Conducting an
historical site study
Site studies are important in the study of history. The CD-ROM,
The Snowy: an historical site study, will take you through the steps
of investigating an historically significant site. The notes explain
how to conduct a site study and use the CD-ROM as well as
introducing the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme.
What is a site study?
A site study is where an historian investigates a particular place in
order to understand its economic, political, social and cultural
history. A site study may be conducted on a particular building,
street or even a town. However, the larger the area, the more work
for the historian.
You will be investigating the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric
Scheme (The Scheme) for your site study. There are four main
stages of conducting an historical investigation of a site.
These are:
1
planning
2
research
3
a visit to the site (fieldwork)
4
the presentation of findings.
Why do site studies?
Site studies are an important part of an historian’s work.
Investigating a site enables an historian to gather their own
evidence from which they form opinions. Studying specific places
and structures can help an historian better understand the
economic, political, social or cultural history of a society.
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Conducting an historical site study
Your investigation of The Scheme will involve not only studying
the evidence the CD-ROM provides, but also conducting your
own research to gather information to help you form an opinion
about how the Snowy Mountains site has changed over time.
In this way, the site study will allow you to demonstrate historical
skills you have learned.
Evidence
Both primary and secondary evidence help you understand about
the people, places and events in Australian history.
Activity 1
Complete the table by classifying the following pieces of evidence
as either primary or secondary.
Item
Type of evidence
a diary entry
a chapter from a history book
a television documentary about World War I
a fossil
a student’s model of the Gallipoli landing
a coin
a photo of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy taken in
1972
Check your responses by going to the ‘Suggested answers’ section.
When conducting a site study, primary and secondary, written
and non-written evidence is required to help an historian
understand how the site has changed over time. If you are able to
visit the Snowy Mountains Scheme yourself, you will be able to
study the buildings, roads and other structures first-hand.
However, for those not able to visit the site, The Snowy: an historical
site study will provide you with photographs of many different
aspects of life on The Snowy.
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Conducting an historical site study
A sample site study
Many schools choose to conduct an historical investigation of a
local cemetery. Graveyards are a wonderful source of information
for historians.
Imagine you have conducted a site study of a local graveyard.
Below you will find a table of findings from your imaginary
cemetery.
Activity 2
Complete the table by writing what this information tells you
about the site.
Information found
What this information tells you
There are 130 graves. The oldest is
dated 1842. The most recent grave
is dated 1902.
The Catholic section of the cemetery
has the most graves.
Most of the names on the graves
such as O’Brien and Fogarty are
Irish.
There are 20 graves dated 1900
where the cause of death was listed
as the Bubonic Plague.
Check your responses by going to the ‘Suggested answers’ section.
Several assumptions can be made based on the evidence the
cemetery site provides. However, it is very important to
undertake additional research of the site. By researching the
cemetery and local area through additional non-written evidence
and written sources, an historian is able to gather further evidence
to support or dispute the assumptions made from the fieldwork.
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Conducting an historical site study
How to conduct a site study?
There are many different ways to conduct a site study. Often the
method depends on what the historian is investigating. However,
as indicated earlier, there are a number of steps all historians take
during the process.
Activity 3
Recall the four main steps an historian takes during a site study.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Check your responses by going to the ‘Suggested answers’ section.
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Conducting an historical site study
1
Planning
Before going to a site, an historian must know what they are
looking for. An historical site study is not just a walk around an
area looking at old buildings and other features. A site study is
conducted with a purpose in mind. For example, an historian may
be trying to work out where the original main street of a town
was, or which cultural groups have impacted on the area. An
historian may also wish to determine how the use of the site has
changed over time.
Our site study
Let’s have a look at our site study assignment.
How did construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric
Scheme change both the physical environment of the Snowy
Mountains and the lives of the people who lived and worked
there?
In your answer refer to at least one town and one person.
Think about the words in the question. If you are unsure of any of
their meanings, look up a dictionary.
