Angelo State History Instructor Gets Fellowship to Conduct Study on Texas Waterways

SAN ANGELO, TX — Dr. Kenna Archer of the Angelo State University history faculty has been awarded the 2018 UNT Special Collections Research Fellowship by the University of North Texas Libraries.

Archer will utilize the fellowship to fund her research in the UNT Special Collections for her project titled “Mucking It Up: A History of Rivers, Politics, and Improvements in Texas.” According to her official project description, “The history of this state is inextricably tied into its waterways and into efforts to manipulate those waterways to meet the public’s perceived needs. This project examines the developmental history of state waterways and the governmental policy aimed towards improvement.”

The UNT Special Collections Research Fellowships are awarded annually to academic and independent researchers in various fields, including history, journalism, political science, geography, fine arts, art history and American studies. Preference is given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of the Special Collections in the UNT Libraries.

An instructor in history, Archer teaches U.S. environmental history, Texas history and American history. She published her first book, “Unruly Waters: A Social and Environmental History of the Brazos River,” in 2015, and she recently co-authored an updated version of the book “Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land.” She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Baylor University and her doctorate from Texas Tech University.

Archer is scheduled to present her “Mucking It Up” research project at the 2018 Western History Association Conference in October in San Antonio.