Public History & Education Intern

About the role

Yakima Valley Trolleys is hiring a Part-Time Grant-Funded Intern — Public History & Education — to help uncover and share a piece of Yakima Valley history that’s never made it into a classroom. The position, “Tracks to Opportunity: How Interurbans Changed American Communities,” centers on researching how the Yakima Valley Transportation Company’s interurban electric railroad shaped daily life for women, youth, rural families, farmers, immigrant workers, and Indigenous peoples from 1907 through the mid‑20th century — and then turning that research into a K–12 curriculum, including classroom‑ready lesson plans for 4th grade (Washington State history) and 7th grade (U.S. history). The mission of the Yakima Valley Trolleys association is to preserve, restore, maintain and operate the former Yakima Valley Transportation Company railroad line in such fashion as to present a historically accurate representation of day‑to‑day operations of the Yakima Valley Transportation Company.

Responsibilities

• Research the impact of the Yakima Valley Transportation Company interurban electric railroad on various community groups (women, youth, rural families, farmers, immigrant workers, Indigenous peoples) from 1907 to mid‑20th century.
• Develop a K–12 curriculum based on the research.
• Create classroom‑ready lesson plans for 4th grade Washington State history and 7th grade U.S. history.

Requirements

Open to candidates of any background or field of study.

Qualifications

• Strong interest in local history, public history, or education.
• Strong research, writing, and organizational skills.
• Coursework, teaching experience, or strong interest in curriculum design.
• Able to work independently, manage deadlines, and communicate progress regularly.
• Comfort with public speaking or facilitation is a plus (for the educator workshop portion).
• Currently resides in Washington State.
• Must be 18 years of age or older.

Skills

• Research
• Writing
• Organizational
• Curriculum design
• Independent work
• Deadline management
• Communication
• Public speaking / facilitation (plus)

Pay

$21/hour

Schedule

Part‑time, 15 hours/week (October 2026 – June 2027)