###### [BACKGROUND]{.underline}

##### 

##### **Project Title: Land of Dreams: Homesteading America**

**Park:** Homestead National Monument of America

**Project Number: 05-019**

**Program Number: TV-1142**

> The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most significant and enduring
> events in the westward expansion of the United States. By granting 160
> acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman a
> chance to live the American dream.
>
> Homestead National Monument of America, located in Southeast Nebraska,
> commemorates this Act and the far-reaching effects it had upon the
> landscape and people of the plains.
>
> Located on the site of the one of the first homesteads claimed, this
> National Monument is a tribute to the courage and tenacity of the
> settlers and original inhabitants of this land. To continue telling
> the story of Homesteading in America, Homestead National Monument of
> America is currently building a new Museum and Heritage center. This
> center and its media will be the parks primary interpretive experience
> for visitors.
>
> The National Park Service and the Homestead National Monument of
> America seek to develop a 15-20 minute interpretive film and eight
> shorter exhibit videos for the Homestead Heritage Center in Beatrice,
> Nebraska. "Land of Dreams: Homesteading America", explores and
> interprets the promise, effect and legacy of the 1862 Homesteading
> Act. The eight shorter exhibit videos will focus on individual themes
> related to the homesteading era. These are non-commercial and
> educational productions that will be shown in the Visitor's Center of
> the Homestead National Monument of America. The film and exhibit
> videos are scheduled for completion by Summer 2007.
>
> For more information visit <http://www.nps.gov/home>

###### [PURPOSE]{.underline}

> The purpose of this Task Order is to provide field location shooting,
> sound, and post production services for the production of a 15- to
> 20-minute, high definition, 5.1 surround sound interpretive video and
> eight shorter exhibit videos that document and capture the memories
> and mementos of those who have participated in homesteading and the
> legacy that survives today.

III\. **[SCOPE OF WORK]{.underline}**

> In accordance with the terms and conditions of the above-referenced
> contract, the Contractor shall provide field location shooting, sound
> person and post production services for the production of a 15 - 20
> minute interpretive film and eight shorter exhibit videos. See
> Attachment A for the film treatment and Attachment B for the exhibit
> video treatment.
>
> The Contractor's primary role shall be to hire, coordinate, organize,
> manage, and pay for location shooting crews and equipment rentals. The
> Contractor shall be responsible for the scheduling and travel
> arrangements for all crewmembers. Equipment coordination shall range
> from organizing doorway dollies to camera packages to equipment for
> ensuring location communications. The Contractor shall hire talent,
> coordinate, organize, and manage the post production process, secure
> talent and systems necessary for post production tasks and provide
> editing, graphic design, and sound mixing of all elements of the eight
> exhibit videos.
>
> "Land of Dreams" crew requirements will vary depending on the
> situation and shall require close coordination with the Contracting
> Officer's Representative for scheduling, equipment requirements, and
> crew selection. Crew personnel requirements range from Director of
> Photography to Sound Persons. The crew shall work independently with
> minimal direction.
>
> The Contractor shall provide equipment and crews for two location
> shoots. The first location shoot will take place in Alaska from
> September 19, 2006 through September 28, 2006. September 18 and 29,
> 2006 will be travel days. The second location shoot will be a five day
> shoot in South Dakota and surrounding areas between October 30, 2006
> and November 10, 2006.
>
> Shooting situations and conditions will vary and shall require a high
> degree of flexibility from crew and equipment. Crews shall be well
> versed in many types of shooting styles: **First**, all crew members
> shall be experienced in interview shooting and lighting. This shall
> require controlling light and sound to achieve the desired look;
> **Second**, members of the crew shall be experienced in scenic
> shooting to capture grand landscapes, evocative terrain, and haunting
> homesteads. **Third**, the crew shall be experienced with "Documentary
> Style" shooting. During this event, the crew shall capture public
> celebrations, fairs, and festivals, individuals returning to homelands
> and homesteads. This will require timing and a good sense of the
> story.
>
> Sound recording is an essential part of this shoot. This film's
> narrative structure shall be built on the basis of interviews and
> sound bites collected throughout the shooting process. It is
> imperative that the sound recordist be comfortable with these types of
> situations and challenging conditions.

A. **[PRE-PRODUCTION PLANNING AND RESEARCH]{.underline}**

Non Applicable

B. **[TREATMENT AND /OR SCRIPT]{.underline}**

Non Applicable

C. **[PRODUCTION]{.underline}**

\(1\) **[PRODUCTION STANDARDS]{.underline}**

> All members of the crew shall be experienced and well versed in
> shooting in challenging situations and conditions and shall be able to
> work days as long as 10- to 12-hours.
>
> \(2\) **[PRODUCTION CREW]{.underline}**
>
> In addition to the requirements of the basic contract, the Contractor
> shall provide the following crew and equipment:
>
> **[Line Producer]{.underline}**
>
> This position is perhaps the most critical for the coordination of
> crew and equipment. Line Producer responsibilities include insuring
> that all crew and appropriate equipment arrive on time at the right
> location. This will require versatility and constant communications
> with all key team members.
>
> The Line Producer shall:

-   Schedule all crew;

-   Schedule all equipment;

-   Book lodging for all contract crew;

-   Arrange transportation for all contract crews;

-   Arrange and coordinate transportation of equipment to and from all
    shooting locations.

-   Obtain Release Forms from all interviewees and on-camera talent. The
    Contractor shall use the Government-Furnished Release Form contained
    in the basic contract as Attachment A.

