“We’re always looking for new ways to preserve local history and help connect a wider audience to small-town and rural Iowa history,” said Darcy Maulsby, CSP board president. “We’re very excited that Kaylee chose the opportunity to work with us.”

During UNI’s Field Experience course, students spend 15 hours working on a public history project with a local institution. CSP is working with Mills, a second-year student at UNI in Cedar Falls, to research railroad history for the non-fiction history book “Lake City: Everything But a Lake,” which will be available in early November 2022 as a fundraiser for CSP.

Lake City was once a major hub in Iowa’s extensive rail network, due to the town’s key location between Des Moines and Sioux City. Located along the Chicago and North Western rail line, Lake City once had a roundhouse, and a large number of people moved to town to work for the railroad, starting in the 1880s. Today, one of the few visible clues of this railroad heritage is the two-story depot, which has been converted into a private home.

“What interested me in working with Central School is that the history behind the construction of railroads is really cool, especially when you think about trusts and monopolies,” said Mills, 19, who grew up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. “Also, since I’m not from Iowa, I thought it would be interesting to learn about Iowa’s history, as well as get hands-on experience with it.”

Mills, who is considering a teaching career at the high school level, is especially interested in the post-Reconstruction/Gilded Age history of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“Many of the things of the Gilded Age still affect us today,” Mills said. “This opportunity with Central School will help me learn how to conduct research on historical topics using primary sources like a proper historian.”

Making history relevant

Mills is one of 36 students participating in UNI’s Field Experience course this spring.

“There were so many excellent organizations and institutions who volunteered this year that we had more placements than students,” said Jennifer McNabb, department head and history professor at UNI. “That’s a testament to Iowa organizations’ valuable commitment to UNI and its students. I’m grateful we have outstanding partnerships with places like Central School.”

These connections are important to students like Mills, who credits her high school history teacher with influencing her college major.

“He was able to captivate the entire class with the way he would tell us about history,” she said. ”He was so descriptive and expressive that it felt as if I was actually there.”

Mills’ grandfather also played a key role.

“He loved history and would have me watch historical documentaries with him.,” she said. ”He would also tell me about his experiences growing up in Muskego, Wisconsin, and how they related to historical events. I firmly believe in the importance of history and want to inspire other people to love history as much as I do.”

CSP values the opportunity to encourage students like Mills.

“UNI’s Field Experience course expands students’ knowledge of American history and helps them build job skills, plus it helps students see what it looks like to do good in the world,” Maulsby said. “Having an enthusiastic intern like Kaylee to help us preserve and share the story of local history enhances the good that CSP can do for the community.”