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January 7, 2004

36th Annual Dakota Conference: Final Call for Papers

SIOUX FALLS, SD - This is the final call for papers for the 36th annual Dakota Conference on Northern Plains History, Literature, Art, and Archaeology to be held April 23-24 at Augustana College.

The conference theme is "The Great(er) Plains: Land and Water Issues for the Twenty-first Century".

With fewer than six residents per square mile in many of its rural counties, the Great Plains is becoming "America's new frontier," observes Laurent Belsie in a special report for The Christian Science Monitor called "Alone on the Range." Of the 261 Plains counties with frontier status, most are found in the Northern Plains.

The frontier phenomenon is also moving eastward. In 1950, seven frontier counties in South Dakota were located east of the state capital; today, the number has grown to 17. This emptying out of the semiarid plains confronts those who remain with many issues, including land and water use, challenging conventional concepts of environmental stewardship.

The 2004 Dakota Conference invites papers examining land and water issues in their historical, literary, artistic, and archaeological contexts. Papers on related topics and from other disciplines are also welcome.

Send paper title, brief description, and biographical sketch, along with presenter name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to Dr. Harry F. Thompson, Dakota Conference Director, Center for Western Studies, Box 727, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD 57197. Proposals are due January 23, 2004.

For inclusion in conference proceedings and awards consideration, completed papers should be submitted in both electronic (disk or e-mail) and printed (two copies) formats at conference time.

Cash awards of $150 and $100 in professional, amateur, and student categories will be presented.