On January 31, 2003, the Fort Miami Heritage Society (FMHS) unveiled the Shared Waters: Natives and French Newcomers on the Great Lakes exhibition. Focusing on the Native American and French interaction in Southwest Michigan, Shared Waters features hundreds of artifacts and works of art gathered from international institutions.

Shared Waters was conceived by the FMHS staff, scholars from Western Michigan University, and from students and faculty that participated in the 2001 Public History Field School. The exhibit was designed by Joseph Hines of Project Arts and Ideas.

For more information about the Shared Waters exhibit, CLICK HERE.

The third season of an archaeological field study in Chala, on the south coast of Peru, was part of the ongoing research project led by Dr. Catherine Julien. Each year, a small group of students has participated in locating and studying towns named in a 1540 document authored by Francisco Pizarro. These towns were inhabited during the time of the Inca empire and afterward, when the Spaniards governed Peru.

Dr. Julien's Western Michigan University team worked with a Peruvian archaeologist from the Catholic University of Arequipa, Alina Aparicio, who coordinates the project with Peruvian government authorities. Anyone interested in participating in the project should contact Dr. Catherine Julien (269-387-4632 or via e-mail at julien@wmich.edu). Good Spanish skills, coursework in history and anthropology, and an interest in Latin America are the prerequisites.

To learn more about the Chala, Peru Project, click here.

The Great Lakes Center for Maritime Studies (GLCMS) was founded in 1997 to help unite the intellect, energy, and diverse participants that shape the study of Great Lakes maritime history, culture, and ecology. Operating from the premise that teaching and research should respond to the community, the GLCMS consistently advances the principles of public scholarship. The GLCMS aims to build a better understanding of how the Great Lakes have influenced political, economic, social, and cultural trends locally and globally. In fostering an inclusive spirit of historical, cultural, and ecological inquiry, the GLCMS draws on a wide range of collaborators in all its projects. The long societal reach of the GLCMS learning objectives is reflected in the partnership that coordinates its activities: Western Michigan University and the Michigan Maritime Museum.

For more information about the GLCMS, contact Dr. Michael S. Nassaney at 269-387-3981 or via e-mail at: michael.nassaney@wmich.edu.

Projects and Programs Completed by the GLCMS, 1996-2001:

Interpretation

1. Traveling Exhibit: Fish for All: The Legacy of Lake Michigan Fisheries Management and Policy
2. South Haven Harborwalk
3. Exhibit: McCrimmon's View: The Maritime Photography of Roy S. McCrimmon
4. South Haven Lighthouse Marker
5. Exhibit: Maritime Holland: A Vision of Lakeshore Prosperity

Education Programs

1. Workshop: American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
2. Program: "The Eastland Disaster, Legacy of the Titanic"
3. Program: "The 1996 Archaeological Excavation of La Salle's Ship Belle"

Studies

1. Historic Fishery Building Proposal
2. South Haven Lighthouse Complex: National Register of Historic Places Nomination
3. Padnos Boat Shed Exhibition Proposal
4. Strategic Plan for the Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve Committee