Message-ID: <SNT104-W275F50574C05DE6C170D1BA1620@phx.gbl> From: Destinee Udelhoven <destineekae@hotmail.com> Subject: Indian Agency House to Host Speaker Series Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 10:40:52 -0500
Historic Indian Agency House
to Host Second Annual Summer Speaker Series
The Historic Indian Agency House will again host a 4-part speaker series,
with one lecture a month from June to September. The series, entitled
“To Arms: Wisconsin and 19th-Century Military Conflicts,” will explor
e the participation of Wisconsinites and the impact of our state’s geogra
phy on several military engagements of the 1900s. Each installment of the
series, all offered free of charge, will be held on the final Tuesday
of each month at 6:30PM.
This 2011 speaker series is the second annual such venture by the Agency Ho
use, with last year’s series (focused on the Ho-Chunk experience and th
eir history at the portage) proving to be extremely popular, drawing gues
t lecturers and visitors from across the state. This year’s series has t
he potential to be just as successful, with experts in the field secured
for each of the four installments.
The first of the 2011 series will take place Tuesday, June 28. At this ti
me, the charismatic Michael Douglass, a respected and long-time histori
an who also serves as Executive Director of Prairie du Chien’s Villa Loui
s (the actual location of Wisconsin’s only War of 1812 battle site), wi
ll discuss the War of 1812.
Although this historical event is often associated with a more Eastern Unit
ed States- interpretation, Douglass will address how it was actually a tu
rning point in Wisconsin history, marking the end of the British regime i
n the old Northwest. Special attention will be paid to the July 1814 Battl
e of Prairie du Chien, and the associated importance of the Fox-Wisconsin
waterway. In addition, Douglass will highlight the role of Native Ameri
can participation in the battle.
The museum and visitor’s center exhibits, always free to the public,
will be open 5PM until the lecture begins, with a guided tour of the Hist
oric Indian Agency House itself offered for a minimal fee at this time. Li
ght refreshments will be provided for lecture guests.
Installments two through four of the series will focus on a range of milita
ry-related topics, from July’s spotlight on the Black Hawk War (led by
“Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America” author and retired UW
-Manitowoc professor Kerry Trask), to August’s Civil War-themed discuss
ion (to be presented by historian and professional archivist Peter Shrake)
, with September closing the series with a discussion of the often-occurr
ing and intriguing phenomenon of Native American involvement in European ba
ttles and wars (to be presented by Dr. John W. Hall, UW-Madison professor
of military history and author of “Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in th
e Black Hawk War”).
For the second year, the speaker series is free to the public and made la
rgely possible by a generous grant from the Great Circle Foundation, Inc.
of East Northport, New York, with additional financial support provide
d by Forever Yours Jewelry of Portage.
The “To Arms” 2011 lecture series is part of a yearlong Civil War theme
, commemorating the 150th anniversary of this nation-altering era, at t
he Historic Indian Agency House. Visit www.agencyhouse.org for a full listi
ng of events.
__________________________________________________________________________
________________________________
Destinee K. Udelhoven
Executive Director
Historic Indian Agency House
Portage, Wisconsin
(608) 742 - 6362
Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
~John D. Rockefeller