Pictorial history book of county in progress

A pictorial history of Plymouth County may soon be a reality, thanks to the efforts of Seney area native Linda Zieman.

Zieman made a commitment with Arcadia Publishing of Chicago earlier this year to put together a pictorial history of Plymouth County.

Zieman, who now lives in Texas, spent the past two weeks in the Le Mars area gathering and scanning photos from area residents and spending time at the Plymouth County HIstorical Museum going through archives of photos.

She calls her trip a success.

"I got some great response and the museum people were great," Zieman said. She noted she was taking home three flash drives of full of photos.

"It's a big project," she added, "but I'm very excited about it. It's a lot of fun."

Her first deadline to the publisher is Nov. 1, when she must submit potential cover photos.

Her next deadline is Jan. 9, 2009, for the introduction chapter and all other photos and descriptive text.

"I requested these deadlines to set up the process of publication to finish in time for release in late spring 2009," Zieman explained.

"I am so pleased with the positive response that I have received from so many Plymouth County folks. Everyone has been gracious and I have seen and scanned numerous photos so far," Zieman said.

Two local women, Mary Holub and Nancy Yoder have also been working with Zieman in gathering information for the project.

"Mary Holub has been so kind to volunteer her assistance and scan services locally. Without her, this book project just could not come together. The museum folks have allowed me to browse the photo files, some of those have been scanned to specification," Zieman added.

Zieman is still looking for a photo that shows the original log cabin on the prairie.

For those wishing to add to Zieman's collection, contributors should follow these guidelines:

* Original photographs (black/white or color) Color photos are mentioned here. The photos in the book are all black/white or the sepia tone color, however.

* Prints made from negatives

* Postcards

* Printed line art (such as advertisements or bill heads)

* Images larger than 3 by 3 inches and smaller than 17 by 11.5 inches

* Images of the above standards scanned according to specifications of: 300 dpi, output size = 8 inches wide or 16 inches for a double-page photo spread, grayscale (8-bit), save as TIFF (Or Zieman was told that scanning to 600 dpi should cover the output size requirement.)

Not acceptable are laser copies of any kind; images made or reproduced using Kodak Picture Maker; photographs of photographs; ink jet printed photos; most digital photographs (there are exceptions); jpg images downloaded and/or printed out from the internet; any images printed on a home computer printer; yearbook photographs; images from pamphlets or other previously published matter; images from newspapers; images in books; blurry images.

"I am very pleased and excited to be involved with this this pictorial county history book for Plymouth County, my home county! Zieman said. "The county began with the early settlers who pioneered and persevered decade after decade, making their living from the soil. The early pioneers endured hardships, yet most of them stayed committed. They were committed to a way of life, forging ahead to make a better life for their own children and grandchildren. Our early ancestors gave way to the next generation, who in turn, gave way to another entirely new generation of Plymouth County residents with the same fervor for living and raising their families. It is this perseverance and commitment that I want to see portrayed in pictures on the pages of this book."

Zieman plans to return to Plymouth County in May 2009, when the book should be available for sale. She notes she has seen other county books by Arcadia Publishing of Chicago in area Barnes and Nobles stores.

Those interested in contributing photos may contact Mary Holub at 712-548-4716 or Nancy Yoder at 712-546-5845.