Early mountaineer Geraldine Lucas will be among the subjects of an outdoor public
lecture series in the Jackson Hole area. (Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum)
The Wyoming Humanities Council and local partners are sponsoring a series of outdoor lectures beginning next week in the Jackson Hole area.
The "Humanities Al Fresco," an outside public lecture series, begins Thursday, June 24, with University of Wyoming American Studies instructor Mary Humstone's presentation, "Partners in Preservation: American Studies in the Field."
The lecture is at the UW-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue will be held at 5:30 p.m. with a $5 per person fee; reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.
Humstone's talk is part of UW's/AMK summer barbeque lecture series.
"Northwest Wyoming has a rich history of significant contributions to the conservation movement in America," says Sheila Bricher-Wade from the Wyoming Humanities Council. The organization is partnering with local organizations active in Grand Teton National Park to present four presentations this summer and a tour focused on issues related to America's conservation movement and the preservation of historic cultural resources in the Jackson Hole-Yellowstone National Park areas.
Presentations cover the history of important Grand Teton National Park historic sites, student-driven preservation projects, a woman homesteader, the Jackson Hole Airport, cattle grazing in the park and links between early conservationists and the modern environmental movement.
In her discussion, Humstone says the Jackson Hole area is widely recognized for natural resource conservation.
"Less well known are the fascinating historical resources that remain in the area," she says. The UW American Studies program has for more than two decades partnered with federal and state agencies and private individuals on historic preservation projects throughout Wyoming and in the Jackson Hole area.
Armed with clipboards and cameras, students document cultural landscapes, interview property owners and historians, measure and record buildings and make recommendations for preserving historic places and what stories to tell, Humstone adds. Her illustrated presentation will highlight some projects that UW students have worked on in Jackson, including the AMK Ranch.
The second presentation in the series is by Sherry Smith, who will discuss "Geraldine Lucas: Mountaineering, Homesteading and Fighting the Federal Government in early 20th Century Jackson Hole," at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 12, at the Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch.
Former UW professor Robert Righter will present, "The Airport: Paradox for a Park"at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 2, at the Murie Center in Moose.
The final lecture is a "Conversation on Cattle and Conservation," presented by Pete Simpson and Ken Thomasma, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Teton Science School Kelly campus.
The Historic Preservation Yellowstone National Park Tour is Sept. 18-19, with former National Park Service historic architect Rodd Wheaton.
For more information, contact Bricher-Wade at (307) 721-9246 or e-mail sbricher@uwyo.edu.
