🚨 **SPOILER ALERT: “The Prospectors”** 🚨

The story “The Prospectors” by Karen Russel will make people ponder what history is and what the different implications are. The author challenges the general notion of history, which is names and locations. She then gravitates her focus to ghosts and their part in history, intertwining all of this into a fictional story that makes the reader question what is real or not. History is not all names, dates, and locations, but a more nuanced subject to be questioned and always open to different interpretations.

"The Prospectors" text includes a number of locations and names. As argued in Mason’s novel “Shiloh And Other Stories” to him “[h]istory was always names and dates” (16), which leads to a common definition of history with bringing forth the additional idea that locations are a part of history. In the story, the locations are, but not limited to: Lucerne, Mt. Joy, The Evergreen Lodge, Camp Thistle, Camp Bountiful (Russell 2), Rabbit Creek (Russell 3), Oregon Gazette, O.B. Dawson, Emerald Lodge (Russell 7), Company 609 of the Oregon Civilian Conservation Corps. (C.C.C.), and Cloud Cap Inn (Russell 8). Research shows the majority of the places listed in the story are real, however, the locations aren’t accurate to where they are considered to be. For example, Lucerne is in Switzerland, Camp Thistle is in Scotland, Rabbit Creek is in South Dakota, and Emerald Lodge is in fact not in “America” (Russell 10) but rather in Field, British Columbia, Canada and is titled “Emerald Lake Lodge” (for a full list of the locations please see Appendix I). Furthermore, O.B. Dawson is not a real person and Company 609 of the Oregon C.C.C. is not shown in the historical record. Despite Russell’s fluidity with locations and places, there are a few real locations in the right place like Cloud Capp Inn.

In the article, “History, What History?”, Torgal describes history as a unique, complex, scientific ideology, and self-interpretation; collections of points, facts, names, dates, locations, and objects (41). A notion is expressed that people need to look at history with a ‘grain of salt’ and from a political and scientific viewpoint (Torgal 41). Slotkin further adds that “[h]istory is what it is, but it is also what we make of it. What we call ‘history’ is not a thing, an object of study, but a story we choose to tell about things” (222). These theories of history can be used to convey the importance of looking further into history than just the names and locations, but rather at the ideas, scientific points, politics within nature, and how we as humans interpret everyday life. These ideas can be used to study history in the text “The Prospectors” by examining the different locations that the events take place in and why the author has chosen these places as well as the impact of them.

The locations aren’t the only thing that makes the reader question history within this text, as readers are further introduced to the idea of ghosts and the importance of them with history. It was “The C.C.C. workers ghosts [who] had built this [Lodge]” who were trapped (Russell 10) as historical figures in the lodge after the avalanche killed them. However, the C.C.C. workers were unaware of their true state and refused to accept it, which means that people stay within history, even after their passing. The two main characters told the C.C.C. workers about their ‘history’ and at that time the reader could see that the workers were changing as it was described that “his round face almost featureless [and] his eyebrows vanished” as well as “a mouthful of holes” (Russell 16). They were stuck in a purgatory like state. The workers had no idea what happened and once they did, they were able to move on. By the end, once they accepted it “[t]he entire building [began to] shak[e]” (Russell 20), they were freed. As McFadden stated in her article ““People Shouldn't Be Forgotten”: Cold Case's Pursuit of History's Ghosts” when people think of ghosts it “restor[es] … our view stories of lives and experiences rendered invisible and unspeakable by dominant forms of knowledge and power” (146). With this when different texts refer to ghosts they are typically placed to represent some form of history, be it non-fictional or fictional.

The two main characters Clara and Aubergine were presumed to be alive, however, in the story, as the reader continues to read a discovery could be made that Clara and Aubergine may actually be ghosts as well. This can be seen as Aubergine questions, “[w]e could be all dead - why not?” (Russell 15) with further details like “notic[ing] a tiny chip in the [nail] polish, exposing the translucent blue enamel” (Russell 15), as well as the observation that “Clara … with blue lips and flakes daggering her lashes” (Russell 2), and that “Clara’s eyes looked shiny, raccoon-beady” (Russell 12); while “[b]ruises were thickening all over her arms” (Russell 3). With the additional discovery that Aubergine witnessed “[s]omething subtle and real shifted inside” (Russell 4); additionally, Lee knowing what Clara’s ‘real name’ was (Russell 12-13) even though they never told him her ‘real name’; furthermore, Aubergine recollected that when “Lee and I kissed, it felt no different from kissing a living mouth” (Russell 12). These points come together to suggest that the protagonists may be ghosts after all, with the possibility that they were at the lodge during the avalanche.

