Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: How Do The Mountains Get Their Names? By Dr. Christine Johnson

Description

This lecture is currently full. Contact Mina Stafford at mstafford@nevadaculture.org to be put on the waiting list.

Did you know that Nevada is considered to be the most mountainous state in the country?  With more than 300 named ranges, Nevada’s topography contains thousands of peaks, valleys, mounts, buttes, bluffs, cutoffs, mountains, points, and more.  The Nevada State Board on Geographic Names has been in place since 1985, working to advise the U.S. Board on new name suggestions, research current names of features, and weigh in on controversies when presented. This talk will provide a history of the board, operational procedures; provide a look at why and how features get named, and highlight a few interesting and noteworthy features on the Nevada landscape.

Dr. Christine Johnson is the Collection Manager at the Nevada Historical Society and adjunct faculty in the departments of Anthropology and Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. She holds a PhD in geography and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology with minors in geography and archaeology.  She was appointed to the Nevada State Board on Geographic Names in 2013 to represent the Nevada Historical Society, and elected to serve as the Executive Secretary for the board in 2014, a position she still holds.  A long-time Nevadan, she is passionate about the Nevada landscape and its people.

Cost: $8 for adults; Free for museum members and ages 17 and under

Seating is limited.