Center for Columbia River History Announces 2010 James B. Castles Fellow

Formed in 1990, the Center for Columbia River History is a consortium of the Washington State Historical Society, Portland State University and Washington State University Vancouver. Located on the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, its mission is to promote the study of Columbia River Basin history. CCRH conducts interdisciplinary research projects, publishes material in text and electronic formats, sponsors free public programs and teacher workshops, and develops curricula. It collaborates with other historical and cultural institutions and offers programs to schools, libraries, historical societies and public groups throughout the Columbia River Basin, a region that includes territory in seven states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah) and one Canadian province (British Columbia).

Each year, CCRH selects a James B. Castles Fellow, conducts original scholarly research that contributes to public understanding of the history of the Columbia River Basin. The Castles Fellowship is made possible by an endowment provided by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to CCRH in honor of James B. Castles, a founding trustee who promoted the heritage of the Columbia River throughout his life. This year's recipient is Johanna Ogden, an independent scholar who recently earned an M.A. in History at the University of British Columbia (2010). Her interests and publications have ranged from the Bracero Program in Hood River to Conscientious Objectors on the Oregon Coast during World War II. Most recently, she has investigated the immigration and activities of Punjabi Sikh laborers along the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon. In this effort, she has tied regional immigrant communities to the Ghadar Party, an early 20th Century Indian independence movement. Ms. Ogden's work fits into the CCRH Columbia River and the World Initiative. She plans to use the fellowship funds to broaden her archival research in the region and to revise a portion of her thesis, "Oregon and Global Insurgency: Punjabis of the Columbia River Basin," into an article-length manuscript. In addition, she will collaborate with CCRH staff to craft an internet product based on her work.

Learn more about the Castles Endowment, including the fellowship, lectureship, and public programs it supports.