Maybe you remember playing the Oregon Trail, or recognize the meme, but what does it really mean? Discover the reality of death on the Overland Trail, explore a newly created piece of automata art inspired by the iconic computer game, and (re)play the game itself.

Schedule:

6 p.m. | Museum Galleries Open

6:30 p.m. |Automata Demonstration

7 p.m. | Book Talk American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail

9 p.m. | Museum Closes

Book Talk by Sarah Keyes, author of American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail

In popular mythology, the Overland Trail is typically a triumphant tale, with plucky easterners crossing the Plains in caravans of covered wagons. But not everyone reached Oregon and California. Some 6,600 migrants perished along the way and were buried where they fell, often on Indigenous land. In placing death at the center of the history of the Overland Trail, American Burial Ground offers a sweeping and long overdue reinterpretation of this historic touchstone. In this telling, westward migration was a harrowing journey weighed down by the demands of caring for the sick and dying. From a tale of triumph comes one of struggle, defined as much by Indigenous peoples’ actions as it was by white expansion. And, finally, from a migration to the Pacific emerges instead a trail of graves. Graves that ultimately undergirded Native dispossession.

Autry After Hours | Join the Autry on Thursday evenings as we open our doors at night! Explore the galleries, grab a drink and a bite to eat and discover the diverse array of emerging and established artists, musicians, poets, writers and more who represent the varied and unique communities in and around Los Angeles. Grab your friends, families and neighbors and discover Autry After Hours!