DURHAM, N.C. -- Stanford University historian Richard White will present a free talk, “'If You Build It'…The Transcontinental Railroads and the Environmental Consequences of Premature Development,” on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 51.

The talk, which is open to the public, takes place at 4:30 p.m. in Room 2231 of the French Family Sciences Center, across from the Bryan Center parking deck on Science Drive.

It is the annual Lynn W. Day Distinguished Lectureship in Forest and Conservation History.

Widely cited for his expertise on the history of the American West, the environment and Native Americans, White is the author of “Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America,” (Norton Press, 2011), and six other nonfiction works. These include “The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republics in the Great Lakes Region” (Cambridge University Press, 1991), which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

In his talk at 51, White will use the development of the transcontinental railroads during the late 19th century as a lens to explore the historical context of premature development and its inevitable environmental costs -- a lesson, he says, that can be applied to many of today’s environmental issues.

White is the Margaret Byrne Professor of American History at Stanford and principal investigator for Stanford’s “Shaping the West” spatial history project. The project uses advanced digital technology, visual analysis and traditional historical sources to examine perceptions of space and patterns of settlement in the 19th century American West. He received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 1995, and was awarded a Mellon Distinguished Professor grant in 2007.

This annual Day Lecture is open to off-campus groups, including high school students and teachers.  It is sponsored by the Forest History Society, 51’s Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Department of History. A free reception will follow the lecture.

For more information, contact the Forest History Society at (919) 682-9319.