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Show 61 Conclusion The Grouse Creek Cultural Survey represents a significant expansion of the customary architectural survey undertaken by state historic preservation offices. At the same time it reflects the growing sense of common enterprise shared by preservationists, archeologists, and folklorists. Just as the ascendency of the idea of historic context signals a concern beyond buildings in isolation, the integrated survey reflects an awareness of the need to look at a wider range of cultural forms. The successful integration of folklife, historical, and architectural research in Grouse Creek meant that the survey team was able to gain a broad overview of the community's cultural resources in a relatively short time. Taken together, the narrative portions of the inventory of historic properties and the profile of cultural features offer a reasonably comprehensive sense of Grouse Creek's culture and its history from the time of settlement forward. In addition, the preservation historians were able to produce a complete inventory of properties while the folklorists produced a useful enumeration of other cultural features. The connections between people and the past were revealed by the examination of the cultural landscape-the arrangement on the land of buildings, fences, irrigation systems, and the like. The connection was also evident, returning to Jeff Thomas's phrase, "in the things people do." While things have changed and will continue to change, the way of life that was established in Grouse Creek during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries continues to exert a powerful influence on contemporary activities and practices. The survey of the cultural landscape and of the community's expressive culture, both seen in the context of everyday human activities, led to the discovery of a complex intersection of buckaroo and Mormon traditions. The team's full understanding of the buildings depended upon learning how they fit into the local way of life. Their knowledge of Grouse Creek's culture and history was largely gleaned from the field investigation and could not have been derived solely from the available written documents. The inclusion of folklife research in the integrated survey meant that the team had a large number of person-to-person interactions with Grouse Creek's citizens. Of course, every student of historic architecture will talk to property-owners, but a folklife field researcher is certain to become acquainted with a number of individuals in the community. Several team members kept up their friendships and have revisited the community |