Inaugural Peter Iverson Distinguished Lecture

Peter Iverson’s Legacy: The Relevance of the Indian Past in the Present with Albert L. Hurtado

Thursday, April 30, 2026 Noon–1:30 p.m. in West Hall 135

Throughout his professional life Peter Iverson argued that historians of Native America should turn their attention away from the nineteenth-century history of frontier conquest and Indian wars to the twentieth century’s more complex story of resurgence and endurance. Peter’s efforts to reorient the field of Native American history are part of his enduring legacy. But, as Peter understood, a focus on contemporary Indian issues such as tribal sovereignty, resource development and gaming does not mean that the more distant past has been left behind. Often the most contentious “modern” problems in Indian country have roots deep in the past. Thus, history remains relevant to contemporary Indians as well as to their non-Indian neighbors.

About Albert L. Hurtado

Albert L. Hurtado held the Travis Chair in Modern American history at the University of Oklahoma where he taught courses on the American West and Native American history until he retired in 2012. His books and articles on these subjects have won awards, including the Billington Prize for Indian Survival on the California Frontier (1988), the Neuburg Award for Intimate Frontiers: Sex, Gender and Culture in Old California (1999), and the Caughey Prize for John Sutter, A Life on the North American Frontier (2006). Professor Hurtado’s most recent book is Herbert Eugene Bolton: Historian of the American Borderlands. He has also edited books including Major Problems in American Indian History (1994, 2001, 2014), and Reflections on American Indian History (2008). He is past president of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association and the Western History Association.

About the Peter Iverson Distinguished Lecture

This lecture celebrates and commemorates the contributions of Dr. Peter Iverson during his exemplary 30 year career at Arizona State University. Professor Iverson is one of the most recognized leading historians of the American West and Native History – he is the author of ten books, the editor of five books, and served as the President of the Western History Association in 2004. At ASU, Professor Iverson was the first history professor appointed as Regents’ Professor, and he served as the Director of Graduate Studies for History for several years. A beloved teacher and mentor, Professor Iverson oversaw the work of 50 PhD students and was recognized for his commitment to his students’ continued success by being awarded Outstanding Doctoral Mentor from Arizona State University in 2003.

ASU School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies Arizona State University

A light lunch will be provided, but RSVP is required.

RSVP: specialevents.asu.edu/iversonlecture2026

With your interest in the history of the American West and Oklahoma, we invite you to attend an upcoming program Monday, April 13. Award-winning historian Paul Hutton will discuss his latest book The Undiscovered Country. The new book received the 2026 Western Heritage Award for best nonfiction book from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 

The Undiscovered Country

Monday, April 13

2:00 pm, Paul Andrew Hutton discusses The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West, Constitution Hall, Nigh University Center. The program is free and open to all.

6:00 pm, Ticketed dinner with the author, Heritage Room, Nigh University Center.

Dr. Paul Andrew Hutton is professor emeritus of history at the University of New Mexico, former executive director of the Western History Association, and interim curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Sponsored by the Department of History and Geography, College of Liberal Arts, and Presidential Partners. 

For more information about the programming, to order a signed copy of the book, and to register for the ticketed event: https://www.centralconnection.org/hutton

The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) invites abstracts (sessions, papers, posters, and videos) for the Program of the 87^th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, March 23-27, 2027. The theme of the Program is “Futures, Fractures, and Fixes.”

The 2027 SfAA Annual Meeting offers researchers, practitioners, and students from diverse disciplines and organizations the opportunity to discuss their work and consider how it can contribute to a better future. SfAA members come from a host of disciplines — anthropology, geography, sociology, economics, business, planning, medicine, nursing, law, and more. The annual meeting provides a fertile venue in which to trade ideas, methods, and practical solutions, as well as an opportunity to enter the lifeworlds of other professionals. 

The deadline for abstract submission is October 1, 2026. For additional information on the theme, abstract size/format, and the meeting, please visit our web page www.appliedanthro.org and click on annual meeting.

The Society for Applied Anthropology is pleased to announce our 87^th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, March 23-27, 2027.  

For meeting information visit www.appliedanthro.org/annual-meeting

The Extractive Midwest

Call for Proposals for Edited Volume

Description:

Typically defined as a fertile, renewable, and nurturing region, the Midwest has also experienced a long history of extraction. Its laborers, free and unfree, used the region’s natural resources to build cities and to create economic empires, both within and beyond the region’s boundaries. Yet this extraction has been hidden from both the region’s popular perceptions and from its scholarship, which tends to look at extraction at local levels, not from a regional perspective. This collection aims to acknowledge the Midwest’s extractive past and its creation of the region’s present.

