Dr. Aaron McArthur

HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY

EDUCATION

  • BA-Idaho State University
  • MA-University of Nevada-Las Vegas
  • PHD-University of Nevada-Las Vegas

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Dr. Aaron McArthur was born and raised in Polson, Montana. His M.A. and Ph.D. are from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he studied the History of the U.S. West. Most of his graduate work focused on community development and the history of the Mormon Culture Region. He has been the Public History Program Director at Arkansas Tech since 2012. His first book, St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered, recounted the history of the town from its founding by Brigham Young as a place to grow cotton to its inundation by Lake Mead following the construction of Hoover Dam. It also discusses its continuing legacy as part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Dr. McArthur’s most recent publication is The Annals of the Southern Utah Mission. The Annals is a 2200-page hand-written history of southern Utah, southern Nevada, and northern Arizona from 1850 to 1900. The edited book took him over a decade to transcribe, index, and publish. He is currently finishing a book on the history of the Las Vegas, Nevada Mormon Fort.

Recently Taught Courses

  • HIST 2003 - U.S. HISTORY TO 1877
  • HIST 3223 - LOCAL AND ORAL HISTORY
  • HIST 4293 - HISTORIC PRESERVATION
  • HIST 4963 - SENIOR SEMINAR
  • HIST 4973 - INTERNSHIP
  • HIST 4993 - SPEC PROB/HISTORY
  • HIST 6003 - INTRO TO GRAD STUD OF HIST
  • HIST 6033 - READINGS/U.S. HISTORY: