Post-Industrial Placemaking: The Keweenaw Time Traveler and Community-Engaged Historical GIS

Summary

Placemaking in post-industrial communities often becomes contested due to issues of conflicting memory, lack of economic resources, collective mistrust, and the problems of environmental degradation. A historical spatial data infrastructure known as the Keweenaw Time Traveler offers an interactive public-participatory platform to promote the health, both cultural and economic, of Michigan’s remote post-industrial mining region. This online GIS-based historical atlas breaks down traditional institutional barriers to information by making freely available rich archival resources for municipalities, researchers, residents, and tourists alike. The "Explore" app, which allows users to add stories, photos, and comments to time-appropriate maps, further empowers users to question dominant narratives, investigate the changing landscape, and start conversations with new people about shared history. This paper uses the Quincy Mining Company agent’s house to demonstrate the Keweenaw Time Traveler’s contributions to expanding civic involvement, augmenting regional identity, and generating sustainable business models for heritage tourism. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Post-industrial Landscapes, Communities, and Heritage   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 511