The impetus for this collection came from panels about midwestern mining, logging, and agriculture at the annual conferences for the Western History Association and the Midwestern History Association. Feedback revealed the need for new scholarship that foregrounds extraction within Midwestern history. Although recent scholarship on midwestern history has emphasized the region’s distinctive nature, this collection will consider how the Midwest, as a region, developed through extractive processes that were similar to those seen in western and southern US history.

We aim to produce an edited collection that draws on the provocative recent scholarship foregrounding extractivism while remaining accessible to non-specialist audiences. Proposals should examine the relationship between extraction in its manifold forms and the history of the Midwest, broadly defined. We recognize that extraction happens in various forms so we’re excited to accept proposals that explore extraction from multiple disciplinary angles.

Themes:

Below is a list of ideas around the central theme of “extraction” that the editors have developed. The list is by no means exhaustive and instead only serves to generate ideas.

• Agriculture as an extractive industry / modern agribusiness / soil depletion

• Capitalism / Political Economy / Boom and bust cycles in the Midwest

• Cultures of extractivism in the Midwest

• Data / Information & Technology

• Energy in the Midwest / biofuels / midwestern coal, oil, and, gas

• Fishing / Hunting

• Forestry

• Indigenous History

• Labor / Talent / Immigration into and Emigration from the Midwest

• The Midwest in Modern Global Systems and Economies / International Capital and Commodity Flows

• Mining / Mineral Extraction

• Recreation / Tourism

• Transportation

• Waste / Reclamation & Remediation

Target Audience:

We intend this collection to appeal to scholars of the Midwest, especially historians and literary scholars engaged in the recent boom in Midwestern studies, as well as a broader readership interested in exploring the Midwest’s character and development through serious nonfiction. 

Plan for Collaboration:

We plan to create an edited collection with clear, consistent arguments woven throughout each chapter. Thus, the editors and chapter authors will work collaboratively to craft a collection that, we hope, will be greater than the sum of its parts.

The editors will begin by reviewing abstracts for proposed chapters and inviting authors to submit full chapter drafts. Interested contributors should submit a 300-500 word abstract describing their proposed chapter, along with a brief biography (150 words), and a short CV by August 30, 2026.

At the chapter draft stage, we seek well-researched and original chapters between 6,000 and 8,000 words, not including notes, which should be completed in Chicago Manual of Style footnotes. Submissions should be grounded in scholarly analysis and should align with the above themes and the collection’s overall argument about extractivism’s role in shaping the Midwest.

In late 2026, the editors will convene regular meetings of the contributors (via video call) in a writing group format. We will workshop chapter drafts in a supportive, generative manner that aims to improve submissions and align our arguments. We tentatively plan for final chapter drafts to be due in June 2027.

Tentative Timeline:

• March 31, 2026–Release CFP

• August 30, 2026–Proposals Due

• Mid-September 2026–Acceptances

• Mid-to-Late December 2026–Virtual symposium

• June 1, 2027–Chapter Drafts Due

• January 1, 2028–Final Chapter Drafts Due

Editors:

Brian James Leech is Associate Professor of History at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. His research focuses on the history of natural resources in the American West and Midwest.

Sarah Mittlefehldt is Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences at Northern Michigan University. Her research focuses on the history of forest management and the development of wood-based energy technologies.

Hayden L. Nelson is a Gale Scholar, Research Historian at the Minnesota Historical Society. His research focuses on the relationship between resource extraction and colonization in the Great Lakes and Great Plains.

Jeff Schramm is Associate Professor of History at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. His research focuses on 20th century industrial technology, specifically railroads and mining, and the engineering and regulation thereof. 

Send all inquiries and submissions to: 

Hayden L. Nelson (hayden.l.nelson@outlook.com)

JOHN O. BAXTER
September 2, 1927 - July 24, 2025
John Otis Baxter, a historian, rancher, and family man, passed away peacefully at age 97 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born in Chicago, John spent summers on his grandfather's Montana ranch, where he developed a lifelong love of ranching. After graduating from Princeton, he returned to Montana to work as a cattle rancher-and had great fun competing in rodeos as a team roper. 

He eventually settled in New Mexico, where he earned a Ph.D. in history and became a respected research historian and author on the American Southwest. His books and preservation work on New Mexico's cultural and water history are widely recognized. During his 56 years living in Santa Fe, John had a very rich social life. An avid outdoorsman and birder, he was a member of the hiking group known as the Santa Fe Chile and Marching Society, and he made frequent trips to the Bosque del Apache and several trips to the Grand Canyon.