> **[Director of Photography (DP)]{.underline}**
>
> The Director of Photography (DP) shall serve as the principle visual
> consultant and camera operator for "Land of Dreams: Homesteading
> America" and the eight exhibit videos. Shots will range from scenic
> landscapes from Alaska to the tall grass prairie and rolling plains,
> vast grasslands to crop circles and geometric patterns, and family
> homestead tours to public celebrations, fairs, and festivals, to
> formal interviews. Serving as a visual consultant the DP will also be
> the primary camera operator in the field.
>
> This film and exhibit videos shall be shot using a variety of film and
> video formats. The primary acquisition will be in HiDef 720p 24P. The
> contractor shall have extensive knowledge and experience with all
> possible formats including 35mm motion picture film, 16mm motion
> picture film, 8mm film motion picture film, HiDef 24p video as well as
> DV cam video.
>
> The DP shall manage the following tasks during the performance of work
> under this Task Order:

-   Operate to a HiDef 24p camera with an array of lenses and filters;

-   Design shots and set lighting on any and all situations;

-   Light and prepare shots to conform to the desired "look" / style in
    a variety of locations ranging from sweeping shots of landscapes and
    structures to formal interior interview situations;

-   Coordinate with the NPS Director of "Land of Dreams: Homesteading
    America" on aesthetics, continuity, and shot selection;

-   Work independently without immediate direction or supervision, and
    capture the essence of the NPS Director's intentions;

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-   Based on a Government-Furnished shot list and on location
    coordination with the NPS Director, film the principal, significant
    locations important to homesteading history in America;

-   Coordinate with Line Producer about equipment and personnel required
    for shooting; and

-   Act as consultant for equipment and personnel.

> **[Sound Recordist]{.underline}**
>
> The sound recordist shall be responsible for recording all location
> sound to the highest professional standards. Primary duties include:

-   Operate all sound equipment

-   Ensure proper mic location for optimal sound

-   Recording all interviews

-   Recording natural sounds

-   Record on the fly in a documentary style

-   Coordinate with the NPS Director of "Land of Dreams: Homesteading
    America" on aesthetics, continuity, and sound selection;

-   Work independently without immediate direction or supervision, and
    capture the essence of the NPS Director's intentions;

-   Coordinate with Line Producer about equipment and personnel required
    for shooting; and

-   Act as consultant for equipment and personnel.

> **[Cinematography and Videography Equipment]{.underline}**
>
> **One HiDef camera package which includes:**

-   Panasonic AJ-HDC27 Varicams package with a support system;

-   Panasonic "P2" camera for time lapse photography with camera support

-   HD "lipstick" camera for aerial photography;

-   Scahatler tripod and Sachtler Video 18 head or comparable;

-   Lens array for the camera to include Telephoto (20x) and wide-angle
    lens;

-   A filter package to achieve desired look and effect; and

-   Ability to monitor the HiDef signal.

> **Lighting Kit which includes:**

-   HMI/KenoFlo or comnparable lights for interview fill and location
    ambience

-   Equipment and flags shall be provided to achieve the desired look of
    "***Land of Dreams"***

**One Sound Package which includes:**

-   Shotgun Microphone

-   Lavaliere Microphones

-   Stereo Microphone

-   Cabling

-   DAT backup -- One unit required

-   Ability to feed audio signals to HiDef cameras

-   Wind baffling capability Rycote Zeppelin and Windjammer or equal

-   Silent suspension systems for recording interviews and man on street
    interviews.

> **Doorway Dolly which includes:**

-   Channel wheels for building "sled" dolly and placement on regular
    track

-   Matthews strait track totaling 32 feet

-   Adequate accompaniment of shims and cribbing for setting dolly track

> **One system for watching HD "dailies"**

\(3\) **[TALENT/ACTORS]{.underline}**

> Non Applicable

\(4\) **[SHOOTING AND PRODUCTION SCHEDULE]{.underline}**

> In this Task Order, no production schedule is required. Specifics for
> this requirement follow:
>
> All crew and equipment is not needed throughout the designated period.
> Days for crew and personnel are set forth below:

-   Assistant Producer -- 5 days

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-   Line Producer -- 5 days

-   Director of Photography (DP) -- 15 days

-   Sound Recordist -- 15 days

-   Cinematographer/Videographer -- 15 days

-   Lighting kit -- 15 days

-   Sound package -- 15 days

-   Doorway dolly -- 15 days

-   One system for watching "dailies" -- 8 days

> The Alaska shoot will require a DP and Sound Recordist. The locations
> are Anchorage, Homer & McGrath, Alaska. This shall require 10 shoot
> days and 2 travel days. Shoot dates are September 19-28, 2006.
>
> The second shoot will require a DP and Sound Recordist. The location
> is South Dakota and surrounding area. This shall require 5 shoot days
> and 2 travel days. Shoot dates will be between October 30, 2006 and
> November 10, 2006.

\(5\) **[LOCATION CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY SOUND]{.underline}**

\(6\) **[CINEMATOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY]{.underline}**

\(7\) **[FILM PROCESSING]{.underline}**

Non Applicable

\(8\) **[VIDEO TRANSFERS]{.underline}**

Non Applicable

\(9\) **[LOCATION RECORDING]{.underline}**

\(10\) **[SCORING AND SOUND EFFECTS]{.underline}**

\(11\) **[DIGITAL AUDIO]{.underline}**

\(12\) **[ROUGH CUT]{.underline}**

\(13\) **[OFF LINE FINE CUT]{.underline}**

\(14\) **[EDIT REVIEW AND APPROVAL]{.underline}**

D. **[CAPTIONING]{.underline}**

E. **[DELIVERABLES]{.underline}**

F. **[REVIEW AND APPROVAL]{.underline}**

G. **[NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MASTER TAPE REQUIREMENTS]{.underline}**

H. **[POST PRODUCTION]{.underline}**

> The post production team requirements will vary depending on the show
> and shall require close coordination with the NPS staff for
> scheduling, contracting, equipment requirements, and crew selection.
> Crew personnel requirements range from Post Production Manager to
> Editors and Production Assistants.
>
> Editing needs will vary from show to show and shall require a high
> degree of flexibility from the team and production path.
>
> \(1\) **[POST PRODUCTION STANDARDS]{.underline}**
>
> All post production must meet the highest professional standards. All
> SD videos shall be mastered to digital betacam video tape and all
> audio elements shall be mastered in the sample rate of 48K to DA88.

