MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Northern Michigan University held the 23rd Annual Sonderegger Symposium at the Northern Center on Friday.
This event is to bring awareness and keep educating others about this region’s amazing history. The symposium went from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. filled with speakers such as the keynote speaker, Bryan Newland. The topics touch on where everything from “The Bonga Family: An Afro-Ojibwa Fur Trading Dynasty” to “Mine Songs: Sounding an Altered Landscape.”
Daniel Truckey, the Director and Curator of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, was the organizer and one of the many speakers of the day. Truckey said the event is a great way for people to learn and understand more about the history of the place they live.
“Thats really what it’s about is discovery and dialogue,” Truckey said. “Getting people to talk about these things and have a greater knowledge of the history of where they are rather than just a broader American history what’s the history of the region itself and how its connected to the wider history.”
This year’s symposium was focused on perspective on 1820 and beyond. Truckey explained this is for a couple reasons one being the Beaumier Center exhibit; “Claiming Michigan: the 1820 Expedition of Lewis Cass”.
‘We decided to our entire symposium on that,” said Truckey. “So, we could dive a little deeper into many of the themes related to the actual exhibit and history the tells and what happened after. How it had a greater, larger impact on the region.”
For more information on the symposium, click here.
