2015 Call For Papers

Call for Papers

Alaska Historical Society’s Annual Conference

September 30-October 3, 2015 in Cordova, Alaska

Trade Routes and Crossroads in the North Pacific

Photograph of Cordova by Eric A. Hegg, October 12, 1908. Courtesy of Alaska State Library.

Located at the center of the Gulf of Alaska, Cordova and its surroundings have been a destination for travelers over thousands of years.  The Copper River delta is the homeland of the Eyak, who played a central role in the confluence of ancient trading among Alutiiq, Tlingit and Athabascan peoples.  When Spanish ships passed this way in 1790, Salvador Fidalgo named the bay Cordova after a Spanish admiral.  The fishing industry and the Klondike-Alaska gold rushproduced new settlements in the region, and a copper bonanza in the Wrangell Mountains led to the founding of the town of Cordova in 1906 as a port and railroad terminus.  Although the copper eventually ran out and the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad shut down in 1938, Cordova endured and became a center for world-class fisheries.  This year the Cordova Historical Society is hosting the Alaska Historical Society-Museums Alaska annual conference, and we are calling on you to join us.  This year’s theme—Trade Routes and Crossroads in the North Pacific—invites presentations on all topics related to Alaska history, with emphasis on trade, cultural interactions, and dynamic encounters at one of the world’s great crossroads.

The Alaska Historical Society’s keynote speaker this year will be Alaska State Writer Laureate Frank Soos of Fairbanks who will share his ideas about writing as a craft and exploring archives to produce local history gems.

This year the Alaska Historical Society is drawing special attention to the role of local historical societies and the practitioners of local history who dig deeply into our collective trove of stories and make Alaska history a vibrant scholarly field.  Workshop sessions to help local societies improve their operations will be offered on topics like building membership, boosting volunteers, and raising more money.  There will also be a celebration of the work of Patricia Roppel who did so much to document the history of Southeast Alaska.

ALL ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR PAPERS, PANELS, AND POSTER SESSIONS.
Individual presentations will be limited to 20 minutes, and presenters must register for the conference. For more information about proposal guidelines and presentation advice, see the Paper Submission and Presentation Guidelines page on the main AHS website.

PROPOSALS ARE DUE MAY 1, 2015 and should be sent to Chris Allan, Program Chair, sprucetip105@gmail.com.