Dr. Staffan Peterson gives an archaeology presentation entitled “Pathways to the Past: Twelve Thousand Years of Prehistory and History in Yellowstone National Park” on Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 PM at the Livingston-Park County Public Library, 228 W. Callender, in Livingston, Montana. The program is free and all are welcome to attend.

Dr. Peterson is the Park Archaeologist at Yellowstone National Park, and is responsible for archaeological research and stewardship for Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres. He has a PhD from Indiana University and 18 years of experience in the archaeology of the Great Plains and the Midwest, and has investigated both prehistoric and historic period sites. He is interested in prehistoric architecture and land use, and computer and remote sensing applications in archaeology.

Before coming to Yellowstone, Peterson investigated pioneer sites in Minnesota, Lewis and Clark campsites in Montana, large prehistoric towns in Indiana and Illinois, and many others. He says “I love archaeology because it is the only way to give voice to past peoples and events that been unknown, lost, or ignored. I love parks because they are our best places, alive and open forever. Park archaeology combines my two greatest passions!”

This is the second program in the museum’s Livingston speaker series. The next program is scheduled for March 26, 7:00 PM entitled, “Dogs of Livingston: An Historic Look,” and will be presented by Paul Shea, the museum’s director; the program follows a brief Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum’s Annual Meeting which begins at 6:30 PM. The final program is April 16; Yellowstone Park Historian Lee Whittlesey gives program entitled, “Gateway to Yellowstone: The Raucous Town of Cinnabar on the MT Frontier.”

Please call the museum at 406-222-4184 for more information. The museum is also offering programs in Gardiner this year.