Plymouth State University’s Bonnie Epstein, a long-time professor of Women’s Studies and English, was recently honored with the Outstanding Educator Award from the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA). The OCTA is an organization that is dedicated to preserving the physical westward expansion trails as well as their popularity and interest.
The award is nationally recognized and is given to teachers who help promote the continual education of the western expansion and emigrant trails. The award was presented at the OCTA’s national convention in St. Joseph, Mo.
“This is really an award for people to try and educate other people about the expansion and the OCTA was really very pleased to know that there are people on the East Coast who are interested in doing this,” said Epstein, who is also a member of the OCTA.
Epstein received the award based on the creation of two classes here at PSU. The first class was an upper-level course entitled, “Women’s Stories of the Westward Movement,” and the second is a general education course, “Settling the American West: Women and Men on the Overland Trails.” The upper-level course eventually went away and became the foundation for the gen-ed course. “‘Women’s Stories’ focused on how most historical documents are written from the male perspective, even though women are the ones who kept journals – without them, we wouldn’t know what we know now,” said Epstein.
“Settling the American West” looks closely at the diaries kept by women on the trails. “Students in my class work on a creative journal where they create a pioneer family and have them travel the trail and encounter what real pioneers would have; through creative fiction I can see if they have an understanding of the trails and their history,” said Epstein. Students also work on a personal heritage project where they discover where the roots of their family came from.
When asked what inspired her passion in the western expansion and its trails, Epstein said, “For me, I’m a baby boomer, and when you turned on the TV when I was a child, there was nothing but Westerns and I grew up on that image of the American West. I read a lot of books on the subject; I’ve always had an interest.”
Epstein studied Women’s Studies for her doctoral program, and combined that interest with that of the western expansion when she met a professor who lived on the trails. Since then, she has hiked all the trails except for the last leg. She plans on going back again this summer.
Besides educating at PSU, Epstein has lectured for historical societies and plans on going on sabbatical next semester to work on a learning kit that will potentially focus educating high-schoolers on the famous Donner party who traveled the trails in the mid-1800’s.
Epstein plans to continue teaching at PSU, and may have to work with another professor to cope with the popularity of her “Settling the American West” class. “I think it is important to tie the past to the present,” said Epstein.