WHAT: Brown Bag Lecture Series
HOSTED BY: UNK Department of History
TITLE: “Harry E. ‘Two Guns’ Miller: A Story of Murder, Fraud and Prophecy”
TOPIC: Two Guns. Indian Miller. Chief Crazy Thunder. Harry E. Miller went by many names. For more than three decades, Miller operated a variety of tourist attractions along Route 66, including a museum, zoo and (fake) cliff dwelling. Thousands heard him tell tales of Native American life and lore. But there was one problem – Miller was not Native. Plying a fake identity, Miller embroiled himself in serious debates over the Indigenous history of the American Southwest. Along the way, he committed murder and declared himself a prophet, denouncing the modern field of archeology as a conspiracy and fraud. From his “Indian Museum” at Walnut Canyon National Monument to his zoo in Two Guns, Arizona, to his prophetic seat (and tourist stop) near the New Mexico border, Miller’s life is a fascinating story of murder, fraud and prophecy.
PRESENTER: Will Stoutamire is an associate professor of history at UNK, where he directs the undergraduate minor in public history and the online public history master’s program. He holds a doctorate in history with distinction from Arizona State University, where he worked as a contract historian for the National Park Service on a variety of cultural resource management projects in the American Southwest. Prior to joining the faculty at UNK, Stoutamire served for five years as director of the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture on campus. His research interests include the history of early museums and preservation activities in the American West, with special emphasis on the role these efforts played in the larger settler colonial project.
TIME: Noon
DATE: Wednesday, April 9
PLACE: Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Ave.
VIDEO: Available on the Kearney Public Library YouTube channel
CONTACT: Nathan Tye, associate history professor, 308.865.8860, tyen@unk.edu
