Writing|Righting the History of Missoula’s Recent Past: Reflecting on the Outcomes of Intense Public Archaeology amid Extensive Growth

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Revolutionizing Approaches to Campus History - Campus Archaeology's Role in Telling Their Institutions' Stories" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Missoula Historic Underground Project (MHUP) started with a request from the local Historic Preservation Office in 2012 to see if we archaeologists at the University of Montana (UM) could address local lore by systematically investigating Missoula's underground spaces. This sparked a research project involving teams of UM students working beneath sidewalks and streets and collaborating with various members of the community. MHUP cultivated mainstream awareness of the diverse cultural heritage of downtown Missoula, with offshoots that produced lives of their own. We share relevant examples and discuss our obligation to continue diligent research with/for the community while providing placed-based, educational opportunities for UM students, Missoula residents, and K-12 groups. Ideally, we learn together and collectively foster cultural heritage awareness and stewardship amid the intensive growth of Montana’s flagship college town.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Revolutionizing Approaches to Campus History - Campus Archaeology's Role in Telling Their Institutions' Stories   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 1080