2
Research
Usually before visiting a site, an historian spends time researching
the area in which the site is located. Information may come in a
variety of forms. An historian may use both primary and reliable
secondary evidence to provide background knowledge of both the
site and the people who used it.
Much of this information will be written evidence, such as old
building plans, maps, newspaper articles and electoral rolls.
However, non-written evidence, such as sketches of the area and
photographs, will also prove valuable.
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Conducting an historical site study
Activity 4
In the box below, jot down some types of evidence that would
help you investigate the economic, political, social and cultural
history of a site. A couple have already been done for you.
maps
letters
web sites
Check your responses by going to the ‘Suggested answers’ section.
An historian may find their information in a variety of places. As
well as using libraries and the Internet, an historian may contact
(usually by writing letters or emails) local historical societies,
government departments, local councils, The National Archives of
Australia and possibly businesses and residents from the site. The
websites listed within the ‘Bibliography’ will help.
An historian is careful when recording their research to ensure
they keep a record of where the information came from (title,
author and publishing details). This is necessary, as they must
acknowledge any sources used, generally in a bibliography.
3
Field work
Once an historian has decided on the purpose of the investigation
and has researched the area thoroughly, they are ready to visit the
site.
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Conducting an historical site study
Armed with a plan of what to look for, an historian will walk
around the area to examine the site closely. They must be careful
not to damage, move or disturb any part of the site, as places or
sites and the objects within them are important to our heritage.
Depending on what the historian is looking for, they may plan
their site visit in a number of ways. Some examples of visits to a
site include:
•
an historian researching ways a building has been used
during its history. When the historian visits the site, they
will look for evidence of this earlier use.
•
investigating a local cemetery. Some of the things an
historian may be looking for could include evidence of the
dominance of a particular religious group or evidence of
any epidemics that killed a large number of people around
the same time. An historian may also wish to investigate if
the increase in cremations in the post-war period impacted
on the local cemetery.
Our site study will involve researching changes that occurred
because of the construction of The Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Your research could take quite a while. When it is time to visit the
site, through the CD-ROM, you will be looking for evidence of
these changes. It will take several hours to study the material that
is presented on the CD-ROM.
4
Presentation of findings
After the historian has visited the site, they may need to do further
research, as the site study may have raised additional questions in
the historian’s mind about the site. Once they have completed this
research, they will present their findings.
Generally historians do this either by writing an article for a
newspaper or historical journal, or they may present a paper at a
conference or university.
Your site study
The presentation of your findings after you have studied The
Snowy Mountains Scheme will be up to you, in consultation with
your teacher of course! Your teacher may be using the site study
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Conducting an historical site study
as an assessment task or you may be asked to plan and conduct
your own historical site study as an assessment task after you
have finished The Snowy CD-ROM and learned how to conduct
your own investigation.
Some ideas for your presentation include:
•
an essay
•
an oral report
•
a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation
•
a project
•
a series of posters.
Start thinking of how you wish to present the findings of your site
study.
Complete Exercises 1 and 2.
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Conducting an historical site study
Your site study
By navigating your way around the CD-ROM, you will have
discovered that there is a variety of sources and information about
The Scheme, especially its impact on the towns of Adaminaby,
Cabramurra and Cooma. The CD-ROM also provides information
about the people who were affected by construction of The
Scheme. These things will help you conduct your site study of The
Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme.
Step-by-step
You have learnt the main steps an historian has to take in order to
complete an historical site study. The Snowy CD-ROM has been
structured to provide you with current sources and information,
and evidence from the past. This information will help you form
an opinion about how construction of The Scheme changed the
local area and the people living and working there.
Activity 5
Complete the following table by writing what you have done
towards your site study so far.
Step 1 — Planning
What are you looking for in your
investigation of The Snowy
Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme?
Step 2 — Research
Where have you found information to
help you in your site study?
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Conducting an historical site study
Check your responses by going to the ‘Suggested answers’ section.
