Michael W. Childers

With over a half a decade experience in Public History, I have applied my knowledge of environmental and cultural history, along with my years of managerial experience, conducting and producing administrative histories, a national historic landmark application, and oral history interviews.

Notable among my public history experience is my management of the Yosemite National Park Administrative History Project (YNPAH). A multi-year Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units project involving the University of Nevada, Las Vegas History Department and the National Park Service, I worked with graduate students in both researching and working with Park Service officials. Additionally, I contributed two chapters of the administrative history for the nation’s second oldest national park.

Prior to the YNPAH, I worked on several other cultural resource projects including the Las Vegas Valley Water District Administrative History and the National Park Service Fire Management Administrative History, both under the direction of the late Hal Rothman.

I have also conducted oral history interviews for  the National Council on Public History award-winning Nevada Test Site Oral History Project, and interned for the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame.

Public History/Cultural Resource Experience 

Coauthored Works

“The New Deal, 1933 to 1939,” and “World War II and Post-War Boom in Visitation, 1941-1955,” in The Yosemite Way: An Administrative History of Yosemite National Park, Andrew Kirk, Lincoln Bramwell, and Michael Childers, in fulfillment of National Park Service Task and Great Basin CESU Cooperative Agreements, 2009.

Field Experience

2005-2007 Project Manager, Yosemite National Park Administrative History Project. Supervised two summer research trips, facilitated two graduate seminars, and organized nearly 2,00 digitized documents.

2004-2005 Senior Researcher/Project Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District Administrative History. Conducted and organized research on the history of water management agencies in Las Vegas and assisted Hal Rothman in writing a draft of the history for the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

Summer 2004 Olema Valley Dairy Ranches Historic District National Register of Historic Places Application, Point Reyes National Seashore. Researched and coauthored a draft of the National Register of Historic Places application for Point Reyes National Seashore.

2003-2004 Interviewer, Nevada Test Site Oral History Project. Interviewed former Las Vegas News Bureau photographer Don English on his experiences photographing atomic blasts during the 1950s.

2003-2004 Project Manager, National Park Service Fire Management Administrative History. Organized three years of research, coordinated comments by outside readers, and assisted Hal Rothman in drafting the administrative history for National Park Service.

2003 Internship, Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame. Worked with the museum curator in assessing the collection, helped organize the museum’s fund raising campaign, and participated in setting up an external storage and research center.