The Sixteenth Annual Island in the Plains Archaeological and Historical Symposium will be held at the Bear Lodge High School Auditorium and the Best Western Inn in Sundance, Wyoming on May 10, 2008. The conference attracts speakers from a wide range of disciplines concerned with the environmental and cultural history of the Black Hills. Researchers, interested publics, teachers, and students are all encouraged to attend and present papers. Dr. David Wolff will be the conference banquet speaker Saturday evening. A special event this year will be a field trip on Sunday morning to a fortified Plains Village site near Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Symposium presentations are scheduled for Saturday, May 10, at the Bear Lodge High School Auditorium. Coffee will be available Saturday, and conference proceedings will begin at 9:00 AM.
Individuals or groups wishing to make a presentation should submit abstracts by Friday, April 18, 2008. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length although papers shorter than 20 minutes will also be accepted. Please note on the abstract if a shorter length of time will be required.
Submit abstracts to:
Rick Weathermon
University of Wyoming
1000 East University Ave.
Anthropology Department 3431
Laramie, WY. 82071
email: rikw@uwyo.edu
Abstracts can be mailed hard copy, or submitted as attachments in emails (Word, WordPerfect, .txt, or .pdf). Please use Island in the Plains Abstract for the email subject line. Abstracts should include the paper title, the name, affiliation, address, phone number and email address of paper presenters. Indicate whether a slide projector, LCD projector, overhead projector or other equipment is needed. Presenters using an LCD projector must have their papers loaded onto the conference computer and tested before the paper session begins.
Poster Papers
Space will be provided for persons choosing to share the findings of their research in poster form. Interested parties should submit an abstract and an estimate of the space needed.
Conference Publication
If you would like your paper published in a future volume of the Island in the Plains Proceedings, please bring a hard copy and a disk in Word format. For additional information please contact Proceedings Editor Alice Tratebas at (307) 746-6621 or email address Alice_Tratebas@blm.gov. We have four papers already submitted for the next volume and strongly encourage presenters to submit their papers for publication.
Lodging
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Best Western Inn in Sundance. Call the motel direct for reservations at 307 283-2800 or toll free at 800 238-0965. The conference rate is $60.00 per night, plus tax. Please indicate you are with Island in the Plains Conference when making reservations. The block of rooms will be held until May 2, 2008. After this date reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis depending on availability.
Conference Registration
Pre-registration is $25.00 per person. Registration at the door and after May 2, 2008 will be $30.00. Student registration is $10; youth 18 and under are admitted free. Students presenting papers are also admitted free. A conference mug is included with the registration cost. Conference posters from previous conferences will be available for purchase. For more information or to be added to the mailing list, contact:
Donita Carlson (1-605-673-9265 or donitacarlson@fs.fed.us)
Mike Fosha (1-605-394-1903 or Mike.Fosha@state.sd.us)
Alice Tratebas (1-307-746-6621 or Alice_Tratebas@blm.gov)
Click for a downloadable pdf of the registration form.
Friday Afternoon Events
The Crook County Museum will host an open house from 3:00 to 6:00 PM on Friday, May 9, 2008. The museum is in the basement of the Crook County Courthouse. It has exhibits on the Vore site, the Hawken sites, recent excavations at the Williams Spring site, and many other subjects.
An informal early bird party will be held at the Best Western Inn in the breakfast room, beginning at 5 PM Friday, May 9, 2008. Bring your own refreshments for the informal get together.
Conference Banquet
This year the conference banquet will be held at the Buffalo Jump Restaurant beginning at 6:00 PM, Saturday, May 10, 2008. You may select Jumbo Garlic Lime Shrimp Grilled and Skewered for $17.00 or Certified Angus Prime Rib for $23.00. Both will come with California mix salad, baked potato, Parmesan breadstick, and non-alcoholic beverage. In order for food to be ordered in advance it is highly recommended that you pre-register for the banquet. The cut-off date for banquet registrations is May 8, 2008. A preconference social hour will begin at 6:00 PM in the patio behind the restaurant, followed by dinner at 7:00 PM.
Pre-registration for the banquet is recommended and should be sent with your conference registration on the attached form below.
Banquet Speaker
The featured banquet speaker will be Dr. David Wolff of Black Hills State University, who will speak on "Romancing the Myth: Seth Bullock’s Black Hills."
Field Trip
On Sunday morning we will have a field trip to the Smiley-Evans site, the only fortified Plains village site known in the Black Hills. The site is near Belle Fourche, South Dakota, about 39 miles from Sundance. The field trip will depart from the Best Western Hotel in Sundance on Sunday morning, May 11, at 9:00 AM, and will be over by noon.
Contributing Sponsors
South Dakota Archaeological Society
Black Hills National Forest
Bureau of Land Management - Newcastle, WY
Archaeological Research Center, South Dakota State Historical Society
Crook County Museum District
Crook County Museum Foundation
Crook County Historical Society
Aladdin Homemakers