WI-4036
September 12-16, 2011
Must commit to full session
Foster Junction, located roughly 20 miles south of Lake Superior near the town of Mellen, was the setting for a small but active mining and lumber company town established at a railroad junction in the late 19th Century. The community consisted of a large boarding house, cook shanty, school house, horse barn, and approximately 30 homes for the company workers and their families. The town was in use from the 1880s into the 1930s, though by the early part of the 20th Century, most buildings had been moved or torn down. By 1930, only two of the original buildings remained and, in 1931, these were destroyed by fire.
During this PIT project, through pedestrian survey and the use of metal detectors, volunteers and Forest staff will relocate Foster Junction by identifying the remains of the town and clearing and mapping the foundations and other features. We will also spend a day or two gathering historical data on the community and doing research at the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center and the court house in Ashland. Join us for a hike into the past this fall as we investigate one of Wisconsin's hidden historic gems!
Number of openings: 5
Special skills: Some previous archaeological field experience helpful, but not required; Volunteers with metal-detecting skills and possession of a detector strongly desired, and individuals who fill these needs will be given priority consideration, with two vacancies that will be selected based on these skills; please be sure to indicate on your application if you possess these skills and will bring your own detector
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent and RV (up to 30') camping at no charge at Forest Service campground; water, toilets, no hook-ups; other camping available at popular Copper Falls State Park; amenities vary, fees apply; Ashland is a full-service community with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; Motels and a range of amenities also available in Mellen and Clam Lake; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment/lodging, food, and transportation
Nearest towns: Mellen, 3 miles; Clam Lake, 10 miles; Ashland, 20 miles
Applications due: Filled!
WI-4031
August 29-31, 2011
Must commit to full session
Join us for another "Photos of the Past" project this August! Old photographs of national forest scenes and activities are ritical elements in understanding historic land and resource management. They are, however, often fragile and degraded because of improper storage. The purpose of this project is to address this problem through scanning, hand labeling, and archiving photos from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest's historic records and documents collection. At least one volunteer will scan photos using an HP scanner and a Windows computer system. Other participants will place historic photos into archival-quality photo sleeves and boxes. Our photo conservation activities will include the removal of old labels and hand printing and re-labeling the information specific to each image onto the back of the photos and sleeves. One volunteer will be asked to type photo information into an Excel spreadsheet on a laptop computer.
For this project, we require at least one person who is experienced with '.tif' files (that is, familiarity with scanning and computer storage of '.tif' files). Volunteers must have legible printed hand writing, which is critical to the photo archiving process, so applicants will need to submit a sample (block printed style, not cursive) of their printing to the Forest via the PIT Clearinghouse. Samples may be scanned and emailed to volunteer@passportintime.com (be certain to include your name and "writing sample" in the subject line), or may submit a hardcopy sample to the PIT Clearinghouse at the address below:
Passport in Time Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 15728
Rio Rancho, NM 87174
Please submit writing samples prior to the deadline in order to be considered for the project. We hope to see you this summer!
Number of openings: 5
Special skills: Experience scanning/storing photos as .tif files required; volunteers must have legible printed hand writing; familiarity with computers and spreadsheet entry preferred
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Rhinelander is a full-service community with hotels/motels, restaurants, and many other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging, food, water, and transportation
Nearest towns: Project in Rhinelander; Eagle River, 30 miles; Minocqua, 30 miles
Applications due: June 27, 2011