History Walks
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To learn more about individual speakers, please visit Our Team page.
Presentation Title |
Description |
Subject |
Presenter |
Before and After Lewis & Clark |
The history of the mid-Missouri River region and early Euro-American explorations in the days of French and Spanish Louisiana. |
Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Beginner Genealogy |
Many have considered researching their family history but they're not sure how to get started. Many others have started but are not sure where to find the information they're looking for. In this course we will discuss how to begin building a family tree, research best practices and using the Genealogical Proof Standard, and how to avoid common pitfalls by developing a research plan. We will also review genealogical resources available both online and offline and how to use them to learn about your ancestors. |
Genealogy; History; Cemetery |
Shannon Justice |
Beyond the Words - Reading Grave Markers |
Monuments, memorials, headstones, tombstones - regardless of what you call them, these hunks of stone were placed in memoriam, with names and dates etched into the stone, but these memorials have so much more to say. This presentation looks into types of stones, common monument styles and the meaning behind the symbolism found on these (almost) permanent shrines. |
Genealogy; Cemetery |
Shannon Justice |
Council Bluffs Con-Men |
How the railroads and many strangers passing through made times flush for those who preyed on suckers assured of a "sure thing". |
Council Bluffs History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Genealogy: A Records Management Conundrum |
Both driven by the value we place on information, genealogy and records management face many of the same challenges. This presentation explores the similarities and how these two fields can benefit from one another. |
Genealogy; Records Management |
Shannon Justice |
Ghost Towns of the Wabash |
A look at the varied communities that appeared during the 1879-1881 construction of what became the Wabash & Pacific and is now a 63 mile long bicycle trail. |
Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Googling your Genealogy |
From recipes to maps to the news, we use Google to find everyday answers. So why not genealogy? This presentation reviews ways of using google to help with genealogy research. |
Genealogy |
Shannon Justice |
How to Clean a Grave Marker |
The single most common question we get asked is "how should I clean a headstone?" During this one-hour presentation, cemetery preservationist Shannon Justice will review how to safely clean historic grave markers, review the tools and products that can be used that will not damage the stones, and go over some tried and true techniques to read damaged grave markers. |
Cemetery |
Shannon Justice |
Immigrant Omaha |
The role immigrants from everywhere have played in the city's growth and history as well as the sometimes violent backlash against them. |
Omaha history; Immigrant history |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Lunch & Learn |
Lunch and Learns are often provided to offer employees, social groups, and friends an opportunity to experience a new topic in a collaborative, relaxed environment. Many of our presentations can be catered to a lunch and learn event; the most popular are Beginner Genealogy and How to Clean a Grave Marker |
Education |
Shannon Justice |
Manawa Park |
The Missouri River flood of 1881 left behind an ox-bow that was transformed into a major 19th century amusement park. |
Council Bluffs History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Omaha City and Nebraska Territory |
The history of 1850s Omaha as a real estate speculation and magnet for the railroads when its founders would do anything to make and keep it the capital of a new territory. |
Omaha history |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Railroads of Shelby County, Iowa |
How the growth of the railroads fostered the appearance and growth of communities in this western Iowa county. |
Railroad; Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
St. Mary |
It was the steamboats that fueled the growth along the Missouri River in the 1850s. Peter Sarpy's St. Mary was one town founded during this boom only to be washed away by the Big Muddy. |
Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
A Tale of Genealogy |
This presentation explores the journey of chasing my Lewis family line, beginning with a family story that was nothing but false, into records full of blatent lies, and a great-great grandmother that miraculously rose from the dead. |
Genealogy |
Shannon Justice |
Tales from Prospect Hill Cemetery |
Interesting stories and the research that tells them. |
Genealogy; Omaha History; Prospect Hill Cemetery |
Shannon Justice |
The Underground Railroad in Southwest Iowa |
The routes and personages of the network for those looking to escape slavery. |
Underground Railroad; Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Tom Dennison's Omaha |
How the Iowa born son of Irish immigrants took over a city and ran it for three decades. |
Omaha History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Train Robbers |
An examination of the 1873 robbery of the Rock Island by the James Gang, the failed robbery of a Burlington train south of Council Bluffs in 1900, and the Great 1920 mail train robbery, the largest in American history at the time. |
Railroad; Midwest History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Using burial records to dig your family tree |
Delve into the records that tell us where our loved ones are laid to rest and the information that can be extracted from them to tell us more about the life they lived. |
Genealogy |
Shannon Justice |
What Happened to East Omaha? |
In the late 1880s a new industrial suburb was platted with plans of industry and cottages. Instead, the Missouri River and City of Council Bluffs had other plans. |
Omaha History; Council Bluffs History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Wicked Omaha |
The placid, conservative Midwestern city of Omaha has a dark past with an extensive downtown vice district where strangers proved easy prey. |
Omaha History |
Ryan Roenfeld |
Pricing
$100 per 1 hour presentation
Venues more than 50 miles outside of Omaha, NE include mileage allowance of $0.58 per mile
Venues more than 100 miles outside of Omaha, NE include a hotel allowance based on local rates
Venues more than 50 miles outside of Omaha, NE include mileage allowance of $0.58 per mile
Venues more than 100 miles outside of Omaha, NE include a hotel allowance based on local rates
For more information or to book a presentation, please contact us with the form below.