\(2\) **[POST PRODUCTION SCHEDULE]{.underline}**

Services include:

-   30 days of standard definition non liner offline video editing and
    compositing

-   7 days of un-compressed non liner online SD editing

-   2 days of graphic design in standard definition video

-   ability to load 720p 24 p camera original tapes from an HD master

-   5 days of sound design

-   4 days of sound mixing, 6 channel audio mixing, stereo audio mixing

-   ability to output 8 direct channels of 48K digital audio

-   encoding for all videos

-   captioning for all video elements with narration

> \(3\) **[EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION SCHEDULE]{.underline}**
>
> The five stages of post production shall reflect the following:

-   editing shall start November 27, 2006

-   offline edits of all exhibit elements shall be completed by December
    25, 2006

-   fine cut of all exhibit elements shall be completed by January 31,
    2007

-   online and mixed Masters of all exhibit material shall be completed
    by February 28, 2007

-   captioned and encoded files of all material shall be completed by
    March 31, 2007

IV\. **[TIME FOR COMPLETION, REVIEW AND APPROVAL AND
PAYMENT]{.underline}**

> All work shall be completed on or before June 14, 2007, (including
> review and approval) in accordance with the following Review and
> Approval and Payment Schedule set forth below:

+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| **ACTION** | **DATE NO     | **DELIVERABLE**  | **REVIEW  | **PA    |
|            | LATER THAN**  |                  | AND       | YMENT** |
|            |               |                  | A         |         |
|            |               |                  | PPROVAL** |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| Completion | September 29, | All tapes and    | 10 Days   | 25%     |
| of First   | 2006          | production       |           |         |
| Shoot      |               | materials,       |           |         |
|            |               | including signed |           |         |
|            |               | Release Forms    |           |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| Completion | November 15,  | All tapes and    | 10 Days   | 25%     |
| of Second  | 2006          | production       |           |         |
| Shoot      |               | materials,       |           |         |
|            |               | including signed |           |         |
|            |               | Release Forms    |           |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| Post       | February 28,  | Services         | 5 Days    | 25%     |
| production | 2007          | rendered and all |           |         |
| services   |               | masters and      |           |         |
|            |               | derivatives of   |           |         |
|            |               | shows            |           |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| Post       | May 31, 2007  | Services         | 5 Days    | 25%     |
| production |               | rendered and all |           |         |
| services   |               | masters and      |           |         |
|            |               | derivatives of   |           |         |
|            |               | shows            |           |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+
| > **TOTAL  |               |                  |           | *       |
| > FOR THE  |               |                  |           | *100%** |
| > JOB**    |               |                  |           |         |
+------------+---------------+------------------+-----------+---------+

V.  **[CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE]{.underline}** for the
    purpose of this contract will be announced at time of award:

> [ATTACHMENT A]{.underline}

**Land of Dreams:**

**Homesteading America**

**(Working title)**

**A film treatment for Homestead National Monument of America**

*The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or woman*

*-Willa Cather*

The National Park Service's Interpretive Design Center and the Homestead
National Monument of America seek to develop a 15-20 minute interpretive
film for the Homestead Heritage Center in Beatrice, NE. "Land of Dreams:
Homesteading America", explores and interprets the promise, effect and
legacy of the 1862 Homesteading Act.

Through original High-Definition cinematography, music, stock footage,
archival footage, oral histories, interviews with homesteaders decedents
and subject matter experts, photographs, paintings and documents, "Land
of Dreams" will present itself as a composite of images and sounds, both
historic and modern, which will show a multi-layered story linking the
homesteaders of the past with the homesteaders and farmers of today.
"Land of Dreams" weaves a tapestry of contemporary and historic images
to retell and reclaim the stories of Homesteading. Intermingling first
person accounts with oral histories, we will see and hear the hopes and
heartache attached to the homestead, and the changing landscape.

*Through the battle, through defeat, moving yet and never stopping,
Pioneers! O Pioneers!*

*-Walt Whitman*

"Land of Dreams" will follow actual modern homesteaders as they return
to the land they worked. There, they will guide us through their dreams
and realities connected to the land. These stories and characters serve
as a personal reference point as the film explores larger issues that
have shaped the land. From Jefferson's vision of settling the west, to
Lincoln opening land for settlement, we will see and feel the excitement
of the homestead from these individuals. From the great migration into
the Great Plains to the ghost towns of today we hear the stories of
personal boom and bust. From windmills to wind turbines, we hear and see
how technology changed life on the homestead and in the country.

*"Every foot of what you proudly call America, not long ago belonged to
the Red Man...." Sitting Bull*

"Land of Dreams" at the same time will guide the viewer though the
Native American experience from this time period. By returning with
native elders to the homeland of their people we will see that the
homesteader's success came at the cost of the Native Americans. We will
hear their stories of displacement, socialization, broken promises, and
heartache and realize that the land was not unclaimed, and not free. By
presenting the clash of cultures, strings of broken treaties and
constant conflict, "Land of Dreams" will lead the viewer through the
harsh reality of homesteading.

*One looks out over a vast checkerboard marked off in squares of wheat
and corn... telephone wires hum along the white roads, which always run
at right angles.*

*-Willa Cather*

"Land of Dreams" explores the diverse motives and methods of the
homesteaders and their varied background. From "Exodusters" to eastern
European craftsmen, oral histories and subject matter experts explain
and explore the requirements of the homesteader; the claim, settling,
farming, and proving up. We will follow key people of the homesteading
movement from Daniel Freeman to Ken Deardorff, we will show key
technological advances, from mould boards to no till, from oil lamps to
Rural Electrification, we will see the continuum of people and advances
that has made the Homesteading Act an enduring legacy in America today.
Through these stories we begin to see the dreams and determination of
the homesteaders as uniquely American, where ideas of hard work, vision
and good fortune will lead to success, regardless of background.

