Browsing by Author "Denning, Robert"
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Item A Digital Exhibition on Zoo Exhibits in the United States: The Impact of Public Opinion on Post-Civil War Zoo and Animal Exhibit Development Within the United States(Southern New Hampshire University, 2023-06-23) Hopkins, Jocelyn Renee; Ricker, James C.; Denning, Robert; McConnell, StephanieThis project explores the influence of public opinion on the development and evolution of zoos and animal exhibits. The main focus will be on the “Big Four” - four oldest accredited zoos in the United States: Philadelphia Zoo, Central Park Zoo in NYC, Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island. Four animal species will be examined to study zoo and exhibit development since the end of the Civil War in 1865. The animal species are elephants, orcas, red wolves, and timber rattlesnakes. These animal species provide historic examples of positive and negative animal care and species outcomes within captivity. Additionally, zoo and exhibit development progress will be supported with evidence directly from numerous zookeepers’ personal experiences, detailed Keepers Corner in the digital exhibition. This project acknowledges that scientific and medical advancements have lent significant changes to current zoo missions and exhibit design, yet research points to public opinions about animal welfare having historically been the driving factor. The primary sources used are news articles, photographs, and personal testimonials. Secondary sources include journal articles, books, and dissertations. Source categories found focus on cultural, social and political lenses, while acknowledging that other lenses are present in the research but addressing source categories from the particular focal lenses.Item Alabama’s Civilian Conservation Corps: The Political, Social, and Economic Impacts of Roosevelt’s Tree Army(Southern New Hampshire University, 2022-12-12) Muncher, Brittany A.; Buchanan, Katherine; Denning, Robert; Reynolds, GlennThe Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the most successful New Deal programs in the state of Alabama, yet little research exists that explores the social, economic, and political impact its existence had across the state. Even less historical literature exists that discusses the experiences of the Black community and the influence of segregation in the implementation of the CCC in Alabama. The CCC not only challenged political and social standards that perpetuated racial prejudice, but it also provided substantial economic relief to many Alabamians and created a legacy of environmental and natural resource sustainability and appreciation. This project will provide a much-needed addition to both state history and Black history and will broaden the current literature on the CCC nationally. The chapters contained in this project provide contextual and foundational narratives, explain the impact of the CCC from social, political, and economic perspectives, and survey the implications of the program in relation to its impact on the Black community. Throughout the research process, a variety of primary and secondary sources were consulted to ensure that a comprehensive perspective of the CCC in Alabama is communicated effectively. Each of the sources have been audited for credibility, reliability, bias, argument strength, and use of primary source material. Each source was also evaluated in terms of perspective and historical lenses used to state their arguments, as well as relevancy to the topic of this project. Sources that vary from or even contradict the argument this project intends to make were not eliminated from the selected source materials. Including these sources potentially eliminates any misinterpretation or exclusion of primary materials that may alter the expected outcome of this research project. Ultimately, this research project seeks to fill a gap in the current historiography of the CCC in Alabama which is limited and excludes the perspectives of Black corpsmen.Item "And Be It So Enacted": Natural Law and Southern Federalism in the Fugitive Slave Controversy(Southern New Hampshire University, 2017-06-19) Jenkins, Natasha Townsel; Denning, Robert; Irvine, RobertDespite the vast research on the events that led to the Civil War, little scholarship focuses solely on the extent to which the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 played a role. While historians highlight the law’s political, social, and cultural significance to the sectional conflict, the literature on the Fugitive Slave Law does not consider its importance to the ideological debate that exacerbated the rift between the Free and Slave states. This study focuses on the impact that the differing interpretations of Natural Law had on the sectional conflict, and how each section’s prioritization of personal liberty and property underscores the true nature of the states’ rights debate. An analysis of antebellum newspapers, pamphlets, and fugitive slave cases demonstrates that the Free states were more inclined to argue for states’ rights during the fugitive slave crisis, whereas Slave states argued in favor of federalism to protect their right to recover their slave property. This examination will add to Civil War scholarship by inverting the states’ rights defense in favor of the northern states and further highlight the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 as one of the leading causes of the disunion that led to civil war.Item Backwoods cures: An exploration