A University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point historical research project that has been years in the making will be among those featured at the annual Universities of Wisconsin Research in the Rotunda event at the Wisconsin Capitol on April 2.
“Breathing Life into the Historical U.S. Census with Modern GIS” has a UW-Stevens Point undergraduate student creating a novel online database that maps historical data on modern lands in Stevens Point using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. The project demonstrates how historic U.S. census data can be placed on modern day maps using GIS, giving insight to regional patterns of immigration and settlement.
The origins of this research dates to 1980 when Toshiyuki Sano, professor emeritus of Nara Women’s University in Japan, worked as a traveling scholar at UW-Stevens Point, transcribing historic Stevens Point census data for anthropological study. This data was later donated to the university in 2018, and further transcription was taken on by several student interns in the following years.
It wasn’t until 2022 when student Jarita Bavido, Stratford, stumbled upon the data and an online map prototype through the university archives that the poster presentation would be set in motion.
Bavido is a non-traditional student majoring in history, international studies and philosophy with a GIS certificate. She was initially drawn to the project after seeing the potential for connecting GIS technology and historical research.
“I’m really interested in local history and patterns that people might not ordinarily focus on,” Bavido said. “The prototype that they had seemed beneficial for telling bigger stories. I had some GIS experience under my belt and was really interested in the possibility of seeing this finished.”
She began filling in gaps by transcribing missing census data to map with the application ArcGIS pro. Eventually, a robust database of historic Stevens Point residents at the turn of the 20th century was established. This interactive map is available to the public online at the UWSP Archives site, “Stevens Point Through the Years.”
Using her passion for storytelling and local history, Bavido took this interactive map and analyzed the settlement patterns that make up the rich history of the region.
“Polish people largely settled north, and German people largely settled south, but more than that you can see how different cultures co-existed,” she said. “At a given time, you could have six to eight different languages being spoken on the same street, which is interesting to see.”
Bavido’s interests as a historian positioned her to breathe life into this data from start to finish. This interactive map allows users to see data about nationality, occupation and relatives of historic community members in the Stevens Point area. From female captains of industry to cross-national boarding houses, the Stevens Point area is full of historical perspectives waiting to be uncovered with this technology.
Her research was part of a collaborative project between the UW-Stevens Point GIS program and University Archives. To make this project a reality, Bavido was guided by GIS Instructor and Department Chair Doug Miskowiak and University Archives Head Brad Casselberry, who were grateful to work with such a driven and versatile student intern.
“Jarita was integral in making the project a success. She was excited to work on the project because she saw the potential for it as a research tool,” Casselberry said. “We were lucky to have an intern that not only had the expertise and tenacity to bring the concept to life, but the vision to make it function in a way that would be easy for anyone to use.”
“She demonstrated exceptional versatility by applying her expertise across three distinct professional domains,” said Miskowiak. “As a GIS analyst, historical investigator and storyteller she utilized advanced technology to reconstruct, interpret and revitalize this data. She made the story come alive with the map as the central story telling tool.”
This map will be beneficial to university students and local historians, however, Bavido sees this technology having further educational impacts. One of the outcomes she would like to see is local historians and educators helping K-12 students learn more about the area.
“I would love to see teachers utilizing it to encourage their students to do historical research of the area. Whether learning the stories of individuals or how larger historical events impacted people in Stevens Point, I think there could be some applications in local classrooms,” Bavido said.
Additionally, she hopes that in using the map as a storytelling tool, users can learn more about the area’s background of cultural unity and apply it to their daily lives.
“This project shows just how interconnected we are,” Bavido said. “I think one reason storytelling is so important is because when we hear the stories of people that we might disagree with, we can see their humanity in an important way. People of all different backgrounds lived together and interacted with each other, and seeing this reminds us of who we are at our core.”
Although the database is currently limited in geographic scope, the goal is that the use of GIS to create similar interactive maps will be replicable by other community historians and educational institutions. Training is currently being developed to give communities the ability to follow in the footsteps of UWSP’s work.
UW-Stevens Point provides opportunities for students to advance their knowledge in GIS technology through the Geographic Information Systems Professional Certificate in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences. This certificate is now available at the graduate level and is currently accepting applications. For more information on GIS at UW-Stevens Point visit www.uwsp.edu/programs/certificate/geographic-information-systems-gis/.
