So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on, so, um, just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so y- fast-forward to, um, 1896, they held, um, their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies.

Um, local dignitaries showed up, and there was also an, a, a local painter named Olof Cronse, who really wanted to...

He sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, um, you know, folk art painter really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting, um, scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory, um, of the colony, and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

So perhaps to conclude, what do you both hope that readers, those from within academia and beyond, take from this book, whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on.

So just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast forward to 1896, they held their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies, local dignitaries, showed up and there was also a local painter named Olaf Kranz who really wanted to, he sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, you know, folk art painter really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory of the colony and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So, these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

And all of that kind of led into the 20th century as some of the buildings started to crumble away because they had been held communally And then when they kind of sold off individual shares in these buildings, some of the buildings came down to be owned by dozens of families.

Yeah I mean that part definitely seems relevant across many more places than just Bishop Hill and that is Adam something you were mentioning a little bit about earlier so perhaps to conclude what do you both hope that readers those from within academia and beyond take from this book whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

They started commemorating their own history really early on.

Just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, fast forward to 1896, they held their first major commemoration.

They gathered together descendants from the original colonies, local dignitaries, showed up.

And there was also a local painter named Olaf Kranz, who really wanted to, he sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, you know, folk art painter, really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory of the colony, and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

yeah i mean that part definitely seems relevant across many more places than just bishop hill um and that is adam something you were mentioning a little bit about earlier so perhaps to conclude what do you both hope that readers those from within academia and beyond take from this book whether to the rest of the country or even beyond

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on.

So just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast forward to 1896, they held their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies, local dignitaries, showed up and there was also a local painter named Olaf Kranz who really wanted to, he sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, you know, folk art painter, really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory of the colony and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So, these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

And all of that kind of led into the 20th century as some of the buildings started to crumble away because they had been held communally And then when they kind of sold off individual shares in these buildings, some of the buildings came down to be owned by dozens of families.

Yeah I mean that part definitely seems relevant across many more places than just Bishop Hill and that is Adam something you were mentioning a little bit about earlier so perhaps to conclude what do you both hope that readers those from within academia and beyond take from this book whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on, so, um, just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast-forward to, um, 1896, they held, um, their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies.

Um, local dignitaries showed up, and there was also an, a, a local painter named Olof Cronse who really wanted to...

He sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, um, you know, folk art painter really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting, um, scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory, um, of the colony, and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So these images have kind of come down to us as sort of a first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

So there's this very public conversation about how we present our history, how we understand our history, who's included in our history, and that's also reflected in Bishop Hill as well.

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on.

So just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast forward to 1896, they held their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies, local dignitaries, showed up and there was also a local painter named Olaf Kranz who really wanted to, he sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, you know, folk art painter, really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory of the colony and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So, these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

And all of that kind of led into the 20th century as some of the buildings started to crumble away because they had been held communally And then when they kind of sold off individual shares in these buildings, some of the buildings came down to be owned by dozens of families.

Yeah I mean that part definitely seems relevant across many more places than just Bishop Hill and that is Adam something you were mentioning a little bit about earlier so perhaps to conclude what do you both hope that readers those from within academia and beyond take from this book whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on.

So, um, just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast-forward to, um, 1896, they held, um, their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies, um, local dignitaries showed up, and there was also an- a, a local painter named Olof Cronse, who really wanted to...

He sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, um, you know, folk art painter really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills.

But he started painting, um, scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory, um, of the colony, and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So perhaps to conclude, what do you both hope that readers, those from within academia and beyond, take from this book, whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?

So can we talk about the kind of tourist story and the tourist aspect as sort of an industry? When, for example, do we see the heritage tourism industry kind of really become a thing here with that particular narrative?

Well, they started commemorating their own history really early on.

So just 50 years after the establishment of the colony in 1846, so you fast forward to 1896, they held their first major commemoration.

So they gathered together descendants from the original colonies, local dignitaries, showed up and there was also a local painter named Olaf Kranz who really wanted to, he sort of aspired to become a fine art painter, but today he's considered a kind of, you know, folk art painter, really.

So he never quite achieved the kind of fine art skills, but he started painting scenes from his own memory, from his own childhood memory of the colony and also just stories that people would tell about the early colony days.

So, these images have kind of come down to us as sort of the first moment of a pretty intense and very nostalgic kind of commemoration of the original colony.

And all of that kind of led into the 20th century as some of the buildings started to crumble away because they had been held communally And then when they kind of sold off individual shares in these buildings, some of the buildings came down to be owned by dozens of families.

Yeah I mean that part definitely seems relevant across many more places than just Bishop Hill and that is Adam something you were mentioning a little bit about earlier so perhaps to conclude what do you both hope that readers those from within academia and beyond take from this book whether to the rest of the country or even beyond?