On June 26, 2008, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Dr. Robert K. Sutton, chief historian of the National Park Service, will present a free public lecture at Pearson Air Museum to commence the National Park Service’s annual public archaeology lecture series.

Dr. Sutton’s talk is titled “Interpreting the Fur Trade in National Parks.” It examines the Hudson’s Bay Company, the American fur trade, and American migration as it is interpreted in our National Parks.

This program is the keynote address for the annual lecture series presented as part of the National Park Service Public Archaeology Field School at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. This year’s lecture series theme is “Progressing through the Past: 60 Years of Archaeology, History, and Interpretation at Fort Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest.”

“It is truly an honor to have Dr. Sutton return to his initial posting with the National Park Service and give a professional and personal overview of how the National Park Service interprets the history of the fur trade,”said Dr. Robert Cromwell, Archaeologist at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. “As the Chief Historian of the National Park Service and as a former park ranger at Fort Vancouver, Dr. Sutton has a unique and dynamic perspective on the integration of history and public programming as well as the development of National Park Service exhibits, programs, and publications,” added Greg Shine, Chief Ranger & Historian at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Robert K. Sutton became Chief Historian of the National Park Service in October 2007, after serving as Superintendent of Manassas National Battlefield Park for 12 ½ years. From 1986 to 1990, he directed the Historic Preservation and Historical Administration public history programs at Arizona State University. He has published a number of books, articles and reviews on various public history topics. One of his primary interests at Manassas Battlefield and in his current position is preparing for the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and as part of that effort he has encouraged Civil War battlefields to expand their interpretive programs to focus more attention to the social, economic, and political issues during the Civil War Era.

Sutton began his career in the Pacific Northwest, working for Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Oregon State Parks in the 1970s. He also served as curator at the Oregon Historical Society.

This is a free public program sponsored by the National Park Service and the Northwest Cultural Resources Institute, with the Center for Columbia River History and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust.

WHAT: Keynote address for National Park Service Archaeology Field School at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve.

WHO: Dr. Robert K. Sutton, Chief Historian of the National Park Service, who began his career in the Pacific Northwest.

WHERE: Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. 5th St., Vancouver, WA

WHEN: Thursday, June 26, 2008, 6:00 p.m.

COST: Free to the public.

DETAILS: For more information contact Dr. Robert Cromwell, Archaeologist, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site at 360-816-6253.

WEBSITEs: http://www.nps.gov/fova, www.ccrh.org