It’s possible that the cause of the avalanche that killed the C.C.C. workers along with the possible deaths of the two main characters, Clara and Aubergine, may have been triggered by the photographer. When the avalanche occurred, the reader is left to question if, when the photographer took a picture the flash and the sound of the shutter caused the avalanche. As Russell put it, “[n]ow [that the photographer is here] the light of the Emerald Lodge began to erupt in rhythmic bursts” further adding that “[w]e squinted against the radiant detonation [of the photographer]. These blasts are much brighter and louder than any shutter click on Earth” (Russell 17). With this, it can be thought that having loud noises of music, the excitement of the C.C.C. workers, and with the addition of stated before, the flash and shutter; is likely the cause of the avalanche. Moreover, it could be thought that the avalanche happened between “4.A.M.” (Russell 15) and 6 am as Russell put an emphasis on the 4 am time on page 15. Additionally, the author wrote in the story that before the photographer showed up that they were in “[r]oom 409” (Russell15) and that the C.C.C. workers were from “Company 609” (Russell 8). Therefore, when taking out the common numbers ‘0’ and ‘9’ the only numbers left are ‘4’ and ‘6’. It can also be thought that Clara and Aubergine were in room 409 at the time of the avalanche.

As noted in previous paragraphs, the C.C.C. workers and the main characters are trapped in Emerald Lodge. This leads to a conclusion that it is an endless loop of history that keeps repeating until all of the people within accept their truth. Russell notes on page 8, that there were “twenty-six workers” who passed away during the avalanche (8), however, on the following pages the reader is only greeted with “five boys” (9) whom are “blush[ing]” (9). Therefore, readers don’t get a clear picture of the other twenty-one workers, which leads to the idea that the remaining workers have accepted their truth and have been able to move on. It can then be argued that the other five workers, as well as Clara and Aubergine, have not yet accepted their truth and history, and thus are still stuck in this loop. Once they accepted it, as previously stated in an earlier paragraph the lodge began to shake and crumble.

Even though “The Prospectors” is throughout a historical fiction story, the author incorporates a certain amount of research. As Slotkin wrote, that historical fiction:

>[I]f responsibly done, it can stimulate interest in the study of history[,] … if properly understood, the writing of historical fiction can be a valuable adjunct to the work of historians in their discipline. A novel can be as accurate as a history in telling what happened, when, and how. It can, and should, be based on careful research and rigorous analysis of evidence (221).

With this in mind the reader can say that even though this is a fictional story, there has been some research put into it with the use of locations, events, and phrases. However, the way that Russell wrote this story leaves the readers questioning if the locations in the story are true or not and as evidenced throughout this essay and the Appendix I, most of the locations are real though located in different places than thought when reading the story. Additionally, it was quoted on page 13 that “the French word for ‘dawn’” was “Aubergine” (Russell), which is a true translation. Furthermore, the reader is left questioning if the avalanche happened in real life and killed all of the C.C.C. workers, which from research did not happen. Therefore, with this in mind, the reader’s ‘interest was stimulated’ and motivation is given to do further research.

At the end of the day, Karen Russell is an effective historical fiction writer that gets people thinking about the truth of history and how far the author went into researching details for their writing. From the depiction of the locations and ghosts, Russell made the readers question the nuanced, complicated, and the different interpretations of history, while showing history isn’t just names, locations, and dates.

[Read The Full Story](https://newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/the-prospectors)

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**Table 1**

The locations mentioned in “The Prospectors” in relation to the true location.