of Southern Appalachian folk medicine(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-07) Perry, Katherine E.; Berrios, Katherine E.; Denning, Robert; Chung, Yun; Chan, ChristopherThe people of the Southern Appalachians have a unique culture all their own. An important component of this culture can be observed in the manner in which these individuals chose to combat that enemy of all mankind: disease. A beautiful amalgamation of cultures including Cherokee, Scotch-Irish, and other European ancestries is present in this region and exhibited through the rural remedies utilizing a rich local pharmacopeia and magico-religious folklore related to healing. However, the people of the Southern Appalachians, while geographically isolated, did not exist in a vacuum. Exciting discoveries of local primary sources demonstrate the employment of contemporary medicine in tandem with what was available locally. This project also examines the utility of virtual museums. Together with the research on the subject of Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine, the research on virtual museums culminates in the creation of a digital exhibition using the Omeka exhibit building platform. This exhibition can be visited at the following link: http://backwoodscures.omeka.net (Author abstract)Item Belorussian Forest Camps Jewish Resistance during World War II(Southern New Hampshire University, 2022-12-15) Wolfson, Onaya Joy; Mckenzie-Jones, Paul; Denning, RobertDuring World War II the Nazi Party attempted to ethnically cleanse Europe of its population of Jewish people as well as starve and resettle the non-Jewish people of Eastern Europe. To achieve the annihilation of the Jews Nazis first forced whole communities into ghettos and from there into concentration camps, both death camps and work camps, with the intention of everyone eventually dying. Although this assault was brutal on both Jewish and non-Jewish populations it was not met without resistance in many places. In the eastern lands that bordered the Soviet Union Jews and non-Jews formed forest partisan groups and family camps formed along the edges of society. The forests were able to sustain life due to a variety of factors. These factors included topography, organization and resources found in the surrounding communities, backlash against the brutality of the Germans and in places lower levels of antisemitism in the local non-Jewish population. The forest partisan and family camps were strongest and most numerous in the Belorussian forests because of a special combination of these factors. The true story of the forests tells of two kinds of resistance; the active fighting of the partisans, many of whom were Jewish, and the almost unachievable act of surviving. This thesis relies on both secondary sources produced by historians through the years and memories of forest survivors in order to examine the value of each factor and its place in the story of Jewish resistance and survival in Belorussian forests during World War II.Item Buddhism in the West: 1960s America(Southern New Hampshire University, 2023-05-06) Nkwah, Jasmine Idorenyin; Holton, James V.; Denning, Robert; Reynolds, GlennThe purpose of this paper is to understand Buddhism in the United States during the 1960s. I will be going over Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism and comparing their morals, values, and virtues with three movements of the decade listed above. These movements are the Hippie Movement, Black Liberation, and Women’s Liberation. The theme I will specifically be looking at is liberation between all three of these events and to find out what the word means to each individual movement.Item Chicago Shipwrecks: Disasters and their Impact on Maritime Law(Southern New Hampshire University, 2017-06-07) Lange, Shannon Marie; Denning, Robert; Chung, Yun Shun SusieThe shipwreck and maritime history of the Illinois region of Lake Michigan was one wrought with tragedy and shaped the laws of the shipping industry for the future. What has become known as the ‘Shipwreck Era’ of 1825-1925 hosts the most well-known tragedies of Lake Michigan. Ships such as the Lady Elgin, Eastland, and Rouse Simmons rest as the focal points of most research due to the tragic yet popular nature of their respective disasters. A qualitative analysis into the archival documents at Newberry Library, Manitowoc Maritime Museum and the Winnetka Historical Society along the western lakeshore, explorations of individual shipwrecks are able to be compiled into a digital exhibit and foundation of a boat tour to fully explore the wreckage that remains at the bottom of the lake.Item China elephants and orphans: Operation Babylift and the white savior complex(Southern New Hampshire University, 2019-02) Thompson, Jonathan Patrick; Averill, Stephanie; Denning, Robert; Irvine, RobertAs the Vietnam War drew to a close during the spring of 1975, the United States determined it had a responsibility to save South Vietnam’s at-risk children from the communists. Americans largely pushed for this humanitarian act as a chance to do one thing right in Vietnam. Collaborating with Western-run orphanages in Vietnam, the U.S. initiated Operation Babylift evacuated thousands of children. This was not without consequences, some of which are still felt today. The evacuation was an emotional event that captivated the United States at the end of a long war. It is also an historic example of white savior complex at work. As a subconscious aspect of Western culture, the white savior complex enables