Passing It On

Personal, institutional history takes beating from Mother Nature

While most Iowans relish our time in the spotlight in the months (or years!) prior to our quadrennial political caucuses that help steer the course of national presidential politics, we’re not as fond of what’s been happening lately.

Tornadoes and floods have been the forces behind our most recent notoriety, which most of us in the heartland would gladly trade for a few dry days of peace and quiet. The news is full of people telling tales of loss. For those who have been fortunate enough to survive the recent calamities without death or serious injury to their loved ones, the anguish is focused on the irreplaceable – the photos and other items that once linked them to their past but are now gone forever.

Besides the personal loss, flooding also creates institutional loss. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for example, the Linn County Courthouse, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library and the Cedar Rapids Public Library were overrun by river water. Newspaper Archive.com, a site used heavily by genealogists, was forced to shut down.

I find it particularly interesting that these Iowa institutional losses have been reported on by a California blogger named Craig Manson, whose GeneaBlogie site has done an excellent job of framing the Iowa disasters in genealogical terms.

Of course, floods and tornadoes aren’t the only threats to our family histories. This story about a fire in Peabody, Mass., carries comments from a family historian lamenting the loss of priceless items from her family.

Sometimes nature just sneaks up on us before we can adequately prepare, but there are some steps we can take to disaster-proof our own family heirlooms and histories. You can learn more from California conservator and preservationist Scott Haskins here.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo of flooded Czech Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, courtesy of excaliburdj.

Changes in nature alter our family history, too

   

See that critter to the right? It’s a turtle; an Iowa turtle.

Turtles may not be that rare in your part of the world, but they’ve been popping up like crazy in our little suburban community. This guy was discovered on a soccer field near our public library. On my morning walk today, I spotted another whose shell measured at least 12 inches. That’s huge for these parts.

We’re stuck in a wild, soggy weather pattern that’s put some of our wildlife on the move. Last week we spotted a muskrat near our back yard, something we hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Deer in our neighborhood are so common that they no longer run when seeing a human. Current deer populations consider themselves suburbanites, too, I suppose.

Times are definitely changing. Old-timers in Iowa still tell stories about what a thrill it was to catch a glimpse of a deer in their youth, a time when whitetails were rare in these parts. While deer and wild turkeys have enjoyed a comeback in Iowa over the years, other species have not. We’re in danger of losing a couple of species of turtles and several species of mammals, fish and birds, including the common barn owl.

I’m pretty much a city boy, though I’ve had several relatives who have lived on farms. Although contemporary life often pushes us further away from our connections with nature, I think it’s valuable to re-establish those connections whenever possible. Take a hike, go camping, hop on a bike. Check out nature from a fresh vantage point. This planet functioned quite nicely before we arrived and will do quite well after we’re gone.

In the meantime, our descendants will want to know how nature worked for the generations that preceded them. It’s possible that the pace of natural change is accelerating. It’s our duty to document those changes and their effects on our own family’s lives.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Turtle photo courtesy of lwlehmer.