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Contemporary visitor relevance <br />1. The Audience Intercept Survey identified settlers and agriculture as the top two subject <br />areas of interest. <br />2. The subject of how land shaped people and people shaped the land scored third highest in <br />Member Survey results and in the Teacher Survey, and it was frequently mentioned <br />during audience conversations and stakeholder interviews. <br />3. Visitors usually see success stories, but this is an unusually good opportunity to provide a <br />particular example of the local failure of farming on marginal land, during difficult <br />national economic circumstances, coupled with family tragedies. <br />Desired Learner Outcomes: <br />1. Some visitors will describe the combination of poor local soil productivity, national <br />agricultural depression, and family misfortune as reasons for a farm failure. (cognitive) <br />2. Some visitors will describe the two family tragedies that occurred on this land and <br />empathize with the former owners. (cognitive and affective) <br />3. Some visitors will infer the difficulty of farming in sandy areas of Sherburne County and <br />empathize with the history of local farmers. (cognitive and affective) <br />Visitor Experience <br />Visitors will view the cleared and stabilized farmstead ruins site. A 24 x 36 inch panel nearby <br />will provide a summary of the information above (or additions to it with subsequent research) <br />and feature a site map of the farmstead ruins, with buildings identified. They will also view <br />an enlarged close-up of an aerial photo of the farmstead and road system as it existed in <br />1938. (Photos would be extremely helpful here, but SCHS doesn't seem to have any right <br />now.) <br />School programs and special historical archaeology workshops should be organized to allow <br />visitors to participate in supervised archaeological excavation of the grounds. <br />Differing Points of View <br />1. Some people may believe that the Staves and other failed farmers were simply bad <br />farmers, and that is why they failed. <br />Iconic object/media/activities: The Stave farm rains <br />Additional media and activities to tell the story (objects, film, images, sound, etc.) <br />1. close-up of 1938 aerial photo of farm site and road system <br />2. Copy of platbook depictions of property —Are there any platbooks from 1920s? <br />3. Seek to acquire some family photos, if at all possible. <br />Sherburne County Historical Society Heritage Center Interpretive Plan, April 21, 2005, page 96 <br />