"To many, the Great Plains are part of the Great Flyover, whose landscape and history alike are flat and featureless. But in this region in the middle of the nation, cultures have mingled and clashed for thousands of years. This seminar will focus on the 19th century, though also examining the first peoples and the continuing cultural exchanges of the 20th century. It will begin with the physical setting, plants, and animals, and consider early humans in both Native American traditions and anthropological/archeological studies. Europeans arriving in the 16th century accelerated the long history of change and evolution, initiating more than three centuries of converging peoples and cultures, new centers of power, flourishing trade, calamitous epidemics, and cultural and material intrusions from across the planet. Participants will visit Bent’s Fort to see a cultural crossroads illustrated through one family. The seminar will also examine cattle ranching, homesteading, scientific explorations, and the depiction of the plains in art."

This workshop will offer "academic content about place-based western history and women’s suffrage on the western frontier, juxtaposed with myths of the West and contemporary women’s issues in the West, opportunities to engage in study and conversation with leading scholars, and introduction to four forms of primary historical sources—the built environment, artifacts, government records, and private papers—all of which have application in all history classrooms." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, readings, examination of primary teaching resources, and lesson plan creation.

This workshop will offer "academic content about place-based western history and women’s suffrage on the western frontier, juxtaposed with myths of the West and contemporary women’s issues in the West, opportunities to engage in study and conversation with leading scholars, and introduction to four forms of primary historical sources—the built environment, artifacts, government records, and private papers—all of which have application in all history classrooms." The workshop will include lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, readings, examination of primary teaching resources, and lesson plan creation.