Colonizing the Great Plains in the 19th Century: Texas in 1849, Colorado in 1876, and Montana in 1889
Presenter:  Shane Doyle
6-7pm | Hager Auditorium | Free to the public

The dramatic 19th century clash of economic life-ways between bison hunting tribes and westward migrating miners and pioneers played itself out on the grand stage of the Great Plains.  With tribal horse culture and Manifest Destiny both expanding into the same spaces, the tipping points of power in the west were propelled by the inimitable factors of climate and gold.  Dr. Shane Doyle will consider the most salient forces that shaped and pushed the tribal and non-tribal balance of power on the Great Plains, and why Montana is the Last Best Place