews, Professor Emeritus of Washington State University and current part time instructor at the University of Washington presented excerpts from his book, Kirtland Cutter: Architect in the Land of Promise for an enthusiastic audience of architectural history buffs. The exhibit is on display for the months of April and May and contains many photographs of Cutter’s buildings as well as architectural drawings. Professor Matthews put together this exhibit for the prestigious Rainier Club in Seattle, which is housed in a building designed by Cutter.

Kirtland Kelsey Cutter’s life spanned the years of 1860 to 1939. He is responsible for the excellent urban architectural atmosphere that was created in Spokane following the fire of 1889. Professor Matthews identifies four phases of Cutter’s design career, three of which were during his Spokane years. The first was the Arts and Crafts Movement phase, which produced lasting, historic homes in Spokane, including many shingle-style houses. His next was the Fantasy phase of original and eclectic buildings, and finally The Rustic phase, in which he produced numerous grand lodges in the tradition of the Adirondacks. From 1923 until his death he designed Palos Verdes homes in California in the Spanish-revival and Mediterranean- revival styles. These historic homes and buildings are now known as structures uniquely in the California Style.

Besides a plethora of homes and buildings in Spokane, Metaline Falls, Washington is the proud location of two buildings of Cutter design. The Cutter Theater, circa 1912 was built as the Metaline Falls School and in use from 1912 to 1971 in that capacity. In 1994 the building was restored as the Cutter Theater for live performances, gallery, library and museum.

The Lewis P. Larsen house was designed and built in 1914 as a private residence. It is an excellent example of Cutter’s unique vision of the Craftsman era. The interior features a sunken living room with a massive fireplace and high beamed ceilings. Although it is still a private residence, it can easily be viewed from the street in downtown Metaline Falls.

In case you missed this excellent lecture, Henry Matthew’s book can be purchased from Spokane book sellers and online book sources.

The Enigmatic Lithics Data Recovery Excavations

Elaine Clough — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:32:00 GMT

Exciting archaeological and curative work is scheduled in our area this summer. Those of you who attended the Heritage Network Annual meeting in April may recall Steve Kramer, Heritage and Tribal Relations Program Manager for Colville National Forest speak of this possible project. The Passport in Time project is now listed on their website and they are soliciting applicants from all over the United States.

The Enigmatic Lithics Data Recovery Excavations will occur between August 6 and 31 in Republic, Washington. The Enigmatic Lithics site is a National Register eligible prehistoric site located on the Republic Ranger District administrative property within the city limits. The site appears to date to around 3000 BP, but may be older. During initial testing in 2006, a large quantity of lithic materials was recovered, including tools and projectile points. This field season, volunteers will assis Forest Service archaeologists in performing a partial excavation of the site prior to the land being sold. Volunteers will learn unique excavation techniques involved in "block" excavations and in situ artifact/feature mapping. There will be an on-site lab staffed by a qualified archaeologist, and they will give volunteers a chance to spend time learning lithic analysis and curation techniques.

As historians, we often focus on the time period involving the Euro-American influence in our lands. Much of the evidence of pre-history that has survived is in the form of lithics and it does have a story to tell. In archaeology, a lithic flake is a thin, sharp fragment of stone that is the remnant of a process of lithic reduction, involving a tool used to detach flakes from the core. Core materials varied depending on what was available. Stones such as chert, flint, obsidian and chalcedony were used, as well as some rhyolites, felsites and quartzites. These were chosen for their ability to fracture and be refined into needed practical tools and weapons, such as projectile points, scrapers and blades.

If these lithics are protected by centuries of erosional forces and human building on the land, we are left with an exceptional, detailed record of the activities of the people who lived there so long ago. The exploration of these deposits is an amazing opportunity, especially for those of us who now call this area home. The Passport in Time website offers more information and an online application. Applications for the Enigmatic Lithics Data Recovery Excavations are due June 4, 2007. Steve Kramer is hoping to have 15 volunteers per week for four weeks. There are no stringent requirements; however excavation projects usually involve getting down on the ground and getting dirty.

As an alternative to devoting a fun-filled week to pre-history, interested Network members should plan to visit the site in Republic. We could car-pool over a couple of times in August and see the archaeological process that may help to re-write the history of our area. If any of you have questions about the Passport in Time projects or application process feel free to email me. I have worked with Steve Kramer and other forestry archaeologists in the past and have many stories to tell.

Elaine Colby
Elaine@theheritagenetwork.org