Mancos High School sophomores Lilly Figueroa and Sophie Eschallier were looking for a challenge this semester in their U.S. history class.
The pair were aware of another student project, the Mancos Trails Project, and developed an idea that would connect the initiative with local history while serving the community. The concept began with an idea to restore the Cedar Grove Cemetery plot map, which has become faded and difficult to read.
Figueroa and Eschallier contacted the cemetery board, which was already in the process of inputting names on the plot map into an online system. The students decided to take the inputted names and create a new map that will be printed on the school’s laser printer and then installed at the cemetery.
Researching the cemetery and its history piqued their interest in local history as well. With the help of the school district’s project-based learning coordinator, Ed Whritner, the project expanded to include even more research and two interviews with people whose families date to the settlement of Mancos Valley in the 1860s.
The challenges then became how to present the information to the community and how to collect more personal and oral histories. A website was the most functional choice. Figueroa and Eschallier helped develop a website that will host information on Mancos Valley history, including primary and secondary sources.
Always eager to push the bar higher, Figueroa and Eschallier had the idea to expand the project even further. A second page was added to the website. This page allowed community members to submit personal histories and stories about their experiences in the valley.
In order to recruit community participation, Figueroa and Eschallier teamed up with fellow students involved in making informational kiosks for the Mancos Trails Projects. The first kiosk, set to be installed in early January, will contain a QR Code that when scanned will take community members to the personal history submission page. Once a story is submitted, the students will proofread each entry and post it to the page.
The goal of the project is to provide future generations with a recounting of the social history of Mancos Valley. Members of families who have been in the valley for multiple generations are especially encouraged to share their stories.
To learn more about the Mancos Valley Societal History Project or to submit a personal history or story, visit https://cedargrovesocietalhistory.weebly.com/.
