The Yellowstone Gateway Museum announces its upcoming winter/spring speaker series, Culture of the 19th Century. The five bi-monthly programs are Wednesday or Thursday evenings beginning on February 28 and continuing through April 24. Topics include Copper King William Clark, a Yellowstone National Park stagecoach tour, Livingston’s bars and brothels, Fort Parker, and Calamity Jane. The free programs are held at 7:00 pm at Park Photo, 115 S. Main St., Livingston.
The first program is on Thursday, February 28, “A Verdigris Legacy: The far reach of Copper King William Andrews Clark” presented by historian and writer Robert Brock. For more than a year, Brock followed the trail of Montana Copper King William Andrews Clark and chronicled his journey to Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Jerome, Arizona; Washington D.C.; and New York City in six installments in the Butte Arts Monthly. He shares excerpts and photographs from his series, and examine how, like the verdigris patina of copper, the spoils and costs of Clark’s conquest have weathered the decades, revealing many deep parallels that still exist between these cities and Montana. The complete series is available at www.coresamples.blog.
Brock is a fourth-generation Montanan from Butte and graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in history in 2005. For more than a decade he has been a union organizer with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and now, based in Butte, is organizing coordinator for the western United States. In his travels, he frequently encounters powerful influences from Montana’s rich history, and tries through writing to share the story in both the Treasure State and the places Montana helped establish.
The series continues on Wednesday, March 13, “A Stagecoach Tour Through Yellowstone: ‘All Them Fool Tenderfoot Questions'” is presented by historian and author Lee Whittlesey. Whittlesey discusses the essence of the Yellowstone Grand Tour during the halcyon days of Yellowstone stagecoaches, 1878-1916.
On Wednesday, March 27, “Bars, Brothels, and the Law in Livingston,” is presented by Karen Reinhart, Yellowstone Gateway Museum registrar. Reinhart discusses drinking establishments and the red-light district and the challenges the businesses faced, including prohibition.
On Thursday, April 11, “Fort Parker: The First Crow Indian Agency” is presented by Crystal Alegria and Shane Doyle. They discuss the history of the agency and The Extreme History Project’s work to uncover the unique and important role that the first Crow Agency played in early Montana history.
On Wednesday, April 24, “Me and Martha: Intimate Reflections of Dora DuFran about the Real Life of Calamity Jane,” is presented by scholar and actress, Mary Jane Bradbury. She will bring to life insights about Calamity’s real life through the eyes of madam Dora DuFran, a Black Hills pioneer, entrepreneur and close friend of Calamity’s. Partial funding for the Speakers Bureau program is provided by a legislative grant from Montana’s Cultural Trust and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
All programs are held at 7:00 pm at Park Photo, 115 S. Main St., Livingston. The speaker series is free, open to the public and refreshments are served. Doors will open at 6:30 pm.
Watch for more information about upcoming programs or contact Karen Reinhart at 222-4184 or kreinhart@parkcounty.org. Visit our Facebook page, yellowstonegatewaymuseum.
