The Extreme History Project

The Extreme History Project began as a means of making the humanities more fun, interesting and accessible to the general public and as a way to generate social change. The Project encompasses a variety of events and activities that enhance the public’s understanding of how history has shaped our present and how understanding that legacy can affect the way we behave towards one another. Extreme History believes in setting a Truth Agenda which will work toward eradicating political and social agendas from the traditional historical narratives and pursue a more balanced and honest expression of the past. Click here to DONATE and support our mission to MAKE HISTORY RELEVANT!

The Extreme History Project is the brainchild of Marsha Fulton and Crystal Alegria.

Our Fearless Leaders!

Marsha Fulton brings a variety of experience, skills and interests to the table. As a University Professor, Marsha has taught in both the Anthropology and Art History departments of several universities including Kent State University in Ohio, William Paterson University in New Jersey and the State University of New York at New Paltz. Her museum background includes working in the North American Archaeology Lab at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and remodeling the Native Cultures area of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum in Livingston, MT. She has also worked at many North American archaeological sites around the country and has developed several archaeology educational programs for K-12 students. Her business experience includes a degree in Marketing as well as 15 years of retail management. She has contributed her marketing skills to several non-profit organizations and specializes in web-based marketing opportunities. She also has a background in both theatrical and interior design. Marsha recently moved to Revere, Massachusetts where she works for us overlooking the historic Revere Beach. She will continue working for Extreme History remotely and who knows, maybe there’s an Extreme History Boston coming in the future!

Crystal Alegria is the Executive Director of The Extreme History Project. Crystal has worked in the field of public history and archaeology education for the past twenty years at a variety of museums and heritage organizations, always with the goal of bringing history and archaeology to the public.  She co-founded The Extreme History Project with Marsha Fulton in 2012. Her research interests include community history,  women’s history, western social history, the history of place, archaeology education, participatory action research, and public archaeology. Crystal has a B.S. in Anthropology and a M.A. in History from Montana State University. She has developed numerous walking tours, written blogs and articles on the history of the West, and speaks on women’s history, cemetery symbolism, and Montana’s early diversity. Crystal grew up in Livingston, Montana but now calls Bozeman home. She is lucky to share her journey with husband Larry, and two children Emily and Lawson.

Our Awesome Board of Directors!

Scott Carpenter of InterResources Planning, Bozeman, MT

Scott Carpenter has a varied background in cultural resources and multi-disciplinary land use planning extending over 30 years. He has been involved in a number of cultural resources management, planning and environmental research projects and has coordinated and directed numerous projects for private and governmental organizations. Scott has extensive experience in program and project planning, research, compliance with various federal and state environmental regulations and program planning in areas of historic preservation, scenic, wild river, wilderness area, and other legislative designations. He also has extensive and varied experience with evaluation and nomination of prehistoric and historic properties to the National Register of Historic Places. He also possesses vast experience and knowledge with state and federal regulations related to historic preservation, cultural resource protection and environmental impact planning. Scott is the Principal, Senior Archaeologist, Cultural Resource Planner with InterResources Planning in Bozeman, Montana.

Dr Shane Doyle of Montana State University, Bozeman MT

Shane Doyle EdD, is Crow tribal member and educational consultant, who hails from Crow Agency, MT. Along with his educational consultant work in Montana public schools, the National Park Service, and Yellowstone Forever, Shane is currently the Montana Resource Coordinator for the TEDNA-NYCP 2015 program, and an advocate and spokesperson for the Montana Wilderness Association.  Shane is also serving as a performer, consultant, and writer for the Mountain Time Arts’ ArtPlace grant, which concludes in 2018. Shane serves on the Montana Council for the Arts, is a member of the Board of Directors for the Bozeman-based Extreme History Project, and recently completed a post-doctoral appointment in genetic research with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.  His recent film credits include PBS Nova’s Great Human Odyssey (2016), and The History Channel’s Mysteries at the Little Big Horn, due to premiere in October of 2017.  Shane has been a singer of Plains Indian style music for 29 years, and has 17 years of combined teaching experience – on the Crow Indian Reservation and as a Native American Studies instructor. Shane has focused his life’s work on understanding and articulating the ancient history and contemporary cultural geography of the Northern Plains.   He lives in Bozeman with his wife Megkian, and their five children.

Kevin Kooistra of the Western Heritage Center, Billings MT

Kevin Kooistra Western Heritage Center Community Historian since 1997, has worked in Montana as a historian, archaeologist, cultural anthropologist and scriptwriter.  His work at the Western Heritage Center includes public programming and tours, exhibit research and design, grant writing, and managing the museum’s archives.  He has an undergraduate degree from Montana State University Bozeman (Go Cats!) and a Master’s degree in Applied Anthropology from Northern Arizona University.   He consults with the Yellowstone Historic Preservation Board, served on the Museums Association of Montana Board for seven years, was an advisor for the Museum Loan Network’s national project,Connecting Stories: Connecting Objects, and

Nancy Mahoney of Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

Nancy Mahoney has a Masters degree in Anthropology from George Washington University, and has studied Archaeology in a doctoral program at Arizona State University, and has participated in archaeological projects in Cyprus, Turkey, Morocco, Arizona, Utah, and Montana. She is currently an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Montana State University, as well as a doctoral candidate in American Studies, and is interested in a wide range of topics in History in Anthropology. Her current research is focused on collaboration and ethical practices involving descendant communities and non-professional stakeholders within the field of North American archaeology.

