Updated: 2/12/2011 
Elk Rapids Area Historical Museum
Elk Rapids, Michigan
Mission

The mission of the Elk Rapids Area Historical Society, a non-profit organization, is to assemble, preserve, protect, and exhibit in the Elk Rapids Area Historical Museum, collections pertaining to the history of the village, its people, and community life. Our focus is especially on Elk Rapids’ role in the 19th and 20th centuries as an important lumbering and related industries, cement, chemical and pig iron smelting center, strategically located on the convergence of Elk River and Grand Traverse Bay. As a research and educational institution, we plan to be both an active participant in the historical and cultural tourism focus of Elk Rapids and a focal point for students of all ages to participate in historical studies and activities of the Elk Rapids and Chain of Lakes Region.

History

Elk Rapids, Antrim County: The first white settler of Antrim County was Abram Scranton Wadsworth, a government surveyor and native of Durham, Connecticut. In 1838 Mr. Wadsworth built a log cabin near the present site of the Elk Rapids Town Hall. He laid out the lots of the village in 1852 and the asking price was $25 per lot. Mr. Wadsworth built a sawmill and has been credited with naming some of the bodies of water in Antrim County. The school district was organized in 1853 and the post office was established. The village was known as Stevens. In 1863 the first newspaper - the Elk Rapids Eagle, was established.

In 1864 Dexter & Noble built saw mills, a lumber yard, grist mill and a boat dock on Lake Michigan. The charcoal blast furnace turned out 24 tons of pig-iron per day and employees in Elk Rapids numbered 365. There were seven churches and seven saloons. By 1910 the hardwoods had been logged off and the industry died out.

A cement plant was erected in 1890 and later moved to Petoskey. Population sank to 684 during the depression in 1930. Today Elk Rapids remains a peaceful picturesque village with an appeal to tourists and residents alike.

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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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