white people to take the actions they deem best in helping non-white people. They then benefit from the experiences, while potentially doing nothing about the systemic causes of the problems they temporarily address. The white savior complex played a key role in the conception of Operation Babylift and creating the need for it through years of American intervention in Vietnam. Applying Teju Cole’s “White Savior Industrial Complex” framework with Jordan Flaherty and Caitlin Breedlove’s savior mentality concepts to the Western individuals and entities involved in Operation Babylift will illustrate their motivations and the outcomes, both negative and positive. This analysis will demonstrate why and how Operation Babylift came to fruition, played out, and concluded for the benefit of white Westerners. It will also highlight long-term, systematic repercussions faced by non-white people when the white savior complex is not acknowledged. The evidence will illustrate for white Westerners the importance of making informed decisions in helping non-white people by decentering themselves from their privilege and acknowledging their cultural understandings and motivations. (Author abstract)Item Cicero and Caesar in America: John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the political war of the 1820s(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-09) Bayer, Michael Ryan; Denning, Robert; McConnell, StephanieThe election of Andrew Jackson over the incumbent president, John Quincy Adams, in 1828, led to a fundamental change in American politics. The following study argues that the results of the presidential elections of 1824 and 1828 redefined America’s earlier definition of republicanism and democracy, effectively ending the political ideology of the Revolutionary generation. Furthermore, this study argues that the emergence of Andrew Jackson, and his subsequent accumulation of executive power—the greatest fear of Jeffersonian Republicans—was made possible through the very ideology embraced by the Republican faction. To complete this study a wide assortment of primary and secondary sources will be utilized. Included within the primary sources are the Adams Family Papers, courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the personal diary of John Quincy Adams. Political and personal correspondence, speeches, government documents, and political cartoons, courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Archives, and the Founders Online databases, will also be incorporated. Secondary sources will be predominantly used throughout this study and address the historical background of individuals and events pertaining to the thesis. The presidential elections between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson led to a shift in politics that drastically transformed the socio-political ideology in America. Bitterly fought campaigns, wide-ranging personalities, growing sectional divide, the expansion of voting rights, populist rhetoric favoring the “common man,” and the emergence of party politics, all led to the transition of what became known as Jacksonian Democracy. (Author abstract)Item Contemplating climate change: Changing the culture of climate(Southern New Hampshire University, 2019-05) Clay, Hannah; Chung, Yun Shun Susie; Denning, RobertContemplating Climate Change is a proposed physical exhibit that intends to achieve the following goal: by exposing the public to the history surrounding air and water toxicity events, in addition to the history of greenhouse gas emissions, the exhibit will inspire people to believe in the reality of climate change and spur them to action. The information will be presented in the special exhibit space of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) beginning the first week in January of 2021. The physical exhibit is intended to run for two years. Utilizing the digitization and mapping technology already in possession of the NMNH, Contemplating Climate Change will also be available online as a virtual tour. All images and artifacts included in this proposal have either been approved for use via the institution, paid for with subscription, or fall under the Fair Use doctrine of the United States which allows the use of copyrighted material for the intent of educational progress in nonprofit institutions such as Southern New Hampshire University and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Newspapers.com makes newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, which is the intention of their inclusion within this paper. According to Getty images, their work can be included in this project stating, “Through the use of images, you can illustrate a concept, prove a point or inspire others to make their own works. Copyright law allows for creative expression in the classroom, and understanding that law can make it easier to share your ideas.” (Author abstract)Item Dan Sickles: Disregarded Hero of the Battle of Gettysburg(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-07-17) Gray, James Robert; Denning, Robert; Chan, ChristopherDan Sickles has been regarded by many historians as a political general who was a buffoon and led his troops into harm’s way at Gettysburg for personal glory. This paper examines Sickles’ early personal history, why that history has led historians to examine Sickles in a critical fashion with a historical lens, and why Sickles has been disregarded as the true hero of Gettysburg. Sickles was a lover of women causing him to perhaps have an affair with his mother-in-law, visit