Explaining that things were different back then
I recognize that man can alter a given landscape in a shorter time frame than normal geological forces, but how do we map progress? Part of an ongoing project that I tinker with is a particular history that details the small school I worked with over a period of two decades (minus a bit). We were hosted on the campus of the university, which hasn’t stopped self-modification in decades. What map best fits an event?
Although the campus prides itself on the mature buildings and tree-lined walkways, a student from 1972 would find things strangely “larger and larger” if the visit was made tomorrow. Almost four decades of construction/destruction have altered things. I’ve considered simply ‘photo-chopping’ the current map, but how to explain the modified roles of better than half of the sites? The names (in large part) haven’t changed, but in some cases the whole interior has been redone, from the ground on up.
My animation skills preclude things like “The Incredible Morphing Map” which would show evolution of bricks and mortar through time. Besides, I’m using Wiki software as the foundation for the project, and have to accept certain limits. A click-thru image might offer an option, but when phase 2 begins, I have a lot of people to catalogue. Those decades have altered the subjects in ways that would best be left as unexplored territory.
So, here I sit with a grand scheme and not much else. I may have to settle for copying an old map from a yet-undiscovered sourcebook, and then note for the interested that times have changed, for better or for worse.
