Outdoor Recreation Workers Oral History Project

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.

Started during the summer of 2025, the Outdoor Recreation Workers Oral History Project builds on previous endeavors that documented miners, loggers, ranchers, and farmers in the American West. In the West’s mountains and along its rivers, in its canyons and on its coasts, industries centered around skiing, rafting, climbing, surfing, mountain biking, hunting, and sport fishing have become increasingly important. In many tourist communities, workers adapted to the decline of older industries while new workers moved into rapidly growing towns.

The project seeks to record these stories, perhaps your stories, and preserve them for future generations. It is conducted in conjunction with the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University, with Dr. Jesse Ritner as lead researcher.

Why do we need this project?

Americans who work for a living are too often forgotten. Workers rarely write memoirs, are underrepresented in the media, and are unlikely to leave behind extensive paper trails in archives. Yet there are far more people working in the outdoor recreation industry than there are world-famous athletes, cultural icons, ski resort owners, or industry executives.

We want to preserve these underappreciated stories. In other words, if you work in the industry, we want to hear from you. Your story, your life, your experiences, and your memories are the raw material of history.

Who are we looking to interview?

We are interested in interviewing anyone with at least 30 years of experience working in the outdoor recreation industry in the U.S. West who is interested in sharing their story, talking about their lived experiences, and reflecting on the past. We define “outdoor recreation industry” jobs loosely. At its root, we want to develop a collection of oral histories that covers a wide swath of worker experiences in recreation economies in the West.

What is an oral history?

Oral history is a subfield of history devoted to recording people’s memories and life stories. Unlike a journalistic interview about a single event, an oral history invites you to reflect on your life and work. The Oral History Association describes it as a way to “gather, preserve, and interpret the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events.”

Where will these interviews end up?

The interviews will become part of the larger Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Oral History Project, which documents and preserves the everyday stories of the American West. Recordings and transcripts will be preserved in the Brigham Young University Special Collections.