prostitutes, introduce one prostitute to the Queen of England, and ultimate to murder his wife’s lover in a rage that allowed him to be acquitted on an insanity defense. Sickles entered the Civil War looking to redeem his reputation and develop a military hero role for himself. Gettysburg would allow him the opportunity for that role, but events and his own future behaviors would prevent historians to view him in the role of hero. General Daniel Sickles has largely been criticized for his positioning of his troops on Day Two of the Battle of Gettysburg. However careful review of his personal history, his military experience prior to Gettysburg and his actions during the battle are all consistent with a general who correctly interpreted the situation and moved to prevent a Union defeat at Gettysburg. This paper will examine his early development as a politician, the murder of his wife's lover and entry into the service in the attempt to recover his reputation. The paper will review the effects of prior military actions he was involved in including the Peninsular Campaign, and Chancellorsville that influenced his actions at Gettysburg. Finally, the paper will examine his actions at Gettysburg, the effect on the Confederate attack, and prove the conclusion that General Sickles correctly positioned his troops and prevented a Union defeat.Item Dead and buried… for now: The misdiagnosis of death in enlightenment England(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-12) Salomone, Nicole C.; Reed, Charles; Denning, RobertWhile the concept of the misdiagnosis of death resulting in premature burial sounds like a theme from Hollywood, it was a real circumstance that took place in Western Europe from antiquity through the nineteenth century. Specifically focusing on the England in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, stories of people who had been prematurely diagnosed as dead, prematurely set into their coffin for viewing, and prematurely committed to the grave have been well documented within medical texts, academic books, art, and newspapers articles from the time. These sorts of publications showcased societies awareness of people were being misdiagnosed as dead committed to the earth alive. In response, scholarly physicians began to identify the stages of death with the intent of properly diagnosing people, and only committing those who were absolutely dead to their final resting places. This research is unique to the field in several ways. First, it presents an awareness of premature burial by academic physicians and draws the connection between the problem and the response of the medical community to identify the transitional stages of – and define – death. It focuses on the societal awareness of the misdiagnosis of death, how awareness was obtained, and what was done to help rectify the issue in both the academic medical community and by the public at large. Finally, this thesis presents the first modern statistic comparing the prevalence of premature burial as reported in England. One hundred and fifty-five (155) cases of apparent death and the subsequent premature repercussions (enclosure, burial, interment, or dissection) that had occurred in western Europe and America during the eighteenth century were analyzed in order to create this statistic. These cases were reported in primary and early secondary sources in England. This statistic was then compared against the two hypotheses published in England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Specifically, this modern statistic was contrasted against the hypothesized 10% – 50% of people being buried prematurely in western Europe, as reported by Dr. Samuel Glasse in 1789, and the 10% of people being prematurely buried in England, as reported by Dr. John Snart in 1817. (Author abstract)Item Defining the museum of the 21st century: evolving multiculturalism in museums in the United States(ICOM/ ICOFOM, 2018-09-14) Mairesse, Francois; Chung, Yun Shun Susie; Leshchenko, Anna; Soares, Bruno Brulon; Fennessy, James; Denning, Robert; Disston, Debbie; Sadongei, Alyce; Hall, Lara; Kageyama, Mariko; Hartley, Jillian; Henry, Jeffrey Max; Giannikopoulos, Alexandros; Sweet, Natalie; Vega, Sara Torres; Marsh, Diana E.; Guglielmo, Antoniette; Ziska, Deborah; de la Torre, David J.; Chung, Yun Shun Susie; Leshchenko, Anna; Soares, Bruno BrulonItem Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker and His Impact on the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences and Native Americans(Southern New Hampshire University, 2017-08-28) Seward, Chelsea Lee; Denning, Robert; Chung, Yun Shun SusieThis thesis examines Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker, an archaeologist, anthropologist, and ethnologist who was Director of the Rochester Municipal Museum (RMM)/Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences (RMAS) from 1926 to 1945. Archives about Parker already exist in the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC), however, more information came from cataloging and packing the new archival Engstrom gift that was loaned to the RMSC by Betty Ann Engstrom in August of 2016. Cataloging and archiving the Engstrom gift has been the top priority at the RMSC over the past three months. While working on the project, the RMSC provided access to personal letters belonging to Parker, his family, and work friends, photographs, unpublished manuscripts, books, and speeches written by Parker, friends, family, and other museum officials. The focus of this research is on