It's this controversy, and his initial discovery and studies at the site that Agenbroad will focus on when he presents as the featured speaker at the Island in the Plains Historical Symposium. The 15th annual event, sponsored by the Black Hills National Forest, S.D. State Archaeological Research Center, Bureau of Land Management, and the S.D. Archaeological Society, will be held at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center this Saturday, May 5. Registration begins at 8 a.m.
Agenbroad, of the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, also operates an interpretive center at the Hudson Meng Bison Kill Site near Crawford, Neb., where visitors can view bison bones laying on the ground. While organizer Dave McKee of the U.S. Forest Service said agenbroad will be a highlight of the program, many other presenters will talk about archaeology and history in various parts of the Black Hills.
"We just really think it's important to share the findings of research with the public and with students," McKee said of the forest service's motivation for helping to organize the event. The Island in the Plains Historic Symposium offers presentations from professional, volunteer and student archaeologists, a feature which makes the conference unique. Many presentations, he said are the result of thesis research for master's degrees.
"Many conferences it is just the professionals," McKee said. "But our conference is for anyone who is interested in history and archaeology. So you get to see a wide variety of papers."
A few items to watch for, McKee said include a presentation about the life of loggers in the turn of the century, and a presentation about the Ina Davis Homestead, a historic site near Custer.
While the conference is generally held in different locations from year to year, McKee said organizers like to have it in Spearfish because of the great response from people at Black Hills State University and in the local school system.
Currently, McKee said there are approximately 50 pre-registered participants, but normally by the time the conference starts there are more than 100 people attending to view the presentations. Though he said the pre-registration deadline has passed, participants may still purchase tickets at the door for $30, or $10 for college students. Students 18 and younger may attend for free.