History Walks Presentations
Engage a professional, enthusiastic, entertaining presenter to take your audience on a historical excursion, explore genealogy, or learn of funerary art and cemetery preservation. With tales from years past we bring history to life - educating, informing and regaling your attendees.
Current Offerings
Presentation Title
Before and After Lewis & Clark
Beginner Genealogy
Beyond the Words - Reading Grave Markers
How to Clean a Grave Marker
Description
The history of the mid-Missouri River region and early Euro-American explorations in the days of French and Spanish Louisiana.
Many have considered researching their family history but they're not sure how to get started. Many others have started but are not sure where to find the information they're looking for. In this course we will discuss how to begin building a family tree, research best practices and using the Genealogical Proof Standard, and how to avoid common pitfalls by developing a research plan. We will also review genealogical resources available both online and offline and how to use them to learn about your ancestors.
Monuments, memorials, headstones, tombstones - regardless of what you call them, these hunks of stone were placed in memoriam, with names and dates etched into the stone, but these memorials have so much more to say. This presentation looks into types of stones, common monument styles and the meaning behind the symbolism found on these (almost) permanent shrines.
The single most common question we get asked is "how should I clean a headstone?" During this one-hour presentation, cemetery preservationist Shannon Justice will review how to safely clean historic grave markers, review the tools and products that can be used that will not damage the stones, and go over some tried and true techniques to read damaged grave markers.
How the Iowa born son of Irish immigrants took over a city and ran it for three decades.
Subject
Midwest History
Genealogy; History; Cemetery
Genealogy; Cemetery
Presenter
Ryan Roenfeld
Shannon Justice
Shannon Justice
Council Bluffs Con-Men
How the railroads and many strangers passing through made times flush for those who preyed on suckers assured of a "sure thing".
Council Bluffs History
Ryan Roenfeld
Ghost Towns of the Wabash
A look at the varied communities that appeared during the 1879-1881 construction of what became the Wabash & Pacific and is now a 63 mile long bicycle trail.
Midwest History
Cemetery
Ryan Roenfeld
Shannon Justice
Immigrant Omaha
The role immigrants from everywhere have played in the city's growth and history as well as the sometimes violent backlash against them.
Omaha history; Immigrant history
Ryan Roenfeld
Manawa Park
The Missouri River flood of 1881 left behind an ox-bow that was transformed into a major 19th century amusement park.
Council Bluffs History
Genealogy; History; Cemetery
Ryan Roenfeld
Nebraska Land Records
Omaha City and Nebraska Territory
The history of 1850s Omaha as a real estate speculation and magnet for the railroads when its founders would do anything to make and keep it the capital of a new territory.
Omaha History
Ryan Roenfeld
Railroads of Shelby County, Iowa
How the growth of the railroads fostered the appearance and growth of communities in this western Iowa county.
Railroad; Midwest History
Ryan Roenfeld
St. Mary
It was the steamboats that fueled the growth along the Missouri River in the 1850s. Peter Sarpy's St. Mary was one town founded during this boom only to be washed away by the Big Muddy.
Midwest History
Ryan Roenfeld
Tales from Prospect Hill Cemetery
Interesting stories and the research that tells them.
Genealogy; Omaha History; Prospect Hill Cemetery
Shannon Justice
The Underground Railroad in Southwest Iowa
The routes and personages of the network for those looking to escape slavery.
Underground Railroad; Midwest History
Ryan Roenfeld
Tom Dennison's Omaha
Omaha History
Ryan Roenfeld
Using burial records to dig your family tree
Delve into the records that tell us where our loved ones are laid to rest and the information that can be extracted from them to tell us more about the life they lived.
Genealogy
Shannon Justice
What Happened to East Omaha?
In the late 1880s a new industrial suburb was platted with plans of industry and cottages. Instead, the Missouri River and City of Council Bluffs had other plans.
Omaha History; Council Bluffs History
Shannon Justice
Ryan Roenfeld
Wicked Omaha
The acquisition and ownership of land was a driving force for many people in America, and land records can be a vital resource in genealogical research. But where do you start? As with most research projects, the answer to “where do I?” and “how do I?” varies from one location to the next. This presentation will review how to conduct land and property research, focusing on the records available in Nebraska.
The placid, conservative Midwestern city of Omaha has a dark past with an extensive downtown vice district where strangers proved easy prey.
Omaha History
Ryan Roenfeld
Pricing
$100 per 1 hour presentation
Venues more than 50 miles outside of Omaha, NE include mileage allowance of $0.58 per mile
Venues more than 100 miles outside of Omaha, NE include a hotel allowance based on local rates
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