the artifacts that were brought in by Parker, but the vault is currently under construction; therefore, there will be no access to the artifacts until after November of 2017. The idea of creating a public program lecture that encompasses the knowledge and research gained from primary and secondary sources will bring about Parker’s legacy of creating Native American exhibits using his own background as Native American, the knowledge he gained from working at the New York State Museum, and with help from mentors to the eyes of the public.Item Emigration from the Hungarian Banat, 1900-1920(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-09-16) Winters, Kathleen; Denning, Robert; Chung, YunThe early Twentieth century represented peak emigration years for Hungary and the Hungarian Banat. The research of this paper uses a social lens to convey the historical context of the period in relationship to emigration from the region. Between 1900 and 1920 the outflow of minority populations was due to nationalization tension, economic factors, conscription, social unrest and a lack of equity in state rights based in minority status. Peak emigration years were 1905-1907 and this is accounted for by increased social discontent coupled with marketing of shipping lines and agents. Minorities left in higher percentages than ethnic Hungarians and the effect was to increase the Hungarian population to the majority. Emigration ended with the advent of World War I (WWI). Post WWI, new minorities were created due to the partitioning of the Banat, but immigration nearly halted due to the 1924 United States Immigration Act. (Author abstract)Item Famine and diaspora in the Emerald Isle: An Gorta Móhr: The Irish Potato Famine and its impact on Irish immigration(Southern New Hampshire University, 2019-03) Workman, Tara Leigh; Averill, Stephanie; Denning, Robert; McConnell, StephanieThroughout the history of Ireland, England, and the United States there have been many differing opinions about the causes, and yet more importantly, the effects of the An Gorta Móhr, also known as the Great Hunger or the Great Famine. The Irish potato famine played a significant role in the migration patterns from Ireland to the United States, however, much of the research has solely focused on the men in these migration patterns. The women involved in these migration patterns, long neglected and overlooked by historians, were equally important to the history of the famine and subsequent migration patterns from Ireland to the United States. The men, women, and children impacted by the Irish potato famine experienced excruciating heartache and loss, as well as extreme conditions and deprivation. Yet, through it all, those who were able to migrate to the United States contributed to the growth of the Irish population and protected Irish culture. Even after their arrival, these men and women endured hardship and faced discrimination, yet they became a unique part of the United States by contributing to the overall growth, development, and culture of the Irish in America. This project will discuss the importance of studying the impacts of the Irish potato famine on the people of Ireland, particularly the women and children who were profoundly impacted yet often unstudied throughout history. The potato famine had profound effects on the lives of the Irish peoples which subsequently impacted life in Ireland, migration patterns, settlement patterns, and life in the new country to which people migrated. The use of primary sources such as artist renderings and journal entries provided a wealth of information that had previously been understudied, while the use of secondary sources provided details about background, historiographical trends and more. Both of which were instrumental in the completion of this project. (Author abstract)Item Finding Our Way: Friedan, Steinem, and the Fight for the Women's Movement, 1960-1980(Southern New Hampshire University, 2017-10-08) Olsen, Marie Rebecca; Denning, RobertThe recent re-emergence of the women’s movement after the 2016 presidential election has generated new interest in understanding the hardships that the second-wave of feminism faced in an effort to avoid those conflicts as the movement continues. Studying Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan from the time period of 1960-1980 provides a catalyst to understanding the challenges the women’s movement faced within itself and from outside the movement. By considering each activist’s writings, speeches, biographies, the historiography of their lives, and influence on the movement, as well as the media and the publics reaction to them, this project looks at how the movement began as one, fragmented into many parts, and in the end came back together to fight for women’s rights instead of against women’s progression. The central argument that drove the research was that Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem’s relationship was as complicated as the movement, and their disagreements were not detrimental to the movement, as often portrayed by the media at the time, but rather forced the leaders to consider their representation of all women within the movement. The early stage of the second-wave of feminism is often criticized for lacking diversity, and Friedan and Steinem are often pointed at as the cause. Through her iconic book, The Feminine Mystique, Friedan wrote of the plight of the housewife by interviewing her classmates from college, all middle-class and educated, white women. Her book was criticized for