Summer 2026 |America at 250 :
A Public History Road Trip
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, The Everything is a Primary Source Podcast is taking to the road. This summer, social studies educator and EPS creator Eric Salmonsen will travel from Chicago to Colorado Springs, recording place-based podcast episodes and collecting short oral histories from members of the public along the way.
This is not a retrospective project, but a living one, built on the idea that history is not only something we inherit, but something we actively create.
Recording stories. Collecting oral histories. Exploring your history, my history, OUR history through popular culture.
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What This Project Is
Each stop will host a recording session, drawing from the personal connections of drop-in guests to their town, cities, states, and of course, country, to create podcast episodes. Not only is this year the United States’ 250th anniversary, it is Colorado’s 150th and the centennial of US Route 66. These topics will certainly be spoken to during this trip.
Place-Based Storytelling
The mosaic that is American History is made up of reflections from people of all ages and many walks of life. This road trip will continue the Everything is a Primary Source approach of building history by relying on a balance of expert voices and on-the-spot reactions and personal storytelling.
Expert & Public Voices
Growing the Archives
Everything is a Primary Source is comprised of two archives; one of physical artifacts and the other comprised of recorded oral histories. Both are going to be added to as the road trip will make stops at the usual sources of pop culture media and objects, along with collecting people’s thoughts about these things.
Just as this trip is not the launch of Everything is a Primary Source, it is also not the culmination of the work. Instead, the America at 250 road trip looks to plant the seeds of the EPS mindset, and continuously cultivate American History by way of interactive experiences connected to the EPS archives.
Beyond America 250
Why This Matters
Anniversaries invite reflection, but reflection requires voices.
As the nation celebrates 250 years of independence, public history cannot belong solely to institutions or textbooks. It must include the people who live within it. This project creates space for both expertise and lived experience, preserving conversations that might otherwise disappear.
Media, objects, places, and other elements of everyday life are all primary sources. The semisesquicentennial offers an opportunity not just to look backward, but to document how Americans are thinking about their history right now.
From the EPS Collection
The Route
May 9 - (Preview Event) New Hampshire Telephone Museum, Warner, NH
June 28 - Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago, IL
June 30 - Litchfield Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center, Litchfield, IL
July 2 - Historic Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Dodge City, KS
July 4 - Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, Colorado Springs, CO
How Support Makes This Possible
While Everything is a Primary Source began as a digital platform, the America at 250 road trip represents a strategic expansion into in-person engagement and broader national visibility. Cultural institutions, media organizations, educational platforms, mission-aligned businesses, and civic-minded individuals are invited to participate in shaping this public history endeavor and strengthening the positive impact of Everything is a Primary Source.
Support helps with:
Transportation before, during, and after the road trip
Lodging along the route
Audio equipment and field recording costs
Research, production, editing, and publishing of each episode
Hosting and long-term access to collected oral histories
Each episode requires significant preparation and post-production to ensure the final work is polished, accessible, and freely available to educators, students, and the public.
Ways to Support
Institutional Partnerships
Museums, media organizations, cultural institutions, and businesses interested in collaborating or sponsoring a stop are invited to connect. Opportunities include episode sponsorship, on-site collaboration, and support for oral history collection.
[Start a Partnership Conversation]
Sponsor a Stop
Organizations may choose to support a specific city or episode along the route.
[Inquire About Episode Sponsorship]
Individual Support
If you believe in public history, civic storytelling, and preserving lived experience, you can contribute directly to the project.
From the Library of Congress