*Mainers and the Rush for California Gold

Spirits Alive continues it's traditional winter lecture series! These illustrated talks will teach you how the history of early New England helped shape the Portland and Maine we know today.

The first in the series is historian Jan Eakins who will explain how news of California gold changed the lives of 19th century Mainers—those who left and those who stayed. Drawing on diaries and letters of 300 Mainers, she explains how families coped while their loved ones were gone, who stayed in the West and who returned, and the effects on the state itself.

• Lectures are free, though donations are gratefully accepted.
• The events are co-sponsored by the Department of History and Political Science at the University of Southern Maine (USM).
• Free parking is available in the USM Bedford Street parking garage.

Find out more about the winter lecture series and who will be presenting the next 2 talks.