Historical Documents

Historical documents are records made by people of past events or conditions.

A. Types of historical documents

Historical documents include

Written records and drawings made by surveyors, settlers, explorers, naturalists, ethnographers, etc. Tabular data Photographs Maps

B. Things to consider when using historical documents

Low cost and simplicity: Documents are an inexpensive, easy-to-use source of information about the past. Subjective nature of historical documents: The value of historical documents depends in part on whether the information that is preserved is a good sample, that is, whether it is representative of the past. Historical documents provide valuable windows to the past, but the viewpoint of the observer must be taken into consideration. The decision about what to record is always subjective, and historical documents reflect the recorders biases about what was important. Lack of control over subject matter or sample size: Users cannot control what was sampled or how many samples were taken by the people who left the historical records. Accuracy of recorded information: The utility of historical documents depends on the observational skills, attention to detail, and honesty of the person who recorded the information and also on the technical capabilities of the cameras or other equipment used. Clarity of the preserved documents: The utility of historical documents depends on how clear they are. Problems can occur either because the original document was unclear (illegible or out of focus), or because the document was poorly preserved and has deteriorated over time. Relatively short time span: The time span covered by historical documents is relatively short (usually decades or centuries), but such documents often allow us to pinpoint when events occurred to the nearest day, week, or month. Documents can tell us when things happen but not necessarily why: Even if we can establish that one event occurred after another, that does not prove that the first event caused the second.

C. Examples

The following examples illustrate how historical documents can be used as sources of information for managers seeking to define reference conditions for restoration projects.