Public History is historical research designed for a public audience. The research methods and evidentiary standards used in public history are identical to those used in traditional academic scholarship, but the projects produced are aimed at increasing public understanding and appreciation of the past. The CFMIT History Project is the first capstone research project at UW-Eau Clairededicated to Public History. For our capstone seminar, we contracted with The Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology (CFMIT) to research and design online historical exhibits that interpret and document topics central to the social and economic history of the greater Chippewa Falls area. Our nine historical exhibits will be published on the CFMIT website in June of 2004 and will become a permanent part of CFMIT's virtual exhibitions. Each exhibit displays an array of archival documents, oral histories, and other primary sources and analyzes how they contribute to our understanding of the events, individuals and institutions that have shaped this region. The CFMIT History Project will not only introduce to a worldwide audience the historical importance of the Chippewa Valley, but will also serve as a teaching tool for how to research and interpret local history.
Click on the images below to go to each Web exhibit
To return to the Site Index Click on the Home Button in the browser
Chippewa Valley Electic Railway
John Paul Miller
First Contact: Relations between Chippewa Indians & White Settlers in Chippewa Falls
Kyle Zellner
Main Street, Chippewa Falls
Megan Trunnell
From Sawdust to Spatown
Lauren Schrader
Chippewa Lumber
& Boom Company
Patrick Tracy
Success in a Small Town: Leinenkugel's Brewery
Jeremy Trautlein
Chippewa Valley Rosies
Melisa Davis
Alfred A. Bish, Pioneer Photographer in Chippewa Falls
Marie Kilps
Chippewa Falls High School,
The Class of 1907
Stephanie Bertschy
Faculty Project Coordinator and Capstone Advisor:
Patricia R. Turner, Associate Professor, History Department