Our Mission
The Falls History Project preserves the stories that shape our community and region, engaging students and residents in source‑based local history. By centering oral histories and lived experience, we deepen our understanding of public memory and build an archive that strengthens the ties between past and present for future generations.
How We Began
The Falls History Project started in 2000 when educators John Pellowski and Paul Rykken imagined a new way to explore local history—one grounded in primary sources and the voices of the community itself. Inspired by historian David Blight’s groundbreaking work on Civil War memory, the first major project centered on Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr., a BRFHS graduate and Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean Conflict. Rykken’s early research looked not only at Red Cloud’s remarkable life, but also the “public memory” of his story across generations — a template that runs through many of the projects A plaque honoring Red Cloud originally hung in the High School on Third Street—later a Junior High and then an Elementary School. Today, it anchors the Shared History Wall at BRFHS, a reminder of the project’s roots and its ongoing commitment to community memory.
What We Do Today
The Falls History Project continues to grow through:
** Oral history interviews with community members, elders, and alumni
** Research using newspapers, archives, and local records
** Collaborative projects that highlight under‑told stories and broaden our shared understanding of the past
** Public presentations and digital storytelling that make local history accessible to all
Our work invites students and community members to see themselves as part of a larger story—one shaped by resilience, memory, and the ongoing work of understanding who we are.
