Anne Gregory

Graduate Student Scholarship Blog Post

The Western History Association 2025 Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico was only my second WHA, my first being the year before in Kansas City, Missouri. This year, I had a wonderful experience and treasure the many great conversations I had in the hallways and ballrooms of the Albuquerque Convention Center. Attendees are the heart of the annual meeting and I met other graduate students, archivists, librarians, locals, professors, and independent scholars. Disenchantment was this conference’s annual theme, a fitting expression for a challenging year. I have been inspired by this year’s conference theme to be more expansive in my scholarship and to devote more time in service to my community. I believe we, as historians, hold the potential to change the future by clearly narrating the past, bolstering society by telling artful histories.

I attended talks that opened possibilities for my scholarship. A highlight was a panel on African American history, titled “The Black Man’s Hope: Black Towns in the Trans-Mississippi West.” The panel presentation, featuring Jeanette Eileen Jones, Tonia M. Compton, Victoria McKeller-People, and Anthony Wood, was outstanding, with examples from Kansas and Colorado, in rural, urban, recreational, and organizational settings, with tips on sources and methodologies, and a discussion of current theories. I look forward to hearing more from these researchers at future gatherings.

I was fortunate to attend some great events. I heard this year’s Presidential Address from William Bauer, an inspiring reflection on family, titled “Indigenous Travelers in the American West.” Bauer shared a story about commemoration in the Round Valley community that touched on intergenerational memory and experience. I also met some great folks at the Presidential Lunch and had a nice chile relleno. Friday night’s Awards Ceremony and Reception was a whirlwind and I want to send best wishes to everyone that attended. Congratulations to all the recipients! Saturday’s Native Scholars Lunch was another wonderful get-together. Brenda Child received honors, and gave a poignant talk that reflected on work, family, and the field. 

My own panel on Indigenous health took place on Saturday, featuring Juliet Gilmore-Larkin, Maria John, and David DeJohn. Our conversation was fruitful and interesting. I presented my findings about health on the Dawes Enrollment Cards for the Muscogee Nation. After reading through the bulk of the enrollment records for the Muscogee and Seminole Nations, I could trace trends on marriage, mobility, maternity, child care, disability, and mortality during allotment. I shared a summary of this data plus a few initial conclusions, as well as some favorite allotment stories, to a receptive audience.

Conferences give graduate students like myself opportunities to hear up-to-the-moment research from leaders in the field and this year, I was lucky to see David DeJong give his presentation on successes working with the Gila River community in southern Arizona. I was also excited to hear about Juliet Gilmore-Larkin’s work on health, agency, and ableism. I am appreciative to everyone that came to hear us share our work. It is so crucial to have the opportunity to present my research to scholars in my field and I am grateful to everyone on my panel for their hard work. A special thank you to Juliet Gilmore-Larkin, our organizer, and Maria John, our chair.

Service is important to our organization and I had the exciting opportunity to join the Accessibility Committee. I am glad to have the chance to work with them to improve the WHA experience for everyone, as well as promote scholarship about ableism and disability in the West. I want to extend a thank you to this committee for supporting access both in the Western history community and beyond. I would also like to say thank you to everyone that organized and facilitated this year’s conference. Congratulations on a job well done.

My visit to the city was memorable. Albuquerque served crisp mountain air and the kind of sunshine that only happens in the desert. Downtown had a peaceful kind of quiet, its history present in muted colors. I made sure to find time to explore and try a few spots. I found a great little pizza place, JC’s New York Pizza Dept., where I ordered a cheese slice for lunch and indulged in vegetarian rolls at Sushi Hana, located on Central Ave.. for dinner. I also made time to splurge on an iced latte at The Brew, a vibrant coffee shop tucked away a few blocks from the Clyde. If I regret anything, it was not plunking down a dollar for the zine workshop. To the zine folks, please bring back the zine workshop in Portland, Oregon so that I can get a chance to make one next year.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at PDX 2026!