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Fort Vancouver National Historic SiteA student presents a program to the public at the annual Brigade Encampment special event
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Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Public History Field School
 
Image of a student in the Public History Field School
NPS Photo
PSU graduate student Duane Barringer presents an interpretive talk to the public at the annual Brigade Encampment special event.

The Public History Field School is a partnership program between Portland State University (PSU) and the National Park Service (NPS) through the park’s Northwest Cultural Resource Institute (NCRI).

The upper-division course, available to graduate students in the PSU public history program, is designed to build on the context of their introductory coursework by providing a focused, hands-on immersion into how history is promulgated by one of the leading stewards of the nation’s history – the National Park Service (NPS).

 
 
Group photo of the students in the 2006 Public History Field School
NPS Photo
Participants in the site's inaugural Public History Field School take a break from their public programs at the Brigade Encampment special event in 2006.

For eleven weeks onsite in the park, these graduate students actively apply knowledge gained through group discussion, directed readings, research, practical exercises, peer review, and class instruction to crafting programs for the public.

Throughout the course, students work within the NPS Interpretive Development Plan (IDP), the leading program for the professionalization of historical interpretation. It was created to help park rangers develop effective interpretive skills to facilitate meaningful visitor experiences and encourage stewardship of park resources.

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For more information, click on a link below.

 
Image of Dr. John McLoughlin
Access Historical Studies
links to the park's online historical studies
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Volunteer-in-Parks program
Learn about volunteering in the park
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Upcoming Special Events
Check out the park's calendar of events
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Public Archaeology Field School
learn about this exciting field school!
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Black and white image of Dr. John McLoughlin  

Did You Know?
Did you know that John McLoughlin, Chief Factor at Fort Vancouver, is known as the “Father of Oregon” for his aid to American immigrants arriving over the Oregon Trail? His home in Oregon City, Oregon is a unit of the national park system administered by Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
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Last Updated: February 14, 2008 at 15:06 EST