In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law three landmark pieces of legislation creating a new “people’s department” (the US Department of Agriculture); establishing land grant colleges in every state and opening the west to homesteading. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of those historic signings, a “People’s Celebration” is planned for Thursday afternoon and evening, Nov. 8, at the Richland County Fairgrounds’ Event Center in Sidney.
A number of USDA agencies (Agricultural Research Service, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Forest Service, etc.) and land grant college and historical organizations (Eastern Ag Research Center, Richland County Extension and the MonDak Heritage Center) have joined together for the celebration which will feature booths highlighting the history and current activities of the various groups, along with an overview of homesteading in the region from the MonDak Heritage Center. In addition, the Richland County Conservation District is incorporating the homesteading theme in their annual awards dinner which will follow the afternoon’s activities.
The afternoon begins with an Open House for the public from 1-5 pm, including the display booths, speakers, and more. The first hour of the afternoon session is also being reserved for school tours with each booth offering short demonstrations/presentations designed specifically for the youngsters. Other plans for the day include photo displays, birthday cake, a kids’ art exhibit, a visit from “Abraham Lincoln,” and more.
The celebration concludes with a social at 5 pm and the Richland County Conservation District awards dinner at 6 pm. The District has also arranged to have Montana Historian Hal Stearns speak at 7 pm on “Homestead Dreams: From High Hopes to Lingering Legacy.” While there will be a charge for those attending the meal ($12 per person), anyone can come to hear Mr. Stearns’ presentation for free.
Mr. Stearns appearance is made possible by the Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau Program. Partial funding for the Speakers Bureau program is provided by a legislative grant from Montana’s Cultural Trust and from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
We hope you can join us for this fun commemoration. Watch for more details in local media.
Reader Comments(0)