Page Forward - Fall 2019

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David L. Rice Library

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David L. Rice Library Newsletter Fall 2019

Fall 2019

Mona Meyer, Editor

WHAT’S INSIDE: Meet Our New Staff Member: pg. 3 | SOAR: pg. 5

ArchiveSFEST Since 2006, archivists in the United States have celebrated American Archives Month in October. According to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), it “cares for 15 billion sheets of paper, 43 million photographs, miles and miles of video and film and billions of electronic records. Like many of our archival colleagues at state and local levels, we face similar challenges of increasing volumes of electronic records—the fastest growing record form, while also undergoing budget and staffing constraints.” While University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) certainly isn’t as large as NARA, it still plays its part by celebrating American Archives Month with its annual event: ArchivesFest. The following local institutions were invited to display favorite items from their collections: Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science, Reitz Home Museum, Willard Library, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, John M. Lawrence ’73 Library (at USI), Evansville Wartime Museum, Newburgh Museum, USS LST Ship Memorial, Working Men’s Institute, Historic New Harmony, Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum, and the Evansville African American Museum. Continued on page 2

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The Golden Spike by Mona Meyer This year marks the 150th anniversary of the laying of the golden spike—the final joining of the eastbound Central Pacific Railroad and the westbound Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. On May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad joined the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of this nation for the first time.

Prior to the discovery of gold in California, the American West was viewed as worthless---miles and miles of emptiness, a blank slate. Once there was a compelling reason to venture west, travelers faced a daunting trek. Traversing this distance had been a long and perilous endeavor. Traveling cross country meant joining a wagon train in Kansas or Missouri and entrusting your well being to a leader who followed unmarked trails known only by prior experience or guesswork. The farther west one traveled, the farther away one was from readily available supplies. Pioneers called one stretch the “40-mile desert”—40 miles from the Humboldt River to the Truckee River without a drop of water. For the unprepared or unlucky traveler, this meant up to four days without water for humans and livestock. Weather was an ever-present hazard. An estimated one out of every 15 Continued on page 2

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