Your investigation
Now that the research step is in progress, you should begin your
actual investigation of The Snowy site.
Keep in mind your purpose in studying The Snowy. The best way
to do this is to devise a study sheet or questionnaire, which directs
you to look for things that will help you complete your major task.
Have another look at the major task.
How did construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric
Scheme change both the physical environment of the Snowy
Mountains and the lives of the people who lived and worked
there?
In your answer refer to at least one town and one person.
The question directs you to refer to at least one town and one
person. This means that although you will provide some general
information in your response about how the entire area and its
people changed, you will also need to include specific information
about at least one town and one person.
The towns investigated on the CD-ROM are: Adaminaby,
Cabramurra and Cooma. Joe Schweiger, Allan McGrath and Ena
Berents are the personalities.
Ideas
Some of the things you may wish to focus on during your study of
the Snowy Mountains area could include:
•
the size of the town(s) and how it/they changed
•
Indigenous Australians who originally lived in the area
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Conducting an historical site study
•
the changes in the area, for example, population make-up,
buildings, infrastructure and the countryside, roads built
for the SMA
•
the impact of post-war immigration on the area
•
the ways in which The Scheme affected different groups
such as women and children
•
the impact of The Scheme on the environment.
Now it’s time for you to study the site by using the CD-ROM.
Don’t forget to use the map button to familiarise yourself with the
specific locations you are investigating.
Presenting your findings
After you have researched the site, the final step in your site study
is to present your findings. This is where you give your opinion
about how both the physical environment of the Snowy
Mountains and the people who lived and worked there were
changed by the construction of The Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Previously you were asked to begin talking to your teacher about
the way you were going to present the findings of your research.
Think about it!
How have you decided to present your findings?
•
as an essay
•
as an oral report
•
as a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation
•
as a project
•
as a series of posters
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Conducting an historical site study
You should now have spent some time researching and
conducting your site study. Think about what you have done and
tick the columns in the following table to indicate your progress.
Task
Yes
No
Started
Do you know the purpose of your site study?
Have you researched The Snowy Mountains
Hydro-electric Scheme and its impact on the
landscape and people of The Snowy?
Did you get your research materials from a
variety of sources? For example, books,
newspapers, the Internet, oral history, the CDROM?
Have you studied the site itself, either through
a field trip or by using the CD-ROM?
Have you collected information from the actual
site (or CD-ROM) to help you form an opinion
about the changes to both the physical
environment and people of The Snowy?
If you have answered ‘Yes’ to all of these questions then you are ready to
work on your presentation and complete your site study. Good luck!
You have learnt the main steps an historian has to take in order to
complete an historical site study. The Snowy CD-ROM has been
structured to provide you with current sources and information,
and evidence from the past. This information will help you form
an opinion about how construction of The Scheme changed the
local area and the people living and working there.
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Conducting an historical site study
Suggested answers
Check your responses against these suggested answers. These may be
more detailed than yours. Also some answers will vary because often
there is not one correct answer, but rather, different, supportable
opinions.
Activity 1
Item
Type of evidence
a diary entry
primary
a chapter from a history book
secondary
a television documentary about
World War I
secondary
a fossil
primary
a student’s model of the
Gallipoli landing
secondary
a coin
primary
a photo of Aboriginal Tent
Embassy taken in 1972
primary
Activity 2
Information found
What it tells you
There are 130 graves. The
oldest is dated 1842. The most
recent grave is dated 1902.
The cemetery appears to have
been used between 1842 and
1902.
The Catholic section of the
cemetery has the most graves.
Catholicism was probably the
main religion in the area.
Most of the names such as
O’Brien and Fogarty are Irish.
It is possible a lot of Irish
descendants lived in the area.
There are 20 graves dated 1900
where the cause of death was
Bubonic Plague.
It appears that there was an
outbreak of Bubonic Plague
during the epidemic that
occurred in 1900.