<Table tableHeader="Name of Location | On Page | True Location" tableData="Lucerne | (Russell 2) | Switzerland ;; Mt. Joy | (Russell 2) | Pennsylvania ;; The Evergreen Lodge | (Russell 2) | California ;; Camp Thistle | (Russell 2) | Scotland ;; Camp Bountiful | (Russell 2) | Ohio ;; Rabbit Creek | (Russell 3) | South Dakota ;; Oregon Gazette | (Russell 7) | Called: “Gazette Times” ;; O.B. Dawson | (Russell 7) | Not a Real Person ;; Emerald Lodge | (Russell 7) | Field, British Columbia, Canada ;; Company 609 of the Oregon C.C.C. | (Russell 8) | Not a Real Company ;; Cloud Cap Inn | (Russell 8) | Accurate Location: Oregon" />

_**Source**: Karen Russell’s “The Prospectors”; Google; Google Maps; and Wikipedia_

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Mason, Bobbie Ann. “Shiloh And Other Stories.” Harper Perennial. Accessed 19 June 2017. McFadden, Margaret. ““People Shouldn’t Be Forgotten”: Cold Case’s Pursuit of History’s Ghosts.” The Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 42, no. 3, 2014, pp. 139-149. Taylor & Francis Library, doi:10.1080/01956051.2014.881774. Accessed 15 July 2017.

Russel, Karen. “The Prospectors.” The New Yorker, 8-15 June 2015, [www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/the-prospectors](www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/the-prospectors). Accessed 18 June 2017.

Slotkin, Richard. “Fiction for the Purpose of History.” The Journal of Theory and Practice, vol. 9, no. 2-3, 2005, pp. 221-236. Taylor & Francis Library, doi:10.1080/13642520500149152. Accessed 15 July 2017

Torgal, Luís Reis. “History, What History? The Struggle for History as a ‘Science’.” Portuguese Journal of Social Science, vol. 11, no. 1, April 2012, pp. 41-46. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/pjss.11.1.41_1. Accessed 15 July 2017.

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“The Prospectors”: A Tale of History and Ghosts

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### Computers

When I was a young fetus, Donald, I had my first-computer-experience in the public Library. I remember I would go there and play the Humongous Entertainment, game set with games like “Pyjama Sam”, “Freddi Fish”, “Putt-Putt”, and “Spy Fox”. I had fun while at the same time learned things! I remember shortly after experiencing the computers in the Library, we decided to get a computer in our home.

The computer that we got was the same as the one in the Library! It was a grey desktop with a monitor with a massive hump to it, just like the Tube-TV that we had. The computer ran on Windows 98, had about 100GB of storage, and had Internet that was a step above dial-up. I remember I would go on the internet and played internet games. The game that I loved to play online was the Cyberchase games (based off the animated series Cyberchase).

A few years later we upgraded our computer to a newer and faster model with 200GB of storage with a black screen. This time it was running Windows XP. This was when I started to really tinker around with computers, software, and really started to explore this wonderful thing called…the internet! I would go to YouTube and watch videos; I had to pause the video every 5 seconds to let it BUFFER… and then play it and then have the circle of death come up on the screen and need to let it buffer again… and the process would keep going, and going, and going.

I then got my very own computer which was my sister's old laptop! I was free to explore even more! It was a 15-inch HP notebook. It was portable and was running Windows Vista (later upgraded to Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 Betas). We also upgraded our Internet so I no longer had to let videos buffer as much. I used this laptop for more application usage and was when I first started my Digital Production work! I would edit my videos and pictures on editing software! I also grew the love of music with this computer!

A few years went by and at this time was when I graduated middle school and as a graduation gift, my parents bought me a new slim Samsung notebook! It had the storage capacity of 500GB! This laptop was running Windows 7 (later upgraded to Windows 8 and Windows 10) I used this computer for further Digital Production and for tinkering around!

A few years later, around three, I got a 13-inch MacBook Pro! This is my current computer. I use this computer for further production activities and for the first few years it did wonders and was fast and I didn’t have to worry about slowdowns! However, the computer went downhill from there and now can barely load any application properly and quickly.

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### Digital Media Devices

As for other Digital Media devices that I own. I own an iPhone 6s, an old and broken Sony Xperia Z2 (phone), and old and broken iPhone 4. I additionally own an iPad mini that I won at student orientations from the dean of the department this summer, an iPad mini 3 that I may be selling in the coming months, and an old and broken iPad (1st generation). I own an Apple Watch Series 2 which I got for Christmas this year. I also own a SmartTV, half of a ChromeCast (my partner and I split the cost). Furthermore, I own a MacBook Pro, my old Samsung laptop, and my old HP laptop, like stated in the previous chapter.

