South Dakota State Historical Society 2017 History Conference

The annual History Conference of the South Dakota State Historical Society is in Sioux Falls for 2017. Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birth, the conference will focus on Wilder and her work. Discover the heritage of this influential American writer, and mark your calendars now for this exciting event to be held Apr. 27-29, 2017 at the Sioux Falls Holiday Inn-City Centre.

The authors of essays in the forthcoming Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder will be the featured speakers. The South Dakota Historical Society Press will also release the new book at the conference. Find out more about Pioneer Girl Perspectives at pioneergirlproject.org.

Teachers can earn up to twelve Continuing Education Contact Hours from the South Dakota Department of Education

Get $10.00 off your conference registration when you become a member of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday, April 27, 2017
5:30–7:00 P.M.
Registration, Atrium

Friday, April 28, 2017
7:45 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
Registration, Atrium

8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Vendor Area Open

8:30–8:45 A.M.
Opening remarks, Falls West
Jay D. Vogt, Director, State Historical Society

8:45–9:30 A.M.
Opening Session
Pioneer Girl Project and Conference Overview
Nancy Tystad Koupal

9:30–10:00 A.M.
Vendor Break

10:00–11:00 A.M.
Wilder and Lane, Working Writers
Caroline Fraser
Amy Mattson Lauters

11:00 A.M.–12:00 P.M.
Panel: Truth and Fact in Wilder’s Work
Caroline Fraser, Elizabeth Jameson, Sallie Ketcham, Ann Romines

12:15–1:45 P.M.
Lunch, Falls East
Her Stories Take You with Her
Speaker: Noel Silverman

2:00–3:00 P.M.
Beginnings and Early Misdirections
William Anderson
Michael Patrick Hearn

3:00–3:30 P.M.
Vendor Break

4:00–5:00 P.M.
Panel: Rose Wilder Lane: Editor, Agent, Collaborator, Ghost Writer?
William Anderson, Caroline Fraser, Michael Patrick Hearn, and Nancy Tystad Koupal

5:30–7:30 P.M.
Conference Reception
Fiddle Music by Bill Peterson

Saturday, April 29, 2017
8:00–12:30 P.M.
Registration

8:30–9:30 A.M.
Wilder’s Time and Place
Paula M. Nelson
John E. Miller

9:30–10:30 A.M.
Panel: The Politics of the Little House
Elizabeth Jameson, Amy Mattson Lauters, John E. Miller, Paula M. Nelson

10:30–11:00 A.M.
Vendor Break

11:00 A.M.–12:30 P.M.
Enduring Tales and Childhood Myths in the Little House Books
Sallie Ketcham
Elizabeth Jameson
Ann Romines

12:30–2:15 P.M.
Awards luncheon

2:15-3:30 P.M.
Panel: Why Are Wilder’s Books Still Relevant?
All Speakers