Jesse Ritner

For decades, historians and archives across the United States have worked to preserve the stories of everyday American workers. Yet as the country has de-industrialized, historians have been forced to reconsider what it means to preserve workers’ stories. The Outdoor Recreation Workers Oral History Project builds on previous endeavors that documented miners, loggers, ranchers, andContinue reading

Skiing in Moccasins

I was sitting in the Tread of the Pioneer Museum in Steamboat Springs. After almost a year of researching exclusively online, I was in a room. And I had a beautiful thing – subject files. The problem with researching online is the inevitable reliance on key words. Searching through the New York Times, Ski Magazine,Continue reading “Skiing in Moccasins”

“Summer Sun and Winter Fun”

Skiing can suck. In April, when spring skiing brings sunny days, it is easy to forget. But skiing, especially in the East, was difficult to convince people to do. It is cold and wet. It is icy and slushy. Fresh snow is rare. And over winter vacation, when early ski centers would gross up toContinue reading ““Summer Sun and Winter Fun””