Back to EventsRetaining a River Lecture Event
Rivers have been described as the veins of the Earth. Their paths continually change course, challenging the intentions and expectations of engineers, politicians, industry, and those who live in their watershed. River levels change based on seasons, engineering, and upstream and downstream water use. Rivers do not neatly correspond to the political jurisdictions and institutions where archives are typically found, presenting a challenge for charting out the history of a river’s watershed. How do we document these living ecosystems, their movements, and their stories?
Focusing on the history, culture, and politics of the Ohio River, Cincinnati-based archivist Eira Tansey will explore the idea of watershed documentation. From the American Civil War to the 1937 flood to the current expansion of the fracking industry, the Ohio River is at the same time one of America’s most important and most overlooked, most symbolic and most polluted rivers. How should we think about documenting a river or understanding its inherently scattered archives? What can we learn from a river’s records? And what do we lose by ignoring the recordkeeping needs of watersheds?
Register for Event4:00 pm to 6:00 pm