Native American history in the Quad Cities

Dr. Jane Simonsen, Augustana professor of history, will explore the poems of Mary Brackett Durham, a woman who lived in Rock Island in the late 19th century.

Description: "Her poems, many of them based on the recollections of early settler Susan Lewis, romanticize race relations in the region and consign Native Americans to a ghostly past. At the same time, they offer glimpses of a more complex set of economic and political relationships that are often glossed over in public memory. Using Durham’s poems as an example, we’ll consider white women’s historical lack of access to academic forms of history-writing, their problematic use of the “vanishing Indian” myth to understand and shape public memory, and the ways that their accounts have influenced local history even today.'

This program is best suited for adults. Registration is required. This program is offered in person or virtually. Masks are recommended at the library.