Graduate Student Cole Wicker is a PhD student in History, where he explores the interpretation of race and labor histories at public recreation sites. He completed his MA thesis at Duke University, where he created a project titled “An Interpretive History of the Lower Deep River Region,” which raised the question “how can history inform land conservation.” He is currently researching the use of incarcerated labor in the Deep River Coal Field, NC a site that is now approved to become a state recreation trail. His public facing digital scholarship is available at deepriverhistory.com. Research Research Areas: Public History U.S. 19th & 20th Century U.S. South Labor History Environment & Agriculture Digital History Education Education: M.A. Liberal Studies, Duke University, 2022 B.A. Cultural Anthropology, Duke University, 2018