Lesley Gilmore of CTA Architects, Bozeman, MT

Lesley M. Gilmore is a historic preservation architect and director of CTA’s Historic Preservation Services. Her personal passion to preserve and reflect on the past lives of our people and places is channeled into her work on historic properties throughout the Rocky Mountain West. She has recently had the pleasure of designing the restorations of the Old Faithful Haynes Photo Shop, the Masonic Temple in Bozeman, and the Canyon Village Lodge Enhancement in Yellowstone National Park. She enjoys archival and oral history research, crawling over buildings to assess them and ascertain the most beneficial treatments, and working with insightful clients to find new life for our heritage treasures.

Marsha has been a guiding force to Extreme History for many years and is an integral part of many EH projects. Marsha leads the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Montana movement and her work with the preservation and conservation of sacred sites and places using GPR, GPS, and GIS, specifically in boarding school cemeteries, is internationally known. Marsha uses ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves, “including at the Chemawa Indian School cemetery in Salem, Oregon. Marsha has a master’s degree in Native American Studies from Montana State University and is currently working on a PhD in Earth Science, also at MSU. She has taught Native American Studies at MSU since 2015. Marsha was the distinguished visiting Native American Studies professor in Anthropology at Willamette University in 2019.

Leslie Crismond has been a part of Extreme History since almost its inception. She has an interest in history, dinosaurs, and historic cemeteries! Leslie serves as our Board Treasurer.

Team Extreme: Our Staff

Julia Strehlau Jacobs of Bozeman, MT

Julia Strehlau Jacobs is a German native who just recently moved to Bozeman. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in American Studies from the University of Leipzig, and her Master’s degree in Anglo-American Literature, Language and Culture from the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany. As a foreign exchange student to MSU she explored courses in the History as well as the Native American Studies departments in 2011/12. She returned to Bozeman in the winter of 2014 to research on the Crow tribe and visited the Crow reservation. American culture and history have always been part of her journey. These became passions and hopefully will develop into a career. Traveling, hanging out with friends and being around family are Julia’s free time activities. She also loves riding her bike, listening to music, and being out in nature.

Cheryl Hendry of Bozeman, MT

Cheryl has an M.A. in History with a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware and a PhD in History from Montana State University. She worked as a Historian for Hunter Research, Inc., in Trenton, New Jersey from 2006 to 2010.  She has worked with The Extreme History Project as a walking tour guide and now manages the walking tour program and is our Program Assistant.

Team Extreme: Our phenomenal volunteers and interns!

Tracy Livingston of Billings, MT – Social Media Goddess

Tracy L. Livingston is a Cultural Anthropologist, Archaeologist, Historian, Montana Master Gardener, budding Social Media Goddess, and lifelong Volunteer. Tracy is currently serving on the Government Relations Committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Northwest Chapter and is anticipating the coming challenges of the Montana Legislative session in 2015. She has an A.A.S. in Business Administration and Technology, a B.A. in Anthropology, Minor in History, and is a Master’s Candidate in Anthropology through ColoradoStateUniversity, Fort Collins, Colorado.  She has extensive museum, library and historical society experience. Some of Tracy’s other interests include photography, genealogy, marketing through social media, advocating for mental health and the chronically ill, animal welfare and serving as a Montana Master Gardener through MSU-Bozeman and Yellowstone County Extension

Our Philosophy

The Historical Activist Manifesto

We, the Historical Activists, are committed to bringing cultures together through dialogue, history, archaeology, stories or ANY MEANS NECESSARY ; Eradicating ignorance and promoting unity through education and interaction; connecting people with places and objects that express the HISTORICAL MOMENT; Exploring and creating new avenues of transmitting knowledge; Actively engaging in political / social REVOLUTIONARY PARADIGM SHIFTS; Committing RANDOM ACTS OF HISTORY.

The Truth Agenda

THE EXTREME HISTORY PROJECT is dedicated to eradicating political and social agendas from traditional historical narratives and pursuing a more balanced and honest expression
of the past.
•To examine historical narratives from multiple voices.
•To view historical narratives through multiple lenses.
◦Political
◦Economic
◦Gender
◦Cultural
◦Social

•To provide new facts that revise past fallacies based on certain agendas.
•To differentiate fact from legend in historical accounts.
•To expose lesser known historical narratives which shift the understanding of the historical era or event to a more balanced perspective.
•To promote historical writings that follow the TRUTH AGENDA.

Foundations 2011

Have we inspired you? Support our work by signing up for our mailing list or sending us a tax-deductable donation. Help us change the way we think about history! Thanks!!

Us in the Media

Our visit with the 107th Crow Elders group in Big Timber was mentioned in this article by the Bozeman Chronicle: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/article_4aade7d6-e90d-11e2-9a46-0019bb2963f4.html

Uncensored History Project Oultining Crow Indian Agency and Fort Parker Wins Outstanding Tribal Preservation Award in Montana
November 5, 2012 Indian Coutnry Today

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/uncensored-history-project-outlining-crow-indian-agency-and-fort-parker-wins-outstanding-tribal-preservation-award-in-montana-142966

We are funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund

Have we inspired you? Support our work by signing up for our mailing list or sending us a tax-deductable donation. Help us change the way we think about history! Thanks!!