WSU Vancouver Hosts Northwest Treaty Trail Lecture Series

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Washington State University Vancouver will host a lecture series to mark the 150^th anniversary of the Northwest Indian Treaty negotiations between Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens and Northwest American Indian leaders.

The speakers for the three-part series include writer and poet Elizabeth Woody on Jan. 20, Lewis & Clark College professor of law Robert Miller on Feb. 16 and author Diane Mallickan on March 10.

Lectures will be from 7-9 p.m. on their respective dates. Admission is free and open to the public. The Jan. 20 lecture will be in Classroom Building, Room 225, and the Feb. 16 and March 10 lectures will be in the Student Services Building, Room 110.

By the terms of the 1854-1856 treaties, thousands of native people ceded millions of acres of their traditional homelands. Over the years, some groups have perceived the treaties as unfairly imposed on American Indians while others have seen them as a basic document protecting their rights. The lecture series and a traveling exhibit will give residents of Southwest Washington and Portland a chance to learn more about a series of events that profoundly shaped Northwest history and continue to affect its present.

The Clark County Historical Museum is the only venue in the greater Southwest Washington and Portland area to host the Washington State Historical Society traveling exhibit “The Northwest Treaty Trail of 1854-1856” from Jan. 14 to March 31. The Clark County Historical Museum is housed inside the historic 1909 Carnegie Library building located at 1511 Main St., Vancouver, WA 98660.

The series is co-sponsored by the WSU Vancouver liberal arts department, WSU Vancouver Diversity Council and the Center for Columbia River History.

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134^th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. WSU Vancouver offers 15 bachelor’s degrees and eight master’s degrees in more than 35 fields of study.