educational programs

TechnoPast is Trail End’s most popular educational program. Designed for students in grades nine through twelve, it combines technology and history to produce videos for the museum. Many of the projects have won awards from the Wyoming State Historic Society. Future videos will help us expand on different aspects of the museum, and will be used as educational resources for school groups and the public alike. ​​ 

2014 - Introduction to the Museum & Grounds Tour

The first video to come out of this program was an entertaining explanation of our museum rules. It was made to be shown to students before they visit our site on school tours (winner of an award from the Wyoming State Historical Society in the "Young Historian" category). 

Another video was a tour of our grounds, so that those wanting to book them for an event could familiarize themselves with locations and guidelines. 

2015 - Behind the Scenes & Forgotten Spaces

Our second group of TechnoPast students - all high school freshmen - created a video entitled "Behind the Scenes at Trail End" - exploring several areas of the house rarely seen by the public. 

Our third TechnoPast session - designed for junior high students - resulted in "Forgotten Spaces of Trail End" - highlighting some of the spaces within Trail End that visitors either never get to see or easily overlook while touring.

2016 - Wyoming Solar Eclipse & Eclipse Legends

This year's TechnoPast students created videos related to the 2017 total eclipse of the sun, which was visible across a wide swath of Wyoming. The first, "Wyoming Solar Eclipse 2017," showed students how to construct their own eclipse viewers and projects from commonly found items. 

The second, "Eclipse Legends," explored the myths and legends that were created in ancient times to explain the phenomenon of the eclipse. 

2017 - Trail End Technology

For the video "Keeping Up with Kendrick Technology," TechnoPast students created a television-style project demonstrating how technology in the Kendrick Mansion works. The students researched primary documents and combined those with the actual demonstration of the objects in this fun and informative video. This way, the public can see how these artifacts work, since they are rarely demonstrated.

2018 - Trail End Porch Shade Repairs & The Trail End Trivia Show

The use of locally-made canvas porch shades at Trail End dates back to the earliest days of the mansion. Over the years, the sturdy shades have been replaced at least once (probably twice), the most recent being some fifty to sixty years ago. This summer, our TechnoPast Kids went to Sheridan Tent and Awning to see how the Porch Shade Repair process works. They were in for a few surprises!

We had so many TechnoPast participants in 2018, that we made a second video: "The Trail End Trivia Show." The younger students competed to answer questions researched and written by the older students.

2019 - Fashions During the 1920s

In support of the Trail End Guilds fundraiser, "Murder at the Mansion" (a 1920s-inspired murder mystery), the 2019 TechnoPast students created the video, "Fashions During the 1920s." Students researched the history of men's and women's fashions during this dynamic decade, and provided ideas on how murder mystery participants could create their own 1920s-inspired looks!