A music lover, he regularly attended the Santa Fe Opera, knew the lyrics to countless country songs, and enjoyed listening to Tejano tunes on road trips with his daughters throughout New Mexico. John looked forward to evenings on the dance floor at La Fonda, and-if one watches closely-it's possible to see him in a couple of scenes in the movie Silverado.

He will be remembered for his intellectual rigor, storytelling, love of the land, and dedication to family and friends. John is survived by his wife, Betty Baxter; daughters, Sarah Baxter (Jeremy Shields) and Betsy Baxter; grandson, John Baxter; stepdaughters, Sophie Martin (Brian Carnes) and Claire Martin (Todd Thedinga); step-granddaughter, Frances Thedinga; stepchildren, Jane Schwartz Maclean, Andy Schwartz, and Nikki Schwartz; and a large extended family of step-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his second wife, Lenore Schwartz Baxter; his brother, Pete Goodrich; and his sister, Joanna Henderson.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name can be sent to the Historic Santa Fe Foundation.

2026 H-Net Teaching Conference - Call for Proposals

Title: Why It Matters: Teaching Empathy, Critical Thinking, and Civil Discourse across the Humanities and Social Sciences

Proposals Due: May 22, 2026
Conference Dates: August 17–20, 2026
Location: Virtual on Zoom

H-Net is excited to announce Why It Matters: Teaching Empathy, Critical Thinking, and Civil Discourse across the Humanities and Social Sciences will be the theme for the fifth annual H-Net Teaching Conference. This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of the humanities and social sciences in building the knowledge, skills, and abilities that support civil discourse, which is a foundation of functional democracies. In addition to civil discourse, this year’s theme focuses on using the humanities and social sciences to build understanding and connections through empathy and critical thinking.

We welcome individual, panel, and roundtable proposals and encourage interactive formats such as workshops, digital posters, assignment charrettes, and other innovative sessions that promote engagement and discussion.

Keynote speaker: To be announced.

The conference will be fully virtual during the week of Monday, August 17, 2026. Sessions may be recorded for later access via H-Net Commons, and selected presenters may be invited to publish in the H-Net Conference Proceedings.

All proposals should include a title, CVs and email addresses for all presenters, and an abstract of no more than 200 words. No pre-recorded sessions will be accepted. Submissions are encouraged to address one or more of the following areas:

1. Applied learning in the classroom to enhance empathy, critical thinking, and civil discourse while navigating difficult or controversial topics.  
2. Assessment of student growth in empathy, critical thinking, and civil discourse
3. The role of storytelling in developing empathy, critical thinking, and civil discourse
4. Challenges facing the teaching of the humanities and social sciences due to federal and state mandates, with a focus on pedagogical responses
5. How public-facing educational programs and resources (H-Net, National History Day, literacy initiatives, etc.) can enrich knowledge, skills, and abilities related to empathy, critical thinking, and civil discourse
6. Connecting the humanities and social sciences to workplace needs, including perspective-taking, collaboration, and problem-solving through critical thinking

Email proposals to brothe10@msu.edu by Friday, May 22, 2026.

As a proponent of open access, the H-Net Teaching Conference will be free and open to all. 

Job Description

Join Our Campus Community!

Thank you for your interest in joining the University of Wyoming.  Our community thrives on the contributions of talented and driven individuals who share in our mission, vision, and values. If your expertise and experience align with the goals of our institution, we would be thrilled to hear from you. We encourage you to apply and become a valued member of our vibrant campus community today!

Why Choose Us?

At the University of Wyoming, we value our employees and invest in their success. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support your health, financial security, and work-life balance. Benefits include:

• Generous Retirement Contributions: The State contributes 14.94% of your gross salary, and you contribute 3.68%, totaling 18.62% toward your retirement plan.
• Exceptional Health & Prescription Coverage: Enjoy access to medical, dental, and vision insurance with competitive employer contributions, that include 4 deductible options to suit your needs.
• Paid Time Off: Benefit from ample vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and paid winter closure.
• Tuition Waiver: Employees and eligible dependents can take advantage of tuition waivers, supporting continuous education and professional growth.
• Wellness and Employee Assistance Programs: Stay healthy with wellness initiatives, counseling services, and mental health resources.

At the University of Wyoming, we are committed to creating a supportive and enriching workplace. To learn more about what we offer, please refer to UW’s Benefits Summary.

