Upcoming app brings history closer
MINERAL COUNTY – History buffs will be able to explore the county’s history in a new way soon, as a mobile app designed for historic tourism launches featuring various sites around Mineral County.
The project, called Next Exit, will be able to notify users of historical sites near their location. According to Jim Goss, treasurer of the Mineral County Historical Society, the app will allow people to go on self-guided tours of sites with a historical interest. The database will contain pictures, maps, information and videos on the historical locations around the area.
“It’s better than a sign or historical marker that can be vandalized or weathered,” Goss said of the app’s data.
Historical Research Associates Inc., out of Missoula, is behind the project. They have been working with the MCHS to document a number of sites around the area. The app is expected to include information on 30 sites across the county, ranging from Alberton to Lookout Pass.
The system will also feature an option called backpacks – a number of different sites within an area all related to a single theme. According to Goss, some of the backpacks around Mineral County will include mining, the 1910 fire, Mullan Road, the lumber industry and the county’s towns themselves.
Over the last few months, HRA’s historians, photographers and writers have been making trips to various county landmarks to document information, collecting everything they need for the app’s database. Most recently, Goss said representatives were in the area with a drone to get pictures of some of the locations.
The project is still early in its development. However, the hope is to eventually expand the app to include other sites moving into Sanders County and other parts of Western Montana.
According to Goss, the project has been completely grant funded and no money has come from out of pocket sources. The grants were provided by the Montana Tourism Bureau as one of five issued to projects with the potential to develop tourism in the state.
“[The app] is another way to get someone who’s a traveler, especially a history buff, to stay another day in our town,” said Goss.
While it is still in development, the app is expected to be up and running by the end of the calendar year. The developers are currently getting feedback from the historical society on the content they have programmed so far and anything they can add or change.
According to Goss, the Next Exit app will be completely free to the user. It is expected to be downloadable on most major Smartphone systems and tablets.
HRA also has additional historic information on their website. While they currently only have two sites along the Clark Fork Corridor listed, there are many more throughout the state and country. Goss recalled they also have an estimated 56,000 sites internationally.