Because the very nature of the UGRR was clandestine, written documentation was incriminating evidence in the wrong hands. For years scholars have been reluctant to consider oral history as historical source information. The unfortunate reality of this method of thinking is that important history can be lost to future generations. Much of the history we have grown up with has been recorded by educated white males. Women, the poor and illiterate have been all-but forgotton.
History happens in small towns as welll as large and by a wide variety of people.
Many stories are yet to be uncovered. After attending the Michigan Underground Railroad Summit in June 1997, we began to realize the importance of pooling such information. Historians, scholars, authors and anyone interested in the UGRR attended to relate their information. There is a need to organize this information in Wisconsin. People want to know more.