JOB TITLE:

Assistant Director/Archivist, Associate

JOB PURPOSE:

The Assistant Director – Associate Archivist serves as a senior leader of the American Heritage Center (AHC), supporting the Director in strategic planning, policy development, and institutional decision-making while ensuring alignment with university priorities and archival best practices. This position oversees departmental operations, collections acquisition, facilities administration, compliance, and resource stewardship to ensure the preservation, protection, and accessibility of state, regional, and nationally significant collections. Acting with delegated authority, the Assistant Director assumes full administrative responsibility in the Director’s absence and represents the Center in executive-level meetings and committees. The role requires independent judgment, advanced archival expertise, and leadership in personnel management, donor relations, facilities planning, research development, and professional scholarship, including supporting and advancing the center’s research mission.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the Director in leadership, strategic planning, and institutional decision-making for the American Heritage Center (AHC).
• Review and provide recommendations on short- and long-range plans, budgets, policies, and procedures.
• Advise the Director on the interpretation and application of university regulations, state and federal laws, contracts, deeds of gift, and financial account requirements; oversee related compliance and records management responsibilities.
• Coordinate and evaluate programs, services, and departmental operations to ensure alignment with institutional goals and archival best practices.
• Ensure the preservation, protection, and accessibility of state, regional, and nationally significant collections.
• Oversee daily operational decisions related to collection handling, processing priorities, space allocation, and service delivery.
• Assume full administrative authority for AHC personnel, facilities, and fiscal resources in the Director’s absence, and represent the Director at executive-level meetings and committees.
• Serve as primary administrator for AHC facilities, including building operations, security systems, environmental controls, refrigerated storage, chemical management, and emergency preparedness and response.
• Lead facilities planning, infrastructure improvements, renovations, and expansions, and provide training on proper facility use and safety.
• Oversee the full collections acquisition process—from donor consultation through contract negotiation and transfer of ownership, advise on collections policies and initiatives, support donor relations, and chair the Acquisitions Committee.
• Assist with personnel management, including recruitment, supervision, and required faculty and staff evaluations.
• Conduct research on archival practices or topics related to AHC collections, and disseminate findings through publications, presentations, exhibits, or other appropriate channels.

SUPPLEMENTAL FUNCTIONS:

• Other duties as requested by the Director.

COMPETENCIES:

• Innovation
• Collaboration
• Negotiation
• Quality Orientation
• Technical/Professional Knowledge
• Strategic Planning

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• EDUCATION: Master’s degree in library and information sciences, e.g., MLIS, or master’s degree in a relevant field or closely related discipline.
• EXPERIENCE: 10 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, with at least 5 years of that in an archival or library setting.
• LICENSURES, CERTIFICATIONS, REGISTRATIONS, OR OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
• Valid driver's license with a motor vehicle record (MVR) compliant with the Driving for University Business SAP. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Knowledge of facilities management principles related to environmental controls, security, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials handling, and preservation-quality storage.

• Ability to exercise independent judgment, coordinate departmental operations, set priorities, manage facilities initiatives, and assume full administrative authority in the Director’s absence.

• Expertise in donor relations and collection development, including consultation, negotiation, stewardship, and evaluation of acquisition proposals.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and compliance responsibilities simultaneously.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS: 

Complete the online application.  The department additionally requests candidates upload the following document(s) for a complete application:

1. Cover letter
2. Resume or C.V.
3. Contact information for four work-related references (references will only be contacted if you are selected as a finalist for the position).

This position will remain open until filled. Complete applications received by 4/3/2026 will receive full consideration. 

WORK LOCATION: 

On-campus: This position provides vital support to campus customers, and the successful candidate must be available to work on campus.

WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS: 

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the United States. Sponsorship for H-1B work authorization or work visa is not available for this position. 

HIRING STATEMENT/EEO:  

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please contact us at 307-766-2377 or email jobapps@uwyo.edu. 

ABOUT LARAMIE:

The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, a charming town of 30,000 residents nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountain West. The state of Wyoming continues to invest in its only 4-year university, helping to make it a leader in academics, research, and outreach with state-of-the-art facilities and strong community ties. We invite you to learn more about Laramie by visiting the About Laramie website.