My first cell phone that I had was a Nokia 3310 and was on Rogers (I believe), it wasn’t fully mine. My mom and I shared the phone. A year later I got my own phone which was on PC Mobile. From there I have owned over 20 phones ranging from non-smartphones to smartphones, Nokia to BlackBerry to Android to iPhone!

When it comes to talking with my family I prefer to talk to them by calling them. If I was still living at home, I would, of course, prefer face-to-face. However, we have a family group chat on iMessage and that is becoming really, fun and interactive, so I’m almost preferring that over calling now. As for interacting with businesses, I prefer Live Chats/IMs because I can be a fast talker at times so with written responses I can get my point across and they the companies can better understand me; because I’m not talking at a mile per second. As for finding a product I like to Google it myself and watch YouTube videos and reading reviews.

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### Digital Media/Social Network

Digital Media, what I doooo(“Stranger Things” TV reference)! I have been using Digital Media since 2004. The first social network application that I joined was MSN and then MySpace! I later started using other social networks such as Bebo, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Vevo, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, Spotify, Vine (RIP), and Apple Music. I used these mediums for different uses and for different times.

I loved Vine, it was one of my favourite apps! I could spend days on end on this app. It was perfect for me, I have ADHD and get distracted easily and find watching TV and YouTube videos hard due to the paying attention problem with ADHD! With Vine, it was perfect because no video would be longer than six seconds and I would be able to pay attention to every single video that I saw! However, as they say, “all good things must come to an end” and that’s what Twitter (the owners of Vine) did to Vine. I remember when I first heard the news that Vine was being discontinued, I was on the bus heading to School and I saw a Tweet saying that the end was coming… I thought, “NO, this can’t be, this must be a joke…” but after further digging, I saw that it was true. I cried a little on the bus. This app was everything to me and suddenly, it’s gone. I guess back to YouTube videos I go!

I’ve been on YouTube for over 7 years and have received over 35, 000 views and over 65 subscribers! My first ever video that I uploaded was this cringe-worthy short video that a few of my classmates and I recorded for our Health and Careers class, called “The Bad Drugs at DMS”. Since then I have created multiple channels and uploaded a variety of different videos.

I grew a love for photography with applications like Flickr and Instagram! I find these networks inspiring and pushes me to do better and be more creative with photography.

If I didn’t have the Internet or Digital Media, I feel that I would be in a completely different place. I for sure wouldn’t be in Digital Media Studies, I most likely wouldn’t be in University, and I would be at some low paying job.

From my YouTube experience and other social networks, I have learned that I have a passion in Digital Production, and from that, I decided that’s what I want to do as a career! So that's why I’m at Vancouver Island University now!

The historical experience of Digital Media in my life and why I wanted to join the Digital Media Studies program.

Donald Louch’s Historical Experience with Digital Media

For me, I view TV as a combination of both digital technology and content, but with a heavier focus on content. I think you need to have some form of digital technology, be it a TV box or set, or be it a computer screen or mobile phone so that you can display the content. Here is a brief history of TV from my perspective in life.

I grew up as a child with a TV box in my house, for the longest time, we only had one TV which was in our living room. It had a 27-inch screen (I think) with a massive bezel to it and with this massive back to it, which made it so that it couldn’t even fit in our TV stand. It got the point where I feared that the TV box would fall off and smash into pieces, which thankfully never happened. This TV box was a standard resolution TV.

We then move on to a few years later and we got another TV box in the house which was located in my sister’s room and us kids would hang out in there and watched our own programs. We also upgraded the TV set in the living room to a big 55-inch (I think it was that big) TV set with a built-in speaker system. I remember this TV set was taller than me! The back was also much thicker than our previous TV box. I further remember that this TV set was heavy and taking it up and down the stairs, we struggled with. Sadly, after a little under four years of owning this TV set, the blue light tube broke and no longer displayed blues. We kept the TV set for a few additional years, but we never got the accurate picture.

Our next TV box was that of a flat-screen! It was a Panasonic 40-inch flat-screen TV box! It was so small, no back to it, barely any bezel to it and was a step into 720p resolution! Dare I also say, that the TV box was super light and could be lifted with a single hand verse multiple hands with our previous TV boxes and sets! At this time, we decided to get everyone their own TV box, my sister, my brother, my parents, and myself had our own TV box. The TV that I got was a Dynex 32-inch TV box.

