About

Students and faculty at the University of Montana are committed to #MakingHistoryPublic! By that we mean learning about, experiencing and developing historical projects that are important to the broader community and public, not just academics.

Through courses, collaborative projects and internships, the UM History Department’s H. Duane Hampton Public History Program prepares students to work in the vibrant, growing field of public history. This field includes work in museums, historic preservation agencies, archives, interpretive sites (e.g., National Parks), litigation research, podcasting, documentaries and much more! For more about our program (including our public history certificate), please visit our UM history department website or email the department at history@mso.umt.edu.

On this website, we’re excited to spotlight the work of our students and faculty who are #MakingHistoryPublic through real-world public history projects. Check it out! And if you’re interested in learning more about the program — as a student, potential collaborator, or just an interested community member — please reach out.

Core Faculty

  • Claire Arcenas, Associate Professor of History
  • Leif Fredrickson, Director of the Public History Program
  • Anya Jabour, Regents Professor of History
  • Jody Pavilack, Associate Professor of History
  • Kyle Volk, Professor of History

Public History Advisory Committee

  • Summerfield Baldridge, ’79, Whitefish, MT; President, Kootenai Resource Corp.; BA History, UM; MA History, ASU
  • Jenny Buddenborg, Executive Director of Preserve Montana
  • Diana Di Stefano, Editor of Montana: The Magazine of Western History
  • Kate Hampton, Preservation Coordinator for the Montana Historical Society
  • Matt Lautzenheiser, Executive Director of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
  • Martin V. Melosi, Cullen Professor Emeritus of History and Founding Director of the Center for Public History, at the University of Houston
  • Alan Newell, founder of Historical Research Associates, member of Downtown Missoula Partnership
  • Ian Smith, Principal Historian and History Division Manager for Historical Research Associates
  • Thompson Smith, Coordinator of Tribal History for the Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee

Partner Organizations

  • Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
  • Historical Research Associates, Inc.
  • Mansfield Library Archives & Special Collections
  • Missoula Historic Preservation Office
  • Montana Historical Society
  • Montana Natural History Center
  • Montana State Historic Preservation Office
  • Moon Randolph Homestead
  • Preserve Montana
  • Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History
  • Downtown Missoula Partnership and Unseen Historical Tours

Website built and designed by Diego Bexar.

Thanks to our student interns who have helped create content this site: Paige Moriarty and Toni Pavlovic.

© 2023 UMontana Public History Program. The University of Montana Department of History.