Located in a high mountain valley near the Colorado border, Laramie offers both outstanding recreational opportunities and close proximity to Colorado’s Front Range and the metropolitan Denver area. Laramie’s beautiful mountain landscape offers outdoor enjoyment in all seasons, with over 300 days of sunshine annually. For more information about the region, please visit http://visitlaramie.org/

The American Historical Association has released the 2026 edition of Careers for History Majors, a practical, data-informed guide that connects the skills developed in undergraduate historical study to meaningful career pathways. Designed for students, advisers, and departments, it offers clear evidence of the value of the history degree and concrete advice for professional success. Learn more or order copies here: historians.org/careers-for-history-majors. 

15th annual Western History Dissertation Workshop, May 8, 2026 at the University of California, Davis.

This writing workshop offers vigorous dissertation support to advanced western history PhD students in a collegial group of 10-12 leading scholars from participating institutions across the United States. Applicants who are most likely to benefit from this workshop are those who have completed a few chapters of their dissertation and who expect to defend in the 2026-27 academic year. Selected participants will share one chapter (of no more than fifty pages) at the workshop and receive feedback from other participants and from senior scholars affiliated with the sponsoring institutions.

The workshop

This year’s workshop is hosted by the Department of History at the University of California, Davis. UC Davis will pay travel expenses for up to five advanced graduate students writing a dissertation exploring any topic dealing with the history and culture of the American West. The workshop is co-sponsored by: the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington; the Center for the Southwest at the University of New Mexico; the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West; the Center of the American West/University of Colorado Boulder Department of History; the University of Nebraska Department of History; the Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University; the Pennsylvania State University History Department; the Princeton University Department of History; the UCLA Department of History; and the University of Kansas Department of History.

How to apply

Please provide a brief cover letter, a short CV, and a dissertation prospectus/description of not more than two single-spaced pages. Your cover letter should indicate which chapter of your dissertation you intend to circulate for the workshop. Send all items in a single PDF document to Rachel St. John (rcstjohn@ucdavis.edu). Please arrange for your dissertation adviser to send a letter of recommendation via email to Rachel St. John as well; that letter should address the significance and the status of the dissertation to date. Applications are due April 1, 2026, and participants will be notified of their selection by April 13. Selected applicants must submit a complete draft of a dissertation chapter for distribution to the group by April 30

Through a collaborative effort of the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands & Peoples of the North American West, the Archives and Special Collections (ASC) department of the MSU Library, and the Friends of MSU Library , Montana State University offers a $3,000 annual award to facilitate research into collections held by ASC.  

The award is intended to defray the costs of either travel to Bozeman to conduct research; to facilitate digitization of portions of a collection to allow a researcher to work remotely; or a mix of the two. Recipients may be academics (including graduate students) or independent scholars who are residents of the United States. We are unable to pay for any costs above the award amount. 

Recipients should have a proven track record of accomplishment (or promise, in the case of graduate students) in their scholarly or creative work.  Applicants may use any of the unrestricted holdings of the MSU Archives and Special Collections, including manuscripts, MSU archives, the Trout and Salmonid collection, or Special Collections books. 

The awardee will share the preliminary results of their work in a public online presentation for MSU students, faculty, staff, and the Friends of the Library during the academic year following the award and will complete a creative or scholarly work within one calendar year from the date of the award. A copy of the work should be submitted to the head of Archives and Special Collections on completion.

Applications should consist of: 

• A cover letter;  
• A statement of purpose of no more than 1500 words describing the project, the collections the researcher plans to consult, and the anticipated final product;  
• A budget for travel, digitization, or a combination of the two;  
• A 2-3 page curriculum vitae. 

Send applications to the Head of Archives and Special Collections, Jodi Allison-Bunnellby April 1, 2026.  

Applications will be evaluated by a joint committee composed of the director of the Doig Center, a member of the ASC faculty, the Head of ASC, and a member of the Friends board.  

Criteria for evaluation: 

• Evidence of an appropriate range and depth of ASC collections to be used;   
• Significance and originality (or a fresh treatment) of the proposed topic; 

• Quality of writing and organization; 
• Applicant’s past record of successfully publishing or otherwise disseminating academic or creative works, or in the case of graduate students, demonstrated promise of success; 
• A well-supported budget for travel, digitization, or both. 

The award will be announced by May 1, 2026. Recipients will receive $1,500 at the start of the research and $1,500 after their public presentation is completed. We highly recommend travel in early to mid summer, when awardees can access campus housing. Lodging in Bozeman is extremely expensive.   

The Merrill G. Burlingame Archives and Special Collections at MSU features manuscript collections on the West and the Greater Yellowstone, with particular strengthsin agricultural history; the world’s most comprehensive collection of trout and salmonid books; select records of MSU history; area-focused books; and a substantial collection of angling oral histories.