UMontana Public History Program
projects
Students Develop ‘Grizzlies for Good’ Exhibit
A group of UM students whitewashes “the M” on Mount Sentinel, 1957. Photo courtesy of the Mansfield Archives and Special Collections. In 1893, the Montana legislature chartered the University of Montana to “provide…to young men and women, on equal terms,…
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers 20th Anniversary Project
In the Fall of 2023, Leif Fredrickson’s History of Hunting class completed a public history project about the history of the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). The BHA is a national, rapidly-growing organization based in Missoula. Its focus is on…
Documentary: Blue Death: The 1918 Influenza in Montana
In the wake of a global pandemic, it is hard to imagine a similar time or place. But what if you could watch a pandemic unfold in 1918 Montana, through the lives of a Finnish immigrant, a Blackfeet couple, a…
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Students Develop ‘Grizzlies for Good’ Exhibit
A group of UM students whitewashes “the M” on Mount Sentinel, 1957.
Photo courtesy of the Mansfield Archives and Special Collections.
In 1893, the Montana legislature chartered the University of Montana to “provide…to young men and women, on equal terms, a liberal education thorough knowledge of the different branches of literature, science and the arts.” Within two years, the campus opened at the base of Mount Sentinel.
In the 130 years that followed, UM became a leader in scholarship and service. Education in the rural West faces requires more than academic rigor. It demands a commitment to community; an ideal practiced on this land long before locals laid the cornerstone to Main Hall.
This exhibit marks the first in a series of commemorative projects. Known as the Griz130 History Initiative, this multi-year project will explore UM’s story. Identifying the values, achievements, and missteps that have defined UM’s story so far reveals common threads. Reflecting on enduring bonds and shared challenges illuminates the trail ahead. It reminds us what makes us grizzlies, for good.
“Grizzlies for Good” was developed by the students in Exhibit Design and Development, a graduate seminar offered by the H. Duane Hampton Public History Program in the History Department at the University of Montana. This project was sponsored by the Griz130 History Initiative and conducted in collaboration with the UM Mansfield Library Archives & Special Collections, UM IT, the UM Communications Office, and the UM Athletics Department. This website was accompanied by a physical exhibit in the Mansfield Library, which was on display during December 2023 and January 2024. You can visit the digital exhibit here!
The students who created this exhibit are, from left: Rory Johnson, Ian Thomas, Cassidy VanderVoort, Dylan Haring, Malinda Gaudry, Mitch Morris, Hazel Videon, Kellen Neighbors, Dylan Yonce, and Harry Devoe. Professor Eric Zimmer, at right, helped them along.
Students present at NCPH
In April, three of our graduate students attended the National Council on Public History (NCPH) annual conference in Salt Lake City. In addition to attending talks on topics ranging from archives and collective memory to interstate visitor centers and re-interpreting state historical sites, our students presented an exhibit they completed with their classmates in Dr. Zimmer’s Exhibit Design and Development class last semester.
Student documentary premieres
For two years, graduate student Dylan Yonce has been collaborating with others on a documentary, The Bodies Beneath Us, about two forgotten cemeteries in Missoula’s Rattlesnake neighborhood. The documentary will premier at the Roxy Theater May 6 & 13th at 7:30 PM. Get tickets here and read more about this awesome documentary here.
