August/September 2013 - Inspired Woman Magazine

is not greener somewhere else – great people do come fromND,” Berg says. “A child growing up on a ND farm can designa space suit going to Mars. Inventions and ideas come fromexperiences here. The Keller front-end loader manufacturedin 1959 was the forerunner of the Bobcat skid-steer loader,”current product of ND’s world-wide equipment supplier,the Bobcat Company. In addition, the spirit of technologicalinnovation was already in place here in ND for the oil andagriculture industries to succeed as they have.In order for a state museum to be relevant to its citizens, itneeds to present objects in meaningful ways. The HeritageCenter strives to save both the real objects and the stories,photos and documents that illuminate them. Everydayobjects, such as a pair of work boots or a favorite toy, canbe as important in telling the state’s history as a tractor ora military uniform. Berg sighs, “Many objects today are sodisposable – just like hitting a delete button.” The StateHistorical Society’s website lists objects currently beingsought for the new exhibits at http://www.history.nd.gov/donateList.html.The arms of the State Historical Society serve the farcorners of the state. Acting as a resource for other “lifepreservers,” the Heritage Center is well-positioned with professionallytrained staff to provide technical assistance tostatewide constituencies. Working with numerous agencies,such as the Dept. of Transportation and State Parks andRecreation, resources are combined to create exceptionalinterpretation at all types of venues across the state. Countyand local entities consult the Heritage Center to bring addeddimension to the economic development of their regions.Tourists ask Berg all the time about local experiences,questions like, ‘What are those bright yellow crops?’ Findingout the answers to those questions is what makes visitorsenthusiastic about their travel experiences across the NDlandscape.History holds answers for today. With the coming of theoil boom, people wonder how it will affect the state. FromBerg’s perspective, “History repeats itself; this is not the firstboom. During the settlement of Dakota Territory when therailroad was taking over the landscape with smoke and milesof track, and prairie grasses were converted to cropland, ithad a huge impact on the populations who had lived herefor centuries.” Objects saved from history and the storiesthat accompany them can help compare the experiences ofthe past and present. In this way, individuals and groups canmake informed decisions about the future.When the first two new Heritage Center galleries open inearly 2014, the ‘Adaptation Gallery: Geologic Time’ and the‘Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples,’ Claudia Berg, along withall the staff and volunteers at the Heritage Center, will bethere smiling and gesturing to the people of the world. NorthDakota’s well-kept past invites us in for a closer look.Rhonda Gowen is a piano instructor at theUniversity of Mary and a clarinetist with theBismarck Mandan Symphony and the MissouriValley Chamber Orchestras.TROLLBEADSTHE ORIGINAL SINCE 1976Glass Artisan EventOctOber 19 | 12:00pm-5:00pmGift of onE trollbEAd*with the purchase of any three trollbeads*Free bead of equal or lesser value.830 Kirkwood Mall Bismarck, ND | 701-255-4927AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013 ■ INSPIRED WOMAN 11