The overall goal of this internship is to provide the student with opportunities to develop skills in cultural resource management, historical research and interpretation, public history methods, and public communication by developing a series of products related to the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Sterling Irrigation Company. To meet this goal, the scope of work includes (1) researching the history of the mutual irrigation company, including conducting interviews; (2) writing a brief pamphlet or booklet about the history of the company for shareholders and the public; (3) developing a draft National Register nomination for the ditch, including documenting linear features and arguing for the local, state, and national significance of the company’s water storage and delivery systems; (4) developing a small exhibit, most likely in concert with the Overland Trail Museum, in Sterling; and (5) presenting research to company directors and shareholders at a celebratory gathering this summer. This internship fulfills an important objective of fostering relationships among CSU Extension, CSU Public Lands History Center, CSU History Department, farmers, and water resource stewards in the state. The intern will be working primarily with the irrigation company management, directors, and shareholders.