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Conducting an historical site study
Activity 3
The four steps are: planning, research, visiting the site and presenting
your findings.
Activity 4
maps diaries
oral history
paintings
photographs
letters
drawings
history books
graphs
documentaries
web sites
diagrams
Activity 5
Step 1 — Planning
What are you looking for in your
investigation of The Snowy Mountains
Hydro-electric Scheme?
I want to discover how construction
of the Scheme changed the
landscape and people of the Snowy.
Step 2 — Research
Some of the places you may have
included are the library, history
books, the SMA Information Centre,
local historical societies and the
CD-ROM, The Snowy.
Where have you found information to
help you in your site study?
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Conducting an historical site study
Exercises — Historical site study
Exercise 1
Answer the following questions based on what you have learnt in
this lesson.
1
Write down your main purpose in conducting a site study
of The Snowy Mountains Scheme.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2
How do you plan to research The Snowy Mountains
Scheme and its impact on the local area and people?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Now it’s time to start researching! Be aware that this process could
take some time, especially if you have to wait for replies to letters
and emails that you have written to various organizations.
Exercise 2
Information you will find on the CD-ROM includes:
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Conducting an historical site study
•
written information
•
photographs
•
maps
•
a timeline
•
oral history
•
film footage.
List other things that may help you to investigate The Snowy
Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme and how it impacted on the
local area and people living and working in the Snowy
Mountains.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
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Conducting an historical site study
Glossary
The following words, listed here with their meanings, appear in
bold the first time they are used in this learning material.
alien
a person born in, or belonging to another country
assimilate
to make or become alike
assimilation
the process of making, or becoming alike
assisted migrant
people who received financial assistance to migrate to Australia
bilingual
the description of a person who is able to speak two languages with
approximately equal ability
British subject
a person who is under the rule of the British sovereign (king or
queen)
catchment
an area where rainwater is collected
census
the official counting of a population with various statistics – in
Australia, taken every five years
chronological
the description of a list or sequence that is arranged in order of time
with the earliest dates first and the most recent, at the end
citizen
an inhabitant of a state or nation who is entitled to its protection,
privileges and voting rights
citizenship
the rights and responsibilities of a citizen
continental
Europe
the countries of Europe, not including the British Isles
cremation
the burning of a dead body leaving only ashes
culture
the accepted and traditional ways of behaving for a group or
community; it includes the language, ways of living and working,
and relationships
customs
the usual way of doing things for a group or community
deduce
to work out a solution
epidemic
when a disease affects a large group of people over a large area for
a short time
heritage
items that belong to an individual, group, community or nation as a
result of birth, inheritance or membership
historical fiction
a story set in the past but it is real, not imagined
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Conducting an historical site study
historical site
study
the study of an historically significant location
hydro-electricity
electricity made by using the energy created by falling water
immigrant
a person who moves to another country to live
immigration
the process of moving to another country permanently
integration
the inclusion of a racial or religious minority group with the rest of
the community by sharing each other’s cultures
irrigation
the process of supplying land with water from artificial channels to
support farming
lease
to have temporary possession of for instance, land or a house,
usually in return for payment
mixed descent
the description of a person whose ancestors are from more than one
nationality
multiculturalism
the theory that it is beneficial to a society to have within it, several
large groups of people of different cultures and races
naturalised
the description of a person who was born in another country (an
alien), who has the rights and privileges of a subject or citizen
objective
the description of a person who is free from personal feelings or
prejudice; in other words, unbiased
oral history
a type of history obtained by listening to someone talk about their
personal experiences of a time or event
post-war
the description of a time after a war, such as after WWII
poverty
being poor with respect to money, goods or income
timeline
a list of events in the order in which they happened
trend
the general direction in which something is moving
United Kingdom
and Ireland (UK)
the Kingdom that includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland
£
the symbol for the pound. Australia used pounds as its currency
(money) until 1966. £1 is approximately equal to $2:00 of today’s
money.
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Conducting an historical site study