CORDOVA, ALASKA • OCTOBER 9-12, 2024
Located near the mouth of the Copper River, the site was a crossroads of trade and interaction among Eyak, Tlingit, Ahtna and Chugach peoples when Europeans sailed into Prince William Sound in the 1700s. Founded in 1909 as a railway terminus to deliver copper from the Kennecott Mines, Cordova also was near Katalla, Alaska’s earliest oil field. Fishing is the town’s major industry today.
OUR THEME
This year’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities,” speaks broadly to Alaska’s history of determining which people and groups should have rights, and what responsibilities are attached to those rights. Disputes over rights and responsibilities have spanned Alaska history, including voting rights for women and Alaska’s Native people, fish traps and limited entry fisheries, subsistence rights, taxation, the Alaska Permanent Fund and responding to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
OUR PROGRAM
The conference will open with a Wednesday reception, with papers presented the following three days. Friday’s focus is on Prince William Sound topics and speakers. While presentations that address the conference theme are encouraged, the society welcomes proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, films or workshops on any aspect of Alaska history. The theme echoes the upcoming year’s National History Day theme, and students and teachers are especially encouraged to participate.
OUR KEYNOTE
This year’s keynote presenter is former Alaska Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, an international climate change expert. She brings a broad perspective on Alaska’s history by virtue of her extensive public service as a policy analyst for Gov. Jay Hammond, Juneau mayor and state legislator.
SHARE YOUR RESEARCH
To propose a presentation, please email a title, proposal of 100 words and two-sentence biography to members@alaskahistoricalsociety.org. Typically, presentations are 20 minutes in length. Abstract submission deadline: May 31, 2024.
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