The following story is from the August 2015 issue of the 4-H History Preservation Newsletter
4-H youth geospatial map-makers shared their 4-H History map with thousands of professional cartographers from around the world.
In July 4-H Youth and adult leaders from seven states shared their new 4-H History map with thousands of professional map-makers from around the world.
The new 4-H project was launched during the Esri International Conference in San Diego July 18-22. The 2015 National 4-H Geospatial Leadership Team of youth and adult leaders exhibited their map to 16,000 attendees from 120 countries at the San Diego convention. Team members from CA, IA, MT, NC, NY, MD, and TN, showed attendees how 4-H families will be using mobile technology to discover and visit historically significant locations where national, state and local milestones in 4-H history took place.
To see what the conference attendees saw you can visit http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/History_Map
Several of the professional map-makers visiting the 4-H Youth Community Mapping exhibit were former 4-H’ers and were highly interested to see which 4-Hhistorical items might be posted in the states where they were members or where they live now.
Zooming in on California, National 4-H History Map users saw a Ferris Wheel near San Francisco. When they clicked on it, they uncovered the 100 year history of 4-H and the Alameda County fair. There, they found a youth-produced film made in 2014, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of 4-H and the Alameda County Fair, both of which were
viewable through the Map. A former Indiana 4-H’er spotted a symbol of an interesting person in 4-H history appearing in the middle of his state; it was the location where the first Saturday morning 4-H TV show was hosted by a young media host, David Letterman, who went on to be a famous national network TV star.
A former 4-H’er from South Carolina found a historical marker noting the importance of US Congressman Asbury Francis Lever, whose national legislation in 1914 provided national resources through Cooperative Extension to support 4-H Youth Development for years to come.
A former 4-H’er from Wyoming noted that there were no historical 4-H sites in Wyoming. He was quick to say, “I want to nominate my favorite 4-H memory to the map, as soon as I get home.” Massachusetts visitors found a variety of 4-H campgrounds and fair grounds that triggered thoughts of many memorable 4-H sites they would like to re-visit.
During the Fall of 2015 and into the future, thousands of 4-H clubs will nominate interesting national, state and local 4-H historical people, places and events for documentation on the National 4-H History Map. We encourage you to look at your local area and county and see which, if any, 4-H History sites have already been nominated. If your county has no historical 4-H location yet posted, please let us know, so we can help you get started.
4-H Alumni attending the Esri International Mapping Conference
last month were encouraged to map their 4-H History.
For more information, please contact:
Tom Tate TateAce@aol.com
Jason Rine Jason.Rine@mail.wvu.edu