High Desert Museum launching “250 in the West” series; programs will explore the West’s place in our national story

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The High Desert Museum is launching a year-long program this spring to explore the intersection of regional history and American founding themes. "250 in the West" marks the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

The program features a series of events focusing on public lands, citizenship and identity. By examining little-known stories of the High Desert and the broader West, the museum aims to provide a space for civic engagement and dialogue about modern challenges and opportunities.

Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D., explained that the series is designed to encourage community conversation through the work of renowned scholars.

"Anniversaries invite us to look both backward and forward and to pause and reconsider the stories we think we know," Whitelaw said. She noted that the speakers will illuminate little-known aspects of regional history to create space for thoughtful engagement.

The series begins on Thursday, March 12 with a presentation by Flannery Burke, Ph.D. Burke is a professor at St. Louis University and the author of "Back East." Her talk will explore how Western perspectives influenced the intellectual development of the United States, including the formation of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Wednesday, April 15, the museum will host Leisl Carr Childers, an associate professor at Colorado State University. Childers will trace the origins of public lands from the American Revolution to the present. The presentation focuses on how debates over land use have shaped the West and continue to influence the region today.

The spring portion of the program concludes on Thursday, April 30 with legal scholar and author Susan Kamei. Her book, "When Can We Go Back to America?" draws from her family's experience during the incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II. Kamei will discuss the historical and political ramifications for citizenship and what it means to be an American.

Doors for all three events open at 6:00 p.m. and presentations begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the March 12 and April 15 events are $8. The April 30 event is $12 and includes a post-presentation reception with light appetizers and a no-host bar. Museum members receive a 20% discount on all ticket prices.

The program is made possible through support from the America 250 Oregon Commission. Information regarding tickets and the series is available at highdesertmuseum.org/250-west.

The "250 in the West" program will continue in the fall. Additional events and speakers for the second half of the yearlong series will be announced at a later date.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the 250 in the West series, visit highdesertmuseum.org/250-west. The programmatic series is made possible with support from the America 250 Oregon Commission.