“Running the Redwood Empire: Indigeneity, Modernity, and a 480-mile Footrace”

Tara Keegan, PhD candidate, History, and 2020-21 OHC Dissertation Fellow My project examines Native survival in post-Gold Rush California and the ways in which Native individuals and communities shaped early 20th-century society and culture in Northern California’s “Redwood Empire.” Through a sports history that traces the implications of the first official “ultramarathon” in U.S. history, the project offers insights into the essential contributions of Native historical actors in developing regional economy and identity.