*It was the country that was the Hero or Heroine.*

*-Willa Cather*

"Land of Dreams" will visit the farms and fields of today's farmers,
descendants of homesteaders to derive the legacy of the Homestead Act.
The film will explore the legacy of the homesteader and how it has woven
itself into the fabric of today's society from the working farm to small
town festivals to the large state fairs to the Oklahoma Sooner's
football team.

In the farms, small towns, cities, wilderness areas and Native American
reservations of today we will see and hear the enduring legacy of this
act. "Land of Dreams" showcases the emotional and physical ties to
homesteaded land, our connection to this history and how it endures in
our culture today.

**Shot List:**

-   **Original Acquisition**

1.  Landscape

    a.  Mid-West landscape.

        i.  Rolling plains

        ii. Vast grasslands

        iii. Crops circles and geometric patterns

        iv. Long roads and family farms

        v.  Deserted towns

        vi. Grain elevators

        vii. Combines working in the field

        viii. Planting/harvesting

    b.  South West

        i.  Desert

        ii. Cowboy camps

        iii. Log cabins

        iv. Fence lines

        v.  Dirt farming

        vi. Pie town

    c.  South East

        i.  Swamps

        ii. Fruit trees in Florida

        iii. Southern mountain cabins

        iv. Small fields and crops

    d.  North West

        i.  Rainforest settlers

        ii. Mountain settlers

        iii. Large trees meager crops

    e.  Alaska

        i.  Modern Homesteaders

        ii. Cabins

        iii. Subsistence living

        iv. Small crops

        v.  Small plot vast wilderness

2.  Native Americans

    a.  Catlin paintings

    b.  Buffalo herds

    c.  Today's reservations

    d.  Returning to land

3.  Homesteading

    a.  The act

        i.  document

    b.  Freeman

        i.  Photographs

        ii. letters

    c.  The people

        i.  Oral histories

        ii. Photographs

    d.  The migration

        i.  Oklahoma land rush

    e.  The technology

        i.  Wind mill

        ii. Wind turbine

        iii. Ploughs

        iv. Combines

        v.  Modern farming

4.  Agriculture

    a.  Planting

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a.  Growing

b.  Harvesting

c.  Winter

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5.  Legacy

    a.  Modern Farming

        i.  Planting harvesting

    b.  Communities

        i.  Thriving towns

        ii. Ghost towns

        iii. Grain elevators

    c.  Landscape

        i.  Prairie

        ii. Geometric shapes

        iii. Straight roads

    d.  The people

        i.  Farmers

        ii. Decedents

        iii. Famous decedents

    e.  The culture

        i.  Sooner's football game

        ii. State Fair

        iii. Farmers on the original homestead

        iv. Modern homesteaders on Alaska

        v.  Railroads

        vi. State colleges

6.  Aerial Photography

    a.  Wind turbines

    b.  Crop Circles and Squares

    c.  Large sky

    d.  Low running over the top of crops

    e.  Fringe fields to town

**Archival footage:**

-   "Plow that Broke the Plain" (B&W, 19??, National Archives)

-   "Pioneer Life Drama" (National Archives)

-   "Alaska Homesteading" (color, 1935, National Archives)

-   "Dust Storms" films (National Archives)

-   "Your Enemy, the Grasshopper" (color, 1951, National Archives)

-   Early Nebraska film of Dawes County (1915) and Gage County (1920)
    (Nebraska State Historical Society)

-   Universal Newsreel collection for footage of plowing, farming,
    grasshoppers, etc. (National Archives)

-   Oklahoma Historical Society Film Archives

-   "Indian Day School." (Edison Film, 1898, Library of Congress)

**Stock footage**

-   "Widescreen Nebraska," (high-def scenic's and aerials from Nebraska
    ETV Network)

-   WNET Prairie house

-   NRT "Writers Project" (Laura Maricle)

-   NPS "This I Believe" (Victor Hansen)

> [ATTACHMENT B]{.underline}
>
> **DETAILED EXHIBIT TREATMENTS**

**[UNLEASHING An AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION]{.underline}**:

"**Machines on Parade" Video**

[Length]{.underline}: 2-3 minutes

[Purpose]{.underline}: The purpose of this video is to show how advances
in agricultural technology made it possible for a homesteading family to
successfully farm 160 acres largely on their own.

[Approach]{.underline}: This video will use a "silent movie" approach
with placards to convey information.

[Content]{.underline}: The topics to be covered include:

-   The enormous transition during the period of 1830-1930 from the use
    of human muscle-power to the use of horses, steam and
    internal-combustion engines and the invention during this period of
    such labor saving devices as steel plows, and mechanized reaping,
    harvesting and threshing equipment. The particular focus will be on
    the period beginning after 1865.

-   A brief mention of the role agricultural colleges played in spurring
    developments in agricultural technology. (This will be covered in
    more depth in the exhibit.)

-   How developments in agricultural equipment, in turn, helped spur the
    westward expansion of railroads to carry machinery to farms and farm
    products to markets.

-   How mechanization increased productivity and reduced the need for
    hired farm labor. (According to one source, for example, the time to
    harvest an acre of wheat dropped from 37 hours in 1830 to 3 hours in
    1896 to ½ hour in 1930.) It would be fun to use some corny 1930s
    passage-of-time device (the arm of a clock going around fast?) to
    illustrate this comparison.

-   How mechanized equipment was suited to work on the open prairies and
    plains and made possible the expansion of homesteading into the High
    Plains areas during the second wave of homesteading in the early
    20^th^ century.

(Although some of these same themes will also appear on the static
panels in the exhibit, the video provides a summary and overview, while
giving the viewer the chance to see the farm machinery in action,
bringing to life the machines they see portrayed around them in the
exhibit.)

[Video resources]{.underline}:

-   Still images (illustrations and photos of scythes, cradles, plows,
    reapers, harvesters, mowers, threshers, combines, tractors;
    equipment advertisements from McCormick and other companies).

