Department of History

Kevin R. Marsh, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History and Department Chair

Dr. Kevin Marsh joined the faculty at Idaho State University in August 2003.  He teaches Environmental History, Idaho History, U.S. History and Culture, Modern United States, and the History Seminar.  He serves as chair of the History Department and as editor of Idaho Yesterdays, the peer-reviewed journal of the Idaho State Historical Society. Dr. Marsh received his Ph.D. in history from Washington State University, focusing his research on public land debates in the Pacific Northwest.  His 2007 book from the University of Washington Press analyzes the changing patterns of public debates over the designation of wilderness areas on federal land in the Northwest since World War II.  Dr. Marsh has also written a variety of articles on the history of mountain regions of the West and the history of climbing and conservation.

COURSES TAUGHT BY PROFESSOR MARSH: 

IDAHO HISTORY (HIST 4423/5523)

• The class covers the history of this region from indigenous occupation to the present, focusing on land use developments and cultural and social change over time. Students come to understand Idaho's role in the region and the world, the broad patterns of change shaping this region, and the cultural landmarks and trends that define the region's inhabitants.
• Beginning Fall 2011, this will be offered as a fully online course.
  
• This course replaces the previous HIST 336, Idaho and the Northwest, and it satisfies all requirements of the previous course in History and in Education.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
(HIST 4430)

• This class will be offered next in Spring 2012, taught by Dr. Ryan Jones. 

U.S. HISTORY and CULTURE (HIST 1118)

MODERN UNITED STATES (HIST 3309)

• This class will be offered Fall 2011, via distance learning to Twin Falls and Idaho Falls. It is available every 3rd semester.
  

HISTORY SEMINAR (HIST 4491)

• This class is offered every fall and spring semester by various History faculty.

PUBLICATIONS BY KEVIN MARSH:

• “Crossing Divides: An Environmental History of Idaho.” In Idaho’s Place: Rethinking the Gem State’s Past, edited by Adam M. Sowards. Seattle: University of Washington Press and Moscow, ID: Institute for Pacific Northwest Studies, forthcoming in 2012.
• "'Save French Pete': Evolution of Wilderness Protests in Oregon.” In Natural Protest: Essays on the History of American Environmentalism, eds. Michael Egan and Jeff Crane. New York: Routledge, 2009.
• “Aquifers” and “Cascade Range” (Two entries). In Encyclopedia of American Environmental History, ed. Kathleen A. Brosnan. New York: Facts on File, 2008 (forthcoming).
• “Three Sisters Wilderness Area.” Oregon Encyclopedia Project. ( http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/). Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 2008.
• Drawing Lines in the Forest: Creating Wilderness Areas in the Pacific Northwest. Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books, ed. William Cronon. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2007.
• Idaho: The Heroic Journey. Encino, CA: Cherbo Publishing, 2006. Co-author with Laura Woodworth-Ney and Katherine Aiken.
• The 'Triangle': A Slice of America. Pocatello: City of Pocatello Planning and Development Services, 2006. Co-author with Idaho Thompson Purce and Mary Sanders Watkins.
  
• “The Ups and Downs of Mountain Life: Historical Patterns of Adaptation in the Cascade Mountains,” Western Historical Quarterly 35, no. 2 (Summer 2004): 193-213.
• "'This is Just the First Round': Designating Wilderness in the Oregon Cascades, 1950-1964.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 103, no. 2 (Summer 2002): 210-233.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS:

• Board of Directors, Idaho Humanities Council (www.idahohumanities.org), 2005-2011
  
• Lasting Legacy Landmark Committee, which established a monument to honor the diverse ethnic history of Pocatello's Bonneville neighborhood, east of the railroad yards
• Board of Directors, Old Town Neighborhood Association, Pocatello (www.pnhs.org/old_town.htm).