Capturing the history of Cass County

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July 16, 2010

Anonymous Pharos-Tribune Sat Jul 17, 2010, 07:49 PM EDT

Too often, when the word history is brought up in a conversation, the looks on people’s faces tell the story: A grimace leading into an “oh no, not history” expression.

Those people see history as only dates — July 4, 1776; Dec. 7, 1941; Aug. 9, 1974 — or they remember only how boring the lessons were to them while they were in school.

Yet, history can offer insight into the happenings around us today and explain why things are the way they are.

Beginning Sunday, Lisa Terry, in conjunction with the Cass County Historical Society and using a grant from the McTaggart Charitable Trust, will start interviewing Cass County residents for “Blue Denim Blood,” an oral history of those who have worked and lived here.

The name of the project is tells you everything you need to know. “Blue bloods” are considered the upper echelon of society while “denim” describes the clothing of the working class — farmers, railroad employees and factory workers.

“Blue Denim Blood” will focus on those people who built the county into what it has become, focusing on the railroad workers, the farmers, veterans of World War II and residents with an Italian-American background.

The last time anyone took on a project of this sort was in 1976, the year of the nation’s bicentennial and a time when people wanted to learn more.

In the 30-plus years that have passed since those oral histories were turned into the two-volume book, the county has changed considerably and a number of people’s stories have gone untold.

This project will change that.

“Blue Denim Blood” will be an oral history — taped interviews that will be videotaped and turned into a DVD. They will be sold to the public and possibly aired on the local access cable channel, and they should also be given to the county’s four school corporations to incorporate into their classes.

History offers many lessons for both youth and adults alike, and this project is one that will help to capture those lessons not only for today’s youth but for generations to come.

If you have a story to tell, now is the time to speak up.

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Capturing the history of Cass County

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