Regional History Symposiumat East Library

The 2026 Pikes Peak Regional History Symposium celebrates the 150 anniversary of Colorado statehood with a two-part event featuring a day of films and a day of lectures from students, filmmakers, and leading scholars, each revealing how the Pikes Peak region has shaped the course of Colorado history. Opening RemarksMichael Doherty, Regional History & Genealogy Department DirectorJohn Jarrell, Program CoordinatorBreakThe Subject of Ambition: Gen. William Jackson Palmer and the American WestPresenter: Leah WitherowThis presentation re-examines William Jackson Palmer, not through the lens of Colorado Springs history, but through his role as a railroad tycoon in the late nineteenth century.The Cripple Creek Strike and the Fate of ColoradoPresenter: Kathy SturdevantThis presentation examines how miners in the remote Cripple Creek district used their collective power to shape Colorado history during the strike of 1903–1904.Evergreen Cemetery and the People Who Shaped Colorado HistoryPresenter: Rebecca NeffThis presentation explores several individuals connected to Evergreen Cemetery whose lives shaped Colorado history, including territorial governor Robert Williamson Steele, Native American advocate Sherman Coolidge, civil rights activist Gretchen McCrae, and politician Marcy Morrison.Margaret Reid and Colorado’s Politics of Library DevelopmentPresenter: John JarrellThis presentation examines the outsized role Margaret Reid played in the development of libraries in the Pikes Peak region and beyond, as she navigated local, state, and national politics to expand library services during the postwar boom.Colorado Springs as Political Incubator: Amendments 1 and 2 as a Study in Colorado’s Asymmetric Conservative TrajectoryPresenter: Dr. Samantha ChristiansenThis presentation examines Colorado’s 1992 Amendments 1 and 2, both developed by Colorado Springs activists, and explores how they reshaped Colorado politics and inspired very different political responses.Question and Answer PeriodClosing Remarks