Community Survey
The second part of the survey project was to concentrate on surveying the communities.  I anticipated having a few volunteers step forward to help with the surveys.  I only had five step forward to help fold and mail the farm/agricultural survey; I did not have any volunteers for the community surveying.  This proved to be a challenge, but also a good learning experience.  Additionally, as time and funds began to close in, I also worked with the Palo Alto County Assessor who was able to sort the residential properties in Emmetsburg based on construction year.  This cut my drive and survey time down significantly.

The main standard I had to compare the pre-community survey to the post-community survey results were survey sheets that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) had on file for most, but not all the communities.  To my knowledge and based on the information that was received from SHPO, this was the first time that the communities of Curlew, Cylinder and Rodman were surveyed.   

Previously, 121 resources in Palo Alto County were identified with the State Historic Preservation Office.  Following this survey, I identified 269 resources.  Additionally, I would also propose that the community of Emmetsburg and West Bend complete intensive surveys of the communities.  The results from the reconnaissance survey suggest that the potential for historic/cultural districts could exist.  Additionally, Emmetsburg could be a possible main street community and I believe they would gain many benefits from that designation.

This survey may also serve as a starting point for a house tour and potential local landmark property list.  Click here to view a PDF of photos that show a sampling of the resources that were surveyed in each community.