Community members of all ages are invited to spring into the past with the Montana Historical Society’s April public programs.
Activities this month include history lectures, an online discussion about the Montana Heritage Center, and special community events.
On Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Library, Patrick Rennie will speak about “Technological Advances in Archaeology: Documenting Precontact Landscapes.” Focusing on stone features and hunting architecture, Rennie will share how new technology such as drones has allowed archaeologists to better record archaeological sites.
On Wednesday, April 10, at 1 p.m. at Touchmark, Zoe Ann Stoltz will talk about “Montana’s Ties to the Titanic.” The tale of the Titanic’s sinking looms large in our national and international history, but the tragedy left its mark on the Treasure State as well. Aboard the ill-fated vessel were millionaires, miners, and homesteaders, headed to Montana in search of opportunity. Most perished, but several amazing people lived to tell their stories.
On Thursday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m., Montana Historical Society director Molly Kruckenberg will share plans for and answer questions about the new facility currently under construction in an online presentation about “The Montana Heritage Center: Saving Our Past, Sharing Our Stories.” Prior registration via the MTHS website is required to receive the link for the live event.
On Thursday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Library, Austin Haney will present “Iron Dreams: Montana and the Pacific Railroad Surveys of 1853.” Tasked with finding a route for the nation’s first transcontinental railroad, the Stevens Expedition would be the most substantial government-sponsored exploration of the interior U.S. since the days of Lewis and Clark.
On Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at The Myrna Loy, Helena community members will read parts from Diversity Day, a play by Gregory Hinton. In 2010, the Missoula City Council heard six hours of public testimony about adding sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance. Join us for a free, hour-long, staged reenactment of excerpts from that testimony, followed by a discussion with the playwright and Heidi Wallace of EmpowerMT.
On Saturday, April 27 at the Helena Indian Alliance, from 10 a.m. to noon, members of the Helena-area Indian community are invited to bring photographs of community or family gatherings, fliers advertising community events, or other pieces of history. These are to be scanned by Montana Historical Society staff. Participants will receive a flash drive with the scans, and with their permission, the images also will be posted on the Montana History Portal, a free online hub for Montana cultural institutions to share their collections with the public.
Free tours of the Original Governor’s Mansion are offered every Saturday at noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m.
Thursday lectures held at the library will be recorded and posted on the MTHS YouTube channel.
For further information, email [email protected]. extra50plus