lacking any mention of black women, poor women, or uneducated women. Later, Steinem enters the women’s movement with the purpose of including more women and not just the housewife. However, her publication Ms. magazine was criticized in its early stages for employing mostly white women and encouraging women to see themselves as the “same”, essentially ignoring the fact that the movement was made up of many different kinds of women. The contradictions within the movement are a reflection of the women that led it. By delving deeper into Friedan and Steinem’s relationship with each other, as well as their relationship with the movement, one can grasp a better understanding of how these two feminist icons fought not only for women but for the movement they represented.Item Firing for effect: the use of field artillery in the Normandy Campaign(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-09) Lloyd, David F.; Denning, RobertUnlike today’s global political situation, World War II was a time of great cooperation between nations, the Allies that encountered and defeated the Axis powers in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific basin. This cooperation extended down to the battlefield, where individual types of military units operated in concert with each other to present an integrated front to their adversaries. Field artillery units represented one component of this highly-integrated battlefield, contributing heavily to Allied victories around the globe. Nowhere is the use of field artillery better demonstrated than during Operation OVERLORD, the campaign to invade Northern Europe in June of 1944. Historians have however generally ignored the use of field artillery during Operation OVERLORD, instead understandably choosing to concentrate on the D-Day Allied landings on the Normandy beaches, an operation that represents one of the most dramatic days in the history of modern warfare. Those historians that do address the following Normandy Campaign (the Campaign) to gain an Allied foothold in Northern Europe address the campaign more from the perspective of the invading Allied infantry, while largely ignoring the contribution made by the field artillery. This work will examine in detail the use of field artillery during Operation OVERLORD in an effort to gauge the contribution that artillery made to the overall Campaign. By using secondary sources to discuss the planning and execution of the Operation, it will provide the reader with an understanding of how OVERLORD came into existence, how it was planned and how the Campaign unfolded. Then, by using archival primary-source material, compiled contemporaneously by the field artillery units involved in the Campaign, it will demonstrate that the use of field artillery was vital to the Allied victory in Northern France in June of 1944. (Author abstract)Item Florida Public Schools’ Integration and Busing(Southern New Hampshire University, 2017-08-31) Jensen, Alicia; Denning, RobertDrawing on primary sources from the Florida Archives in Tallahassee Florida and other secondary sources, this thesis examines the integration of schools as well as the busing crisis in Florida. Specifically, this thesis provides explanation of court rulings like Brown v Board of Education as well as governmental leaders like Claude Kirk who influenced the actions in Florida in terms of desegregation. Brown v Board of Education did not issue an end date for desegregating schools but rather left the decision to lower courts. Schools in Florida took their time desegregating because there was no rush in the process. In the early 1970s lower courts implemented plans to desegregate Florida school districts by using busing as a technique. Busing would be a way to ensure that schools would have mixed races by sending students to schools outside of their communities. Governor Claude Kirk fought the implementation of busing in response to what his constituents wanted as well as his own personal beliefs. Unfortunately, Kirk took his steps against the courts too far by going head to head with the federal court system which eventually led to him losing the governor race for the 1971-1974 term.Item Fort Laramie A Historic Guide to the West Historic Buildings Guide(Southern New Hampshire University, 2018-02-03) Wayland, Andrew; Denning, Robert; Chung, Yun Shun Susie; Chan, ChristopherFort Laramie National Historic Site in southeastern Wyoming recalls the days of the frontier period of the West (1760s to 1890s). From 1849 to 1890, the military fort at Fort Laramie was an important center of diplomacy, trade, and warfare on the Northern Plains. Many of the most important and vivid figures working to expand America passed through Fort Laramie. Trappers, fur traders, missionaries, overland emigrants, homesteaders, cowboys, soldiers, and Plains Indians all had an impact at Fort Laramie. Through various media resources, Fort Laramie’s history is told and one of the most important aspects of this history, the physical historic structures is only briefly touched upon. The historic structures are just one of the many focal points that can be concentrated on during a typical visitor experience. A qualitative analysis into the archival documents through the Fort Laramie Library & Archive, Fort Laramie Interpretation Cache, interviews with National Park Staff at Fort Laramie and interviews with local historians are able to be compiled into a Historic Buildings Guide that fully explore the historic structures at Fort Laramie which are a significant part of its history.