Selected projects by the HRS principal spanning academic research, cultural resource documentation, and computational historical analysis.
The following projects represent the range of research and professional work conducted by the HRS principal. They span academic scholarship, regulatory compliance documentation, and applied historical analysis — reflecting the integration of archival methods, field documentation, and analytical tools that defines the HRS approach.
Doctoral Research · In Progress
A history of gray wolf reintroduction in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming from the 1970s through 2011, examining how regional political culture shaped federal environmental policy. The dissertation draws on archival research across six state and federal repositories, seven oral history interviews with legislators, wildlife biologists, and advocates, and a theoretical framework analyzing the tension between libertarian-individualism and communitarianism in state-level politics.
Academic Research · 2022
An archival research project analyzing the political opposition to the proposed Columbia Valley Authority (CVA) from 1935 to 1951. Drawing on primary materials from the University of Idaho and Washington State archives, the study examined how conservative and liberal voices in the Pacific Northwest responded to federal proposals for centralized water resource management — and how embodied experiences of the Depression, wartime, and Cold War shaped the political rhetoric on both sides.
Computational Historical Analysis · 2024
Bayesian analysis of 582 archival documents from the Gracie Pfost Papers (1958–1964), examining how Idaho constituents, industry groups, and federal officials engaged the Wilderness Act through six years of legislative activity. Applied topic modeling, named entity extraction, automated position classification, and changepoint detection to surface structural patterns invisible to traditional close reading.
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HABS Documentation · Section 106 · 2026
Historic American Building Survey documentation for the General Administration Building at 210 11th Avenue SW, Olympia — a National Register-listed International Style government building designed by architect A. Gordon Lumm and completed in 1956. The first major building constructed on the Capitol campus after the Great Depression, the GA Building features ribbon windows, a Wilkeson sandstone pylon, and a 10-by-29-foot interior mosaic mural by artist Jean Cory Beall. HABS-level documentation was prepared as mitigation for planned demolition, including measured drawings, large-format photography, and an outline history meeting National Park Service standards.
Cultural Resources Documentation · Section 106 · 2025
Historic property inventory and cultural resources review for the Bruggemann Warehouse, a circa 1922 poured-concrete and river cobble agricultural complex within the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Determined eligible for the National Register, the warehouse is a rare surviving pre-Manhattan Project homestead structure on the Hanford landscape. Documentation supported interim stabilization planning and included extensive field photography, condition assessment, and consultation with five tribal nations.
Cultural Resources Assessment · Section 106 · 2025
Historic property inventory and cultural resources assessment for the Spokane Fish Hatchery, a WPA-era facility constructed in 1934 on the Little Spokane River. The project documented 21 historic structures — including the original hatchery building, stone bridge, circular rearing ponds, and Depression-era residences — and evaluated the complex for National Register eligibility in support of a planned renovation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Historic Bridge Assessment · Section 106 · 2025
Historic property inventory and APE documentation for the Larson Road Bridge (Bridge 101) over the South Slough of the Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County. Built in 1962, this 302-foot, three-span welded steel plate girder bridge with a distinctive 110-foot hinged suspended span was determined eligible for the National Register under Criteria A and C as an early example of shop-welded fabrication with high-strength bolted connections. Documentation supported seismic retrofit planning on a lifeline route with no viable detour.
Historic Property Inventory · DAHP Compliance · 2026
Historic property inventory for the O.R. Nevitt Memorial Pool in Raymond, Washington — a modified oval reinforced concrete municipal pool completed in 1955 after an eight-year community fundraising and volunteer construction effort. The pool is a rare surviving example of the patented above-ground “Bintz Pool” design by civil engineer Wesley Bintz, of which only three are currently listed on the National Register. Documentation included archival research, oral history, original 1948 construction drawings, and a DAHP-compliant HPI assessment.
Historic Property Inventory · Section 106 · 2024
Historic property inventory and National Register eligibility assessment for a World War II-era anti-submarine net anchorage structure at Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend. Built circa 1941, the concrete and creosote timber pile “dolphin” served as an anchor point for defensive steel nets protecting Port Townsend Bay from enemy submarines, part of the Puget Sound coastal defense system linked to the Naval Net Depot at Indian Island — the only net fabrication facility on the West Coast. The structure was recommended eligible for the NRHP.
In addition to the projects above, the HRS principal has authored over 600 individual Historic Property Inventories across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Kentucky, Texas, Illinois, and other states — documenting residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and transportation properties from the mid-nineteenth century through the postwar era. Work includes NRHP eligibility evaluations, architectural descriptions, historical context development, and field photography, all prepared to DAHP and SHPO standards.
We welcome conversations about historical research, compliance documentation, and analytical methods.
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