-   Film/video:

    -   "The Master Farmer" (USDA, B&W, 1929, from National Archives);

    -   "Plow that Broke the Plain" (B&W, 1936, from National Archives)

    -   "Better Seeds, Better Crops," (1924 USDA how-to film on wheat
        farming, from National Archives)

    -   "History of Threshing" (1930s B&W, from National Archives)

    -   "Too Much Wheat" (1933 USDA film, from National Archives)

    -   "Plow Evolution" (Universal Newsreel collection, National
        Archives)

    -   "Hand Farming" (Universal Newsreel collection, National
        Archives)

    -   "Romance of the Reaper," (B&W, 1929, McCormick advertising film
        available from Wisconsin Historical Society)

    -   Farming demonstrations with antique equipment could also be shot
        at living history museums.

**[OPPORTUNITY AND DISPLACEMENT]{.underline}**:

# "Gaining Ground/Losing Ground: the Oklahoma Land Runs" video

[Length]{.underline}: 3-4 minutes

[Purpose]{.underline}: The Oklahoma land runs offer probably the most
vivid example of the ways in which the Homestead Act provided
opportunity for settlers, but at a tremendous cost to the American
Indians living in what was then known as Indian Territory. The video
will examine the dual themes of opportunity and displacement through the
story of the land runs.

[Approach]{.underline}: The video will be done in a documentary style,
combining still and moving images with voiceover narration and excerpts
from first-person accounts of homesteaders and Indians. There will be 2
video monitors presenting 2 different shows. The native American
perspective will focus on the loss of the land and what the impact of
the homesteaders had on their tribes and culture. The homesteader show
will focus on the perspective of the homesteader and the frenzy for land
that occurred during that time.

[Content]{.underline}: To link the video to the panels, the video will
position the land rush as the culmination of the process of removal and
dispossession that had been going on for decades.

The Homesteaders videos will use archival footage, as well as still
images, excerpts from newspapers and first-person accounts, sound
effects and music to capture the drama and excitement of the Okalahoma
land rush. The point of this video is to set the emotional tone of the
settlers that the land was there's for the taking and their sense of
entitlement to it.

The native American story will be presented by using interviews,
historic paintings, excerpts from speeches and diaries to express the
loss and sorrow of loosing ancestral land. The video will examine how
the tribes ended up losing the vast area that they had been assured
would be theirs "as long as the stars shall shine and the rivers may
flow."

> [Video resources]{.underline}:

-   Numerous still images of land rushes, Indians, and maps of Indian
    Territory from the University of Oklahoma Western History
    Collection. (Oklahoma Historical Society should also be checked.)

-   Newspaper accounts of the Oklahoma land rushes in Harpers Weekly,
    New York Times, and other major papers of the era.

-   Indian quotes on allotment and settlement efforts (see "Indian
    Accounts" compilation)

-   Archival footage containing land rush or related images:

    -   "Plow that Broke the Plain" (B&W, 1936, from National Archives)

    -   "The Master Farmer," (USDA, B&W, 1929, from National Archives)

    -   "Wards of a Nation" (B&W, 1920, on Indian assimilation, from
        National Archives)

    -   Oklahoma Historical Society and University of Oklahoma film
        archives should also be checked.

-   Modern recreations of the land runs:

    -   "Far and Away" (1992), Hollywood movie, has land rush scenes,
        but likely prohibitively expensive to get rights.

-   References:

    -   Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, [Red Earth]{.underline}: [Race and
        Agriculture in Oklahoma Territory]{.underline} (2004)

    -   Stan Hoig, [The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889]{.underline}.

    -   Murray Wickett, [Contested Territory]{.underline}.

    -   See research bibliography for other references.

**[CONFRONTING REALITY]{.underline}**:

### Audio Program

[Length]{.underline}: maximum 4 minutes, if all buttons are activated.
(Note, the evaluator is looking at the issue of length)

[Purpose]{.underline}: The Confronting Reality section of the exhibit
focuses on what homesteaders encountered during their first years on
their claims. The main focus in this exhibit is the often harsh or
surprising realities that homesteaders had to contend with as they tried
to settle into homesteading life. The exhibit panel is divided into four
sections: Shelter, Clearing the Land, Getting Started (planting crops,
growing a garden, finding water), and the Elements (dealing with climate
and weather events).

The audio recordings (consisting of first-person accounts relating to
each of the four topic areas) will complement and add emotional depth to
the images on the interpretive panel. In contrast to the glorious
promises contained in promotional materials that lured many settlers to
homestead, these audio accounts focus on the sometimes-grim "realities"
that homesteaders encountered. Homesteaders' initial responses to the
challenges of homestead life provided some of the most memorable and
deeply felt quotes in diaries and other accounts, and this audio
component is designed to share that experience with visitors.

**Note: There is current research underway to locate actual oral
histories of the homesteaders the quotes below could be used with actors
if that search proves fruitless.**

[Approach]{.underline}: Each of the four panels will have a button that
visitors can push to activate an audio recording of excerpts from
first-person accounts relating to that topic. Each button will activate
a recording consisting of several quotes. (The total length of the
recording is a topic that is being addressed by the evaluator.) The
recordings will link in a general way to the images on the exhibit
panel, but the events and people featured in the recordings will not
necessarily correspond directly to images on the interpretive panel.

We will seek to include a variety of voices in each program (e.g. male,
female, child, immigrants, African-American, etc.)

When selecting quotes, we will strive to find those that capture how
someone coped with or experienced something, rather than including
purely factual descriptions of homesteading realities.

