Ames Historical Society 2008 Lecture Series

The Ames Historical Society has announced the dates and topics for its 2008 lecture series. These are open to the public at the Ames City Auditorium, 6th and Clark, Ames, Iowa.

All the Smoke and Cinders You'll Ever Want: The Ames & College Railway's Dinkey

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 7 p.m. is an Iowa State University Sesquicentennial event.

The Dinkey carried passengers, mail, freight and building materials between downtown Ames and Iowa Agricultural College for sixteen years, 1891-1907, during a period of rapid growth by both entities. Society Curator, Dennis Wendell, combines dozens of vintage images with anecdotes and facts about the incorporators, route, terminals, rolling stock, passengers, freight, and advertising. A sole surviving artifact will also be shown.

Bears, Baptisms and Other Tales

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 7 p.m. looks at the history of the South Skunk River. It is co-sponsored with the Skunk River Paddlers.

The "Heart of Iowa" Leg of the 1908 New York to Paris Great Auto Race

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 7 p.m. looks at a huge news event from one hundred years ago. Its route brought it through the "heart of Iowa" and Ames.

Celebrating 150 Years of the Cyclone Experience

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 7 p.m. is another Iowa State University Sesquicentennial event.

Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Head of Special Collections & University Archives at the ISU Library, as she describes her Department's Sesquicentennial projects. From artifacts to oral history interviews, from blogs to websites, from diaries to snapshots, documenting the ISU Sesquicentennial is a full-time effort. The 150th celebration also demonstrates the ongoing importance of keeping archives-- the 15,000 linear ft. of papers, records, and 1,000,000 images in the Archives were used in numerous university projects and publications. She will also share some of the more unique objects from the collection.