A few years later we upgraded the TV boxes again. In the living room, we got a 45-inch SONY 3D 1080p SmartTV; my brother and sister decided to buy a TV together and they got a 55 or 60 inch Samsung 1080p SmartTV, and I got a 32-inch Samsung 1080p SmartTV.

From there I moved out and now live with my partner and his family and we have a multitude of TV boxes. There’s a TV box in the living room, there are two TV boxes in the common/games room (a general one and my new 32-inch Samsung 1080p SmartTV), in mine and my partners room we have a TV box in there as well, and in my partners brothers room he has a TV box as well. What do we have plugged into these TV boxes, you may ask? Mostly game consoles and personal computers. Two of the TVs have a cable box plugged into them and two TVs have a Chromecast plugged into them.

My first ever show that I ever watched was Teletubbies! I loved this show, I would be constantly watching it. Because of this show, I actually didn’t talk until I was 3 because I thought it was normal because the “characters” on the show didn’t talk.

Most of the content that I watched growing up was consumed on these TV boxes. I enjoyed programs such as cartoons like Rugrats, Kim Possible, 6Teen, Loonie Toons, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones (I enjoyed this show so much that I’ve named all my technology after the characters), The Jetsons, The Fairly Odd Parents and much more. I then started watching and to some degree still watch cartoons like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, and so much more. I further grow up watching Disney Channel (Family Channel here in Canada) shows such as The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (and The Suite Life On Deck), Lizzy McGuire, Hanna Montana, That’s So Raven, Wizards of Waverly Place, Evan Stevens, Phil of The Future, Corey In The House, The Proud Family, and so much more.

Now I stream all the shows on my 13-inch laptop. I enjoy watching shows like How To Get Away With Murder, Eyewitness, The Real O’Neals, Mr. Robot, Orange Is the Black, Stranger Things, The Fosters, Shadowhunters, Pure Genius, The Great Indoors, Speechless, 2 Broke Girls, Criminal Minds, The 100, Superstore, Designated Survivor, and a show that I actually found the other week and have fallen in love with, Beyond. I also watch the show Scorpion and have chosen that show for my TV log. I'm also currently watching Teen Wolf and Pretty Little Liars; however, after this season these two shows will be sadly finished and going off the air.

I have further streamed the following shows before, they got canceled and went off the air. Amercian Idol, Bad Judge, Breaking Bad, Camp, Lost, Terra Nova, Under The Dome, Weeds, and Welcome to the Family.  I do wish the following shows continued as I loved them. Finding Carter, Glee, Red Band Society, Star-crossed, and The Tomorrow People. Funny story, my partner loved “That ‘70s Show” to death and has made me repeatedly see that show over, and over, and over again. We haven’t really done it lately but my partner and I use to stream and episode or two of the show EVERY night before bed and then the night that I started to write this, we started this back-up.

I do like to try to watch these shows as soon as they’ve been aired, however, there’re times that I just can’t due to my schedule. However, there’re some shows that I kind of need to watch right away because if I don’t there is a high likely hood that I will get spoiled on social media. I personally am not a huge fan of “binge-watching” a whole series in one go. Usually, if I’m “binge-watching” to catch up on a series I like to watch anywhere from 2 to 5 episodes in a “sitting”.

I recently helped film an episode of “The Show on Shaw TV Nanaimo”! I had an awesome time doing that and was seen on TV, got to see my camera work on TV, and got to see my name on TV! If you want, you may view the episode on [YouTube](https://youtu.be/JzuDBIWU8BQ)!

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I view television as content that is displayed on any type of digital technology. I started off with a TV box with a 27-inch screen, we then moved to a TV set with a 55-inch screen, then moved to a TV box with a 32-inch screen while my family had a TV box with a 40-inch screen, then my family moved to a TV box with a 45-inch screen, then moved to a 13-inch laptop. I started off with watching cartoons (targeted towards children) and Disney Channel shows, then moved to watching cartoons (targeted towards adults) and a variety of other shows. I hope this helps you get a better understanding of what television means to me!

Television (TV), what is it to me? Is it a form of digital technology or is it content?

"History" has 3 posts in it's tag

Education

“The Prospectors”: A Tale of History and Ghosts

Education

Donald Louch’s Historical Experience with Digital Media

Education

The Life of Television a Self-Reflection Essay