SOUTH DAKOTA—“Old buildings are delicate,” says Boxelder Job Corps painting student Alaynah Songhawk. “You don’t want to hammer them too hard.” She gained this insight while helping restore the historic structures at the Tepee Work Center on the Black Hills National Forest over five weeks last June and July.

With minimal exposure to Forest Service lands and little past camping experience, Songhawk spent five  weeks living in a tent on the Black Hills National Forest working under the supervision of  HistoriCorps professionals. There is a significant need for craftsmen working in historic preservation and HistoriCorps’ partnership with the Job Corps Program engages young people to help save America’s architectural heritage for the public benefit.

Songhawk helped remove deteriorated, oil-based coatings from three wooden structures, and to prevent future deterioration, recoated the wood with a Heritage Natural Finish, as well as learning the basics of window restoration. She embraced learning window reglazing with great passion.  The process involves removing old putty that has failed and employing a putty knife to replace it with new putty that provides a water-tight seal between glass and wood, while also allowing the wood to expand and contract without cracking the glass. 

“Alaynah was one of the students that really took to window glazing. With dozens of sashes to reglaze, there was plenty of practice for her in this lost art,” says HistoriCorps’ Job Corps Program Manager Ryan Prochaska. “Because the work involves dealing with glass, it is necessary to be careful not to break any panes. It takes practice to learn the right angle to use on the putty to get a good seal, create a nice finish and make corners look neat and tidy. It is a skill that requires practice and patience.”  

Songhawk, a 25-year-old member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, enrolled at Boxelder Job Corps on September 3, 2019. Her Yankton Sioux name is “Canwigna Wi” which translates as “woman amongst the trees.” After watching her daughter move from one dead-end job to another, it was Songhawk’s mother who encouraged her to enroll in Job Corps. “I’m so happy my mom pushed me to enroll in Job Corps. I’ve met really good people here,” says Songhawk. “The feeling of security I have here has allowed me to break out of the box I felt trapped in.”

Songhawk’s leadership skills have blossomed during her months on-center. While her dorm president Shyne Addison is away from center serving on a camp crew, she has stepped up to serve in her stead. “Serving as dorm president is amazing,” says Songhawk. “My dormmates teach me and I teach them and together we learn how to be a better team.”

Songhawk is scheduled to graduate with her painting certificate in March 2022. Her initial plans include moving to Denver, Colorado and joining the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. However, her experience working on the Tepee Work Center has now piqued her interest in a career with the Forest Service. “I’d like to know more about taking care of the land and helping the environment,” she muses.

“I’m excited to see how this experience will shape Alaynah’s career,” says Prochaska. “I hope that her exposure to historic preservation work gives her a broader choice of options. It would be an honor to get to work with her again and see what new skills she has learned.”

No matter what path Songhawk ultimately follows, the feelings of isolation and loneliness that plagued her before she arrived at Boxelder Job Corps no longer haunt her. “My book is still in the writing,” says Songhawk. “I will write adventures and make history.”

The Boxelder Job Corps Center, with a capacity to serve 124 students at any one time, is located in Nemo, South Dakota. Boxelder’s education and vocational instructors change lives, one student at a time, by equipping them with the education and skills necessary to begin successful careers, while helping to complete  high priority stewardship projects on national forests and grasslands.