[Content]{.underline}:

Some examples:

[Shelter]{.underline}:

"We've already put our carpet on the floor with a lot of newspapers
underneath. It's just a dirt floor under the papers. Our beds are in. So
is the stove, the table, the cupboards, the trunk, etc. When we get the
cheesecloth on the wall that we brought with us for that purpose, it
won't look bad at all." \-- *From "This Lady Rode the Range," on
13-year-old Laura Iverson's impression of a dugout in South Dakota, p.
19.*

"*The gently rolling farmland of the \[promotional\] pamphlets turned
out to be mile after mile of open range -- bone dry, dotted with the
mushroom-shaped rock formations of the badlands, without a sheltering
tree in sight."* \--Percy Wollaston in "Homesteading: A Montana Family
Album"

"*Mrs. John McCashland, of Fillmore County, Nebraska, did what a good
many others of her sex no doubt did. When she first saw the dugout her
husband had prepared for their home she was so discouraged she burst
into tears."* -- Sod House Frontier.

"The most disagreeable feature of these \[sod\] houses was the leaky
roof....A heavy rain came, soaked into the dirt roof, and soon little
rivulets of muddy water were running through the sleepers' hair." *--
Sod House Frontier*

"One man with a hammer, nails and a saw could build his house and be
living in it in a day or two, depending on his skill....Cover the whole
thing with tarpaper and set up housekeeping in just about as depressing
an edifice as men ever contrived."---*Percy Wollaston, "Homesteading: A
Montana Family Album," p. 46-48*

*"I came to Montana in May, 1913...I saw a new land of great spaces and
new homesteads, and I stayed because, well, I liked what I saw and I had
no money to go back where I came from*."\-- Clyde Sullivan, quoted in
"Well I have lived in Montana...", p. 44.

[Clearing the Land]{.underline}:

*"\[Neighbor Jim Morrow\] had managed to exchange work in his 'spare
time' for a \[fifteen dollar' horse....A big shambling black animal with
a bony lump on one knee....Ground had to be broken for a garden and for
a little patch of corn on the few level acres of their claim....Breaking
could be done with the single horse hitched to the plow and allowed
frequent rest. But later in the summer when the corn needed cultivating,
another problem came up. They borrowed a cultivator, but it was a
two-horse outfit. The horse could pull it, but something was needed to
hold up the neck yoke on the other side of the tongue. Jim walked along
holding up the neck yoke opposite the old horse, while Lorna drove the
'team.' They probably could have hoed the corn by hand with less fuss
and trouble, but they were farming and hard work made up for
inexperience."---*Percy Wollaston, p. 116.

[Getting Started]{.underline}:

*"The Scotchman sold us the fat cow for cash. Knowing precisely nothing
about butchering a beef animal, we sent for a farm bulletin giving full
instructions. Armed with the pamphlet, a shotgun and several knives, we
enticed the cow inside the framework of the new house. There she was
shot, her throat cut and with considerable difficulty, Mrs. Sherman and
I removed the hide...The procedure was to read a little ways, then cut
and hack, then read some more. While we read and argued, the carcass
grew cold and stiff and began to bloat. Our animal didn't seem to be put
together like the cow in the book."\--* "Yankee Bill," about James
Sherman homesteading in Nevada, p. 97*:*

*"We would take a bath on Saturday night. We had a number three bathtub.
I'd get the water all hot and then I'd bathe Josie and then I'd take a
bath and then Faro would take a bath. Then I saved it to scrub the floor
with, and after we scrubbed the floor, I'd put it on the flowerbed. You
kind of wore the water out."\--* Doris Caudill, p. 165

*"Joe Stephenson lived about two miles from the home place. We hauled
water from their place. We didn't have a well. We put five barrels in
the wagon and filled all those barrels and have water to run us for a
week. Then when they got empty, we had to go back again." \--* From
"Life on a Homestead," Minnie Crisp, New Mexico, p. 61.

"*Our animal friends played a more important part in our lives...than
would have been the case had neighbors been more plentiful. This, I
believe, was more or less true of all homesteaders*." \-- From "Yankee
Bill," James Sherman homesteading in NV, p. 101.

"The first winter of 1933 was definitely the hardest one....Our diet was
red beans and corn bread for lunch and supper and watery gravy and
biscuits for breakfast. After the cows had their spring calves, we
finally had milk and butter, but before then it was water gravy."\--
*Doris Caudill, New Mexico, p. 90.*

> [The Elements]{.underline}:

"*Shortly after the noon meal, a dark cloud suddenly boiled up in the
northwest sky. We both knew what such a formation could mean, and we
watched in fear and trembling as the sky became darker and assumed an
ominous hue. Then suddenly the hailstorm, the scourge of the prairie
farmer, was upon us. It was of such intensity that in a few minutes
practically all for which we had suffered and labored so long was
destroyed. The wheat crop was hammered into the ground. The storm water
washed away the grain, which had already been cut and lay on the ground
tied in bundles. Our two horses were killed running frantically into the
wire which surrounded their pasture."*---Rachel Calof, p. 76.

*"The scene was grand beyond description. To the north and within ½ mile
there was a sheet of flames extending east and west. To the west there
was fire beyond fire. Acrost the river, a haystack was burning. Jake had
the logs for his house ready to put up, the fire got among them, and did
much damage. I can't give a description of the wild, fearful, yet
fascinating sight."\--* Abbie Bright, Kansas, part II, p. 20*.*

*"By 10 o'clock everyone realized that the country was in the grip of a
terrible blizzard, the wind blowing a gale and the snow coming in a
blinding rush. By morning, nothing could be seen, and in order to care
for the stock in the barns, it was necessary to draw a rope from house
to barn. The cold was so intense that fires had to be kept going in the
house day and night, and many people suffered from a lack of provisions
and fuel. This continued for four days. Cattle on the range could not be
cared for and it was not possible to search for them until after the
fourth day of the storm. Losses were extremely heavy, and searchers
would find them frozen to death, some with their mouths frozen shut,
some with their feet frozen." \--* Ary Johnson, Pioneer Women, page 92,
(quoted in HNM The Free Land Idea: An Activity Guide)

*"You cannot imagine in the midst of any desert a drier more desolate
spot than those fields which promised us so generous a harvest. There is
literally nothing -- not enough on the whole farm to feed one of our
pretty pigeons for the winter."\--* Caroline Henderson, p. 37, on loss
of crop, 1909

*"We all know about the old scrub board routine...but nobody quite
pictures hanging out the finished product on the line at maybe ten
below, when the thinner garments begin to stiffen and crackle before you
even get the clothespin set." --Percy Wollaston,* p. 27.

