Signature Preservation Report -
Respectfully submitted by Gail Carbiener

THE PROBLEM:

Emigrant signatures placed on "registers" like City of Rocks, Independence Rock, devil's Gate, Names Hill, High rock canyon and hundreds of other registers along the trails west are being lost to weather and vandals.

A SOLUTION:

Record the emigrant signatures photographically, convert to a digital format, enhance the result and sav4e in a database that is accessible by all for research, education, and pleasure. when color film is scanned and archived on CD diskette, the color fidelity can be maintained indefinitely, preserving the emigrant signatures forever.

HOW IT IS DONE:

Camera is standard 35 mm single lens reflex equipped with a 60 mm and 105mm flat-field macro lenses and linear polarizers. Portable, high output electronic strobes equipped with linear polarizing filters provided light. the strobes were synchronized with another linear polarizer attached to the camera to eliminate surface glare. Photographic work was done at night.

Polarized light is particularly effective inimproving legibility of signatures made with pigments (axle grease, wax) placed on rock surfaces. Inscribed signatures photographed at night with sharp strobe angle record well.

REQUIRED RESOURCES:

Mr. Jim Henderson, Applied Photographic Research in Oregon City has developed the process and will complete a National Park Service contract at City of Rocks in summer 1999. He estimates the cost of equipment at $5,000. He is available for hire, training, and consulting. this type of photography is his business.

FUNDING SOURCES:

"I believe there is a strong Federal Cultural Reserve Management mandate to preserve and archive such historically significant 'artifacts.' " (Quote: from Jim Henderson) Both cost share and performance grants should be available.

Gail Carbiener  asked Jim Henderson to consider writing an article for the Overland Journal on this subject.