Upcoming Speaker Series Presentations

In The History of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, author Paul W. Bass documents decade-by-decade the 76-year history of the renowned United States Army installation. Built as one of the first training camps in American response to World War II, the fort continues to play an important role in the training of U.S. military personnel. Bass provides a detailed account of its construction; biographical information on the fort’s namesake, General Leonard Wood; and its contribution to the American war efforts during World War II, the Korean, Vietnam and Cold wars and the ongoing War on Terror. Join us as Bass recounts the compelling history of Fort Leonard Wood and its influence on the surrounding region.

Following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, government authorities forcibly relocated Native American peoples from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States far to the west. Between 1836 and 1839, this included the Cherokee who were compelled to leave their homes and follow the Trail of Tears to the Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma. Harsh trail conditions, weather and disease resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4,000 along the way. Professor Joseph Erb, member of the Cherokee Nation, will retrace the steps his ancestors were forced to march nearly 200 years ago, sharing stories of their trek across Missouri.