Uncovering the stories of women who made the arduous trek on the Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition of 1879 has become a passion project for Bonnie Swenson, a USU English major from Emery County who presented at the 2022 edition of Research on Capitol Hill on February 8, 2022.
The event is an annual celebration of undergraduate research that features students from Utah State University and the University of Utah, the top two research universities in the state. Only 20-25 posters from each institution are accepted annually.
In her coursework in the research methods course taught by Dr. Joyce Kinkead, Bonnie came across accounts of the Hole-in-the-Rock pioneer expedition in San Juan County. Most research on this arduous trek has focused on the men of the expedition and the engineering innovations required to build a road into the side of a cliff. Bonnie’s work is unearthing previously disregarded accounts in library archives and amplifying the stories of the 100 women and girls who accompanied the expedition and contributed to its success.
Archival research is a new passion for Bonnie. Reading personal letters or journals of “an individual’s impressions and feelings of their life changes history for me.” Swenson was recently named the Outstanding Student for Statewide General English.
View Bonnie’s poster about her research.
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Utah State University President’s Office recently held receptions for this year’s round of inaugural lectures. Three recently promoted faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences presented thoughtful reflections on their research and the even...