*"I have not filed on my land yet because the snow is fifteen feet deep
on it, and I think I would rather see what I am getting, so will wait
until summer. They have just three seasons, winter and July and
August."\--* Elinore Stewart, p. 204, in Women of the West

**[READING A PHOTOGRAPH PANEL]{.underline}**

**Computer interactive**

[Purpose]{.underline}: Solomon Butcher and Evelyn Cameron produced two
extraordinary archives documenting the homesteading period in Nebraska
and Montana. This interactive will encourage visitors to pause and study
these photographs and help them to think more deeply about the meanings
and messages embedded in the images.

[Approach]{.underline}: The visitor will have the chance to drag a
magnifying device across a Solomon Butcher photograph to enlarge and
study portions of the image. When the magnifying device hits a hot spot
information about the photograph will be available. The interactive will
challenge visitors to find certain objects in the photograph, and will
pose questions and provide answers relating to some of the deeper
meanings that can be mined from a photograph. Visitors will then be
invited to access an archive of up to ten additional Butcher and Cameron
photos for additional study.

[Content]{.underline}: Exact content points will depend on the photo
selected for the magnification process. (We will not use the famous
Sylvester Rawdings family photo.) Visitors will learn to ask themselves
questions about the facial expressions of people in the photograph, and
the objects and the activities portrayed. In addition, visitors will
have a chance to learn more about photographers Butcher and Cameron and
see their portraits.

[Resources]{.underline}:

John E. Carter, "Solomon Butcher: Photographing the American Dream."

Donna M. Lucey, "Photographing Montana1894-1928: The Life and Work of
Evelyn Cameron."

**Video**: **"Daily Domestic Life on the Homestead"**

[Length]{.underline}: up to 3 minutes. Consider running the video as a
loop so visitors can catch whatever portion is running when they
encounter the exhibit.

[Purpose]{.underline}: It's hard for modern-day visitors to imagine what
everyday life was like on a homestead. By showing visitors how
homesteading families (as well as single women and bachelors) went about
their daily activities, the visitors will connect emotionally to
homesteaders at the same time that they are struck both by the ingenuity
and privation that were facets of homestead life.

[Approach]{.underline}: Documentary-style production using still images,
stock video, excerpts from diaries/accounts and voiceover narration.
Because of the short length of the video, we propose limiting the scope
of this video to focus on what life was like for Great Plains
homesteaders. We will primarily focus on domestic life -- life in and
around the homestead house and garden, as opposed to work in the farm
fields.

[Content]{.underline}: We will cover:

-   Gathering fuel, cooking and eating

-   Tending animals (chickens, cows)

-   Making clothing (homemade clothes, mail-order purchasing, washing
    and ironing)

-   Creating a home (e.g. make-shift wall coverings, cherished objects)

-   Cleaning (clothing, house, dishes)

-   Children's chores and play (We have a striking quote about a child
    who treated her pet frogs as dolls, putting diapers on them.)

-   Healthy, sickness and limited access to medical care.

[Resources]{.underline}:

-   First-person accounts of Great Plains homesteaders (e.g. Rachel
    Calof, Elinor Stewart) and others from account quote compilations
    not used in the exhibits

-   Photographer Evelyn Cameron's domestic images, supplemented by
    domestic images from other archives

-   References: Elliott West's books: *Growing Up with the Country:
    Childhood on the Far Western Frontier*, and chapter on families in
    *The Way to the West: Essays on the Central Plains*.

-   Prarie house PBS series,

**["First and Last Homesteader" exhibit]{.underline}**:

# Interview with Ken Deardorff and Quotations from Daniel Freeman

[Length]{.underline}: 1-3 minutes

[Purpose]{.underline}: In this exhibit, we will see a series of
photographs and objects as well as landscape connected with Daniel
Freeman, as well as with America's last homesteader, Alaskan Ken
Deardorff. Because Deardorff is still living, and expresses himself in
an engaging way, we have a unique opportunity to include a homesteader
commenting on some of the experiences associated with items in this part
of the exhibit. A separate soundstick will be used to listen to recorded
quotations by or about Daniel Freeman, obtained from accounts, newspaper
articles, letters, etc.

[Approach]{.underline}: We will provide one Small LCD monitor and sound
stick each for Freeman and Deardorff. The Freeman program will include
photographs, writings scenes of landscapes, quotations by or anecdotes
about Freeman, relating, if possible, to items in the exhibit. The
Deardorff program will contain interview excerpts connected with
different objects and experiences in the Deardorff exhibit. The focus
will be on the meanings, significance and experiences associated with
the items rather than on mere descriptions of the items.

[Content]{.underline}: For the Freeman side, possible topics include how
he got the land, his interest in having his homestead commemorated,
Supreme Court case, how he used the land when he lived there.

For the Deardorff side, the interview conducted by NPS staff provides an
excellent guide to possible topics and interesting anecdotes. Excerpts
would link to objects seen in the exhibit and touch on such topics as:

-   catching fish for Deardorff's sled dogs (he estimates that he had to
    catch 6,000 salmon a year just to feed his dogs),

-   trapping adventures in Alaska in winter,

-   making antler soup in a time of near starvation,

-   living in a tent in sub-zero temperatures in February until he could
    build his first cabin, etc.

[Resources]{.underline}:

-   Tape/transcript of Deardorff interview by park staff

-   Article on Deardorff in the *Beatrice Daily Sun*.

**[SUCCESS AND FAILURE]{.underline}**:

**Agricultural Roulette computer interactive**:

[Purpose]{.underline}: The homesteading failure rate was quite high --
about half of those who filed for land did not obtain a deed to the
property. This interactive is designed to help visitors understand,
through a game format, some of the factors that led to success or
failure.

