University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 1-1-1938 An ecological study of Ashland park community Angeline Rose Tauchen University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Recommended Citation Tauchen, Angeline Rose, "An ecological study of Ashland park community" (1938). Student Work. 536. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/536 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY q OF ASHLAND PARK COMMUNITY 7 A Thesis Submitted /7 " 7 In Partial Falfillment of the - 1 { Requirements for the Degree of * ^ Master of Arts -7 in the ^ Department of Sociology of the } Municipal University of Omaha ^ 5 Angeline Rose Tauchen 1938 ii UMI Number: EP73174 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertalion Publishing UMI EP73174 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 FOREWORD Without the cooperation of former and present residents of Ashland Park Community this study would not have been possible. During the four years that the writer taught school in District No. 4 many friendships were formed which later proved of inestimable value when suggestions and constructive criticism were needed. A debt of gratitude is due Miss Bird Claybaugh, principal of Ashland Park school, who gave unsparingly of her time and effort in contributing little known but valuable facts and statistics. The help received from the Reverends Cajetan Zarantoh, A. R., of the Holy Ghost Catholic church and Edward Holub of the Mosher Memorial Presbyterian church, the board of trustees and teachers of the school, and business leaders in the community, have aided in making possible the comprehensive survey necessary to an investigation of this kind. May 27, 1958 Angeline Rose Tauchen INTRODUCTION Why Interested This study grew out of an interest in the problems of, and a deep regard for, the people of District No. 4 with whom the writer came in close contact during her teaching experience in the district, (1925-1929). In the capacity of physical training instructor and 4-H club leader she was frequently called upon to participate in programs and recreational affairs and other extra-curricular activities, many of which took place in the evenings. From these experiences, plus the knowledge derived from school and home contacts, she was able to appreciate the relationships and meanings of events as they occurred in the community. During that time the problems of the community became her problems. Finally she came to the realization that there was a field for social research in the vari­ ous phases of community life and in 1955 investigation was seriously begun. The results are herewith presented. Today the writer feels sufficiently detached from the district and its life to view it objectively. ^The present study attempts to explain and analyze the network of a complex social life in an unorganized community with the ecological^concept in mind. ^ Incidentally, social change, together with persistence or disappearance of social phenomena, is emphasized. Trends have been especially observed. Purposes of Study The purpose of an ecological study of a community is to bring out 1 Park and Burgess, The City, p. 61-62. nHuman ecology is the study of the spatial and temporal relations of human beings as affected by the selective, distributive, and accommodative forces of the environment. It is interested in position, in both time and space upon human in­ stitutions and human behavior.” Ill various phases of social life as they really exist, with reference to their interdependence upon environmental forces. Few comprehensive studies of the human community from the ecological viewpoint have been made; the field is practically unsurveyed. Human ecology shows a strik­ ing similarity to plant ecology in the effect of definite external proc­ esses upon life. Because of the bearing of many ecological factors upon the social life of Ashland Park Community, the district offers innumer­ able opportunities for research in this phase of sociology. Further incentives for the study of Ashland Park Community are two: (1) The investigator is personally interested in the commun­ ity and is acquainted with many of the facts of its social life. Practically no research has been made on this type of community, neither strictly rural nor truly urban. In the absence of an organized social life and an almost total lack of available printed material, the writer be­ lieves that only one with a personal interest in the com­ munity would have been impelled to probe into its sociol­ ogical factors. (2) The ecological processes of competition, invasion, suc­ cession and segregation are discernible in the community, thus providing a fertile field for the study of social change. Part I presents an over-view of general community life from its be­ ginnings, while a specific ecological factor is taken up in each part thereafter. An attempt is made to reveal how these various constituents in their intermingling affect the daily lives and hopes of inhabitants of the community. The average citizen in the district will be able to IV see himself in his environment as he really is while leaders will be able to view all phases of community life from a sociological standpoint. It is hoped that a permanent record of a social situation will be of value to those interested in the community. Technique Employed In addition to participation in the affairs of the community, the writer has recently; taken advantage of every occasion which afforded further observation 'of social phenomena pertinent to the study at hand. The bulk of information was secured through the medium of the personal interview. Outlines were prepared for use during the most casual as well as the carefully-planned interviews with individuals specially qualified to give information on particular phases of the study. Early pioneers, school and church authorities, business men and club leaders contributed the most valuable data. The author did not consider individual reactions as scientific data but rather as suggestions of tendencies in the commun­ ity. Information given by one was frequently verified by others. Interviews were purposely planned to direct the course of conversa­ tion into the desired channels and bring out evidences of social change and trends. Through this means valuable notes showing the feelings, attitudes, and experiences of interviewees were obtained. Although attitudes are em­ phasized they do not give a complete measurement of the societal situation at hand. Those consulted represent a cross-section of the population, ranging from the most indigent to those considered the "best” people; oc­ cupations represent unskilled laborers to professional persons. The author sought a true sample of the population of the community as well as suffi­ cient outsiders to serve as an adequate basis for conclusions* The few who showed indifference or refused to cooperate were persons V who either had an antipathy for the community or were unable to understand the value of social study. It will be noted in the text that some names are given while others who divulged information requested that they remain anonymous. The subject of a comprehensive questionnaire for obtaining data from each home was seriously considered, but during the initial interview with the Ashland Park Board of Education, the matter was discussed and the idea abandoned on the grounds that possible misunderstandings or repercussions might result. After it was discovered that only a little data relating to the district could be obtained from available records, it was decided to augment the material by using a simple questionnaire on personal matters which could be answered objectively by the school children with the under­ standing that they were not to sign their names,. Questionnaires represent­ ing 284 or 52.7% of the homes in the community were filled out by the chil­ dren, the teacher making a tally from raised hands in the lowest grades., A fair cross-section of homes was thus revealed. Availability of Materials Available records consisted of personal, club, and public documents which included census reports, city and county records, court files, school records, State Reports, Year Books, newspapers, and periodicals, diaries, scrapbooks, clippings, programs, old letters, club papers, and minutes of club meetings. These documents and other data tell little regarding prob­ lems of social life, for they record events only as they have affected cer­ tain people or institutions, and much observation and study were required before facts and figures could be determined. Especially regrettable is the lack of certain records which might have proven valuable in this in­ vestigation had they not been destroyed by the Court House fire in 1919. In order to obtain uniformity in statistical data throughout the thesis the summer of 1957 has been selected as a period of final analysis. One or two exceptions bringing statistics to June, 1958 are included where they do not affect earlier parts of the study. Limitations of Study The chief limitations of the study are caused by the almost total absence of official records of Douglas County pertaining to the community as a unit.