Historic Crail Ranch -- Cataloging Big Sky's History
In December 2008, the Historic Crail Ranch Conservators received a generous private-donor grant enabling us to launch a project to catalog and digitize all of our historic holdings.
In the spring of 2009, we contracted with InteResources Planning, Inc., a Bozeman firm specializing in historical preservation projects. InteResources is headed by Scott Carpenter, a former resident of Big Sky and a recognized expert in the field.
In the spring of 2009, we contracted with InteResources Planning, Inc., a Bozeman firm specializing in historical preservation projects. InteResources is headed by Scott Carpenter, a former resident of Big Sky and a recognized expert in the field.
Colt Navy Revolver owned by A F Crail
In late 2009, Anne Marie Mistretta, then Superintendent of the Big Sky School District, asked the Historic Crail Ranch Conservators to examine a fragile scrapbook maintained during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s by Gallatin Canyon pioneer Dorothy Vick.
Using funding from an anonymous donor, the Historic Crail Ranch Conservators contracted with InteResources Planning of Bozeman to develop and implement a plan to preserve the scrapbook for posterity while making it available for use by local historians.
The project is planned for completion during the summer of 2011. The following is a summary of work completed to date.
Using funding from an anonymous donor, the Historic Crail Ranch Conservators contracted with InteResources Planning of Bozeman to develop and implement a plan to preserve the scrapbook for posterity while making it available for use by local historians.
The project is planned for completion during the summer of 2011. The following is a summary of work completed to date.
The scrapbook was the centerpiece of the Dorothy Vick display at the Crail Ranch in August 2010. The fragile nature of the document was evident.
First steps in the preservation process involved stabilizing the paper. Most items in the scrapbook are newspaper articles pertaining to Gallatin Canyon settlers. Newspaper is very susceptible to decay in an acidic environment.
Once stabilized, individual pages were placed in acid-free, transparent sleeves for protection.
InteResources designed and ordered a special museum-quality storage container to hold all parts of the physical scrapbook. The plan is to keep the scrapbook in acid-free storage except when it is brought out for display.
Digitizing the Scrapbook
The final step in the process is to take high-resolution digital images of the pages to afford easy access for researchers. Overlapping articles and loose items require individual handling and several shots of the same page.
The final step in the process is to take high-resolution digital images of the pages to afford easy access for researchers. Overlapping articles and loose items require individual handling and several shots of the same page.
High-resolution images enable researchers to view the pages in very close detail. Click on the clip to see it in higher resolution.
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Saturdays & Sundays
12 noon - 3:00 PM
FREE TOURS
Contact us for more information