[Approach]{.underline}: Using a touch-screen computer, visitors will
have the opportunity to select 5 different options for location, 5
different dates and 5 different crops. Once they have made their
selection, they will see a screen explaining whether and why their crop
failed or succeeded that year. The explanation will be accompanied by
images showing successful fields or barren fields, as well as game-like
sound effects. Approximately 50 percent of the scenarios will result in
failure and 50 percent in success, mirroring the actual rates
homesteaders encountered. The explanations will be somewhat lighthearted
to keep this game upbeat.

[Content]{.underline}: Based on research provided by Elliott West and
his graduate assistant, we are able to provide actual agricultural
outcomes for counties in two different states, in two different years
and involving two crops. The explanation includes information on how
factors like insect infestations, crop prices and rainfall levels
affected the outcomes.

[SUCCESS AND FAILURE]{.underline}:

Success Audio Program

[Length]{.underline}: 1-2 minutes

[Purpose]{.underline}: Success was relative and meant different things
to different people. This audio program includes quotations from
homesteaders reflecting on what success meant to them.

[Approach]{.underline}: We will include quotations from 5-6 homesteaders
from different time periods, locations and backgrounds. We will include
first-person quotes from homesteading accounts as well as comments from
one or two present-day descendants of homesteaders.

[Content]{.underline}: We will convey the idea that success to some was
measured in material gain. Others viewed success in terms of the
personal growth they had achieved through facing and overcoming the
challenges of homesteading. For other families, success was measured
over a period of multiple generations: second-generation homesteaders
often were able to achieve greater success than their parents by taking
advantage of more scientific approaches to agriculture and access to
better equipment.

[Resources]{.underline}:

-   Accounts by John Ise ("Sod and Stubble") and Rachel Calof ("Rachel
    Calof's Story") offer interesting perspectives on success.

-   Also see account compilation developed during the research process.

**[LEGACY]{.underline}:**

**Video on Homesteading's Legacy**

[Length]{.underline}: up to 2-3 minutes

[Purpose]{.underline}: To examine homesteading's legacy from a variety
of perspectives.

[Approach]{.underline}: The video will include interviews with a number
of people from a variety of perspectives (e.g. historian, American
Indian philosopher/writer, poet, folklorist, perhaps a famous descendant
of homesteaders). Visitors will activate the video with a push button.
The video will employ photos and moving video to illustrate the points
made by the interviewees to avoid a "talking heads" approach and
maintain viewer interest.

[Content]{.underline}: All interviewees will be asked to address the
same question: What has the Homestead Act meant to America?

> HOME AV & Exhibit Tracking Chart

  ----------------- -------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ -----------
  **Exhibit / Code  **Program      **Format**    **Monitor**   **Speakers**   **Post       **Type of    **ADA**      **Play Back
  / TRT**           Title**                                                   Path**       play**                    system**

  ** **             * *                                                                                               

  ***Unleashing and Un leashing an SD Video only 16x9          N/A            Symphony Up  Push Button  N/A          SEE AV
  Agricultural      agricultural   MOS                                        Rez          Activated                 EQUIPMENT
  revolution***     revolution                                                                                       LIST

  ** **             ** **                                                                                             

  ***Opportunity    Opportunity    Audio/Video   2 monitors    4 speakers     Symphony up  Continuous   Captioned    SEE AV
  Displacement***   Displacement   SD/mono 16x9  LCD                          rez post mix                           EQUIPMENT
                                                                                                                     LIST

  ** **             ** **                                                                                             

  ***Confronting    Confronting    Audio only 4  N/A           8 handsets     Audio EQ and Triggered at Transcript   SEE AV
  reality***        reality        independent                                Mix          handset One               EQUIPMENT
                                   tracks 8                                                for each                  LIST
                                   handsets                                                panel                     

  ** **                                                                                                               

  ***Reading a      Reading a      Interactive   Touch screen  N/A            Contract     Attract      N/A          SEE AV
  photograph***     Photograph     computer                                   authorship   screen Touch              EQUIPMENT
                                                                                           screen                    LIST
                                                                                           activated                 

  ** **                                                                                                               

  ***Homestead Life Homestead life Video only    LCD           N/A            Symphony Up  Continuous   N/A          SEE AV
  and the           and the        MOS                                        Rez                                    EQUIPMENT
  community***      community                                                                                        LIST

  ** **                                                                                                               

  ***First and Last Vid 1: Daniel  Audio/Video   LCD           handset        Symphony Up  Triggered at Captioned    SEE AV
  Homesteaders***   Freeman        SD/mono 16x9                               Rez / Mix    handset                   EQUIPMENT
                                                                                                                     LIST

  *** ***           Vid 2: Ken     Audio/Video   LCD           handset        Symphony Up  Triggered at Captioned    SEE AV
                    Deardorff      SD/mono 16x9                               Rez / Mix    handset                   EQUIPMENT
                                                                                                                     LIST
  ----------------- -------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ -----------

  -------------- -------------- ------------- -------- ---------- ------------ ----------- ------------ -----------
                                                                                                         

  ***Success and Agricultural   Interactive   Touch    N/A        Contract     Attract     N/A          SEE AV
  Failure***     roulette       computer      screen              authorship   screen                   EQUIPMENT
                                                                               Touch                    LIST
                                                                               screen                   
                                                                               activated                

                                                                                                         

  *** ***        Audio station  1 Handset     N/A      handset    Mix          Triggered   Transcript   SEE AV
                 success                                                       at handset               EQUIPMENT
                                                                                                        LIST

  ** **                                                                                                  

  ***Legacy***   Homesteading   Audio/Video   LCD      2 Speakers Symphony Up  Push Button Captioned    SEE AV
                 America        SD/stereo                         Rez / Mix    Activated                EQUIPMENT
                                16x9                                                                    LIST

  ** **                                                                                                  
  -------------- -------------- ------------- -------- ---------- ------------ ----------- ------------ -----------