with Barbara Rae-Venter 

In-Person Event | More Info/Register Here

Join us for a conversation with Barbara Rae-Venter, genetic genealogist, whose technique, dubbed “Investigative Genetic Genealogy,” has been used to solve over 300 cases, many previously considered “unsolvable”. Barbara herself has assisted in solving an approximately 60 additional cold cases. For her work, Barbara was recognized by the journal Nature as one of “10 people Who Mattered In Science In 2018.” She has also been recognized as one of Time100’s Most Influential People of 2019.

Rae-Venter’s first criminal case was to identify Lisa Jensen, a woman in her 30s who was abducted as an infant and then abandoned by her abductor as a 5 year old. Barbara identified Lisa’s mother (missing) as Denise  Beaudin. This identification led the New Hampshire State Police to a suspect for the murder of the Allenstown Four in Allenstown, NH. Barbara subsequently determined the true identify of Lisa’s abductor, a man of many aliases, as Terry Peder Rasmussen. She has also confirmed the identities of three of the four Allenstown victims using a DNA profile obtained from nuclear DNA extracted from rootless hair. Using the same technique as she used to identify Lisa and Rasmussen, Barbara helped identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the notorious Golden State Killer. 

Barbara will share these stories and take your questions during this free event. This program will also be livestreamed and available for later viewing (link forthcoming).

In partnership with Dent, a community of entrepreneurs, technologists, executives, investors, and creatives who are driven to “put a dent in the universe.”

Union Pacific, Averell Harriman and Alf Engen with John Lundin 

In-Person + Vimeo | More Info/Register Here.

The general story of Sun Valley is well known. Built by Union Pacific in the middle of the Great Depression at a cost of $1.5 million, it opened in Dec. 1936, as an oasis of luxury in the wilderness of Idaho, that attracted “the carriage trade,” Wall Street barons, the Chicago social set, Hollywood stars and producers and serious skiers from all over the world. The resort had an ultra-modern lodge offering New York City amenities, chairlifts invented by UP engineers to take skiers to the top of the mountains quickly and in comfort, and a Ski School with Austrian instructors that made skiing sexy. Called “America’s St. Moritz,” Sun Valley brought European ambiance to this country, received extensive publicity, became a cultural icon, introduced modern skiing, and influenced all ski resorts that developed later. 

Yet Sun Valley’s history is more complex and interesting than is generally known. In this presentation, author and lecturer John Lundin will discuss the resort’s backstory that focuses on its time under Union Pacific, and the roles of two individuals who played key roles in making Sun Valley the force it was in our skiing history: Averell Harriman, Chairman of the Board of Union Pacific Railroad, and Alf Engen, the dominant ski jumper of his generation who played an important role at Sun Valley in its early years.

Register to save your seat. Space is limited. The program will also be live streamed and available to watch later. Click here to watch on Vimeo.

. . .and the Doctrine of Discovery with Tony Tekaroniake Evans 

In-Person Event

Tuesday, March 15 | Lecture Hall | 6:00 p.m.

Register here.

Join Tony Tekaroniake Evans for an in-depth investigation of his recent story in High Country News titled “Decolonizing Idaho Road Signs,” about efforts to redress the erasure of Indigenous history and culture on highway markers in Idaho and elsewhere in the U.S. Described as “decolonization where the rubber hits the road,” this report went nationwide on NPR’s Here and Now and was later expanded in coverage by the Smithsonian Magazine and other publications.

Evans will introduce us to the celebrated career of Alexander Ross, whose legacy on a road sign at Galena Summit north of Ketchum has long held that he “discovered” the Sawtooth Valley in 1822. Much to the contrary, Native peoples have passed this way for millennia and continue to do so, taking part in ongoing conservation efforts in the territory of the Shoshone-Bannock people.

Drawing on personal experience, historical research and breaking news stories, Evans will tell the story of the centuries-old legal framework known as the Christian Doctrine of Discovery, how it disenfranchised Indigenous peoples of titles to land during periods of genocide and assimilation and led to common assumption that Indians would no longer play a role in the history of our nation. Times have changed. Indigenous culture and lifeways are being rediscovered by the dominant culture and raised in significance by the Biden administration at a time when non-profits, government officials and citizens are looking for ways to view the land in a more sustainable and responsible manner.    

Photo: A sign north of Sun Valley has for decades announced to passersby that fur trapper Alexander ross ‘discovered’ Galena Summit. A movement is under way to return Native perspectives and historical accuracy to our roadside history. Courtesy of Roland Lane.

Monday, March 14, 2022 | Community Library Lecture Hall | 3:30 p.m

Register here.

History tells us Cesar Chavez transformed the U.S. labor movement by leading the first farm workers’ union.  But missing from this story is his equally influential co-founder, Dolores Huerta, who tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century.  

Like so many powerful female advocates, Dolores and her sweeping reforms were – and still are –largely overlooked. Even as she empowered a generation of immigrants to stand up for their rights, her own relentless work ethic was constantly under attack. False accusations from foes and friends alike, of child neglect and immoral behavior from a woman who married three times and raised 11 children, didn’t dampen her passion or deter her from her personal mission. She remains as steadfast in her fight as ever at the age of 91.

Peter Bratt’s provocative and energizing documentary challenges this incomplete, one-sided history and reveals the raw, personal stakes involved in committing one’s life to the fight for justice. Interweaving archival footage with interviews from Dolores and her contemporaries, the film sets the record straight on one of the most effective and undervalued civil and labor rights leaders in modern U.S. history.

In person only. Run time is 97 minutes, and the film will be followed by a discussion with Blaine County Amnesty International on Chapters 8 & 13 of the book “So You Want to Talk About Race.”

In partnership with the Hispanic/LatinUS Leadership Task Force, Project TOOLS Success, and the Crisis Hotline of Idaho, as part of a day full of “Past, Present, & Future Voices” events with guest Dolores Huerta.