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City Council Minutes Page 10 October 13, 2003 ............................. case in action, with distance only 45 minutes away, it is a long solid history project and the school constantly has students interested. Mr. Rohlf has had preliminary discussions with the DNR regarding the foundation of the original 1851 sawmill and it was felt that physically it should be easy. Commissioner Kragness stated that we have a gem with the old Houlton Farm area; it is so unusual to have undeveloped land sitting in the middle of our City that has so many ties to not only our local history but also to Minnesota history, the saw milling site, flour mill, the Red River Trail having gone through there from 1840 to 1860, and there's two Native American battle sites. He felt there should be some interesting archaeological finds. His personal vision would be to incorporate this site into a park system, a walkway system around the perimeter of the Elk and Mississippi Rivers and have interpretive signs of ongoing archaeology, incorporating some opportunities for citizens, students, and all interested parties. Professor Rathaus mention that one of the keys for the sustainability for the sites for activity was partnerships. Oral Interviews/Written History, Councilmember Kuester stated that 10th grade students that were in the honor's class conducted these interviews and it was a special project that they were assigned. One project was to take a name out of the yearbook and research them for a while and one was to research a local location. She hasn't heard the interviews but would guess the teacher had a lot more and would have saved the best. The goal is to use primary resources so it is a real asset to have these oral interviews. Commissioner Kragness stated that by doing oral interviews it is not just simply to record history but to make it easier for us and by interviewing these people it is to identify major themes in history, commercial development, residential development, etc. and then fill in and add the details. It has to be practical, useful, and adds richness to our lives and community. It's about connecting people. Councilmember Dietz asked as to how far out in the future would it take to have this written history. Mr. Rohlf stated that we have limited money to do it with and would need to hire someone to compile and he thought it would take two to three years. He hopes that it's something that reads well. Mayor I42inzing asked wouldn't it be interesting if someone did a critical history of Elk River. Commissioner Kragness stated whether it is popular and something on a coffee table with lots of photographs or critical history, we are analyzing the changes that have taken place and the growth is the most significant history that the City is going through right how. Mayor ICAinzing feels it's important as to what has lead to it; there are a lot of things that have been foundational and built upon as to what lead to it. That's unique to every community. She felt it comes more from interviewing people, the accuracy of that information, and to give their spin on what occurred at the time.