These, in and of themselves, are fine, but they have no meaning without a strongly developed sense of neighborliness. Local history has only recently come into its own as a serious field of study. Academics long dismissed it as useless, parochial trivia. This area's decision-makers are currently at a crossroads. The challenge is in developing a philosophical framework that does not use well-intentioned, but misguided notions of local history as a blueprint for public policy.
History provides connections and contexts.
Every area has its stories of Indian attacks, of murder, of hunting prowess and of buried treasure. The real treasure, though, is in how a community retains its identity by putting its own stamp on the retellings. The more isolated, the more womb-like the locale, the longer the tales gestate and survive. Our communities do not ride on the coattails of any particular industry or individual. These are towns whose residents are surrounded by and may be aware of, but not in awe of their history.