Eric Zimmer has heard the old English proverb, “history repeats itself.”

While Zimmer sees tremendous benefit in learning from past mistakes, he says there is more to be gained from studying history.

“For me, it’s also about getting people to think critically about history,” says Zimmer, a Ph.D. candidate in history and a Dean’s Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Iowa. “It’s getting people to think critically about the message they’re getting.”

Zimmer specializes in twentieth century United States history as it relates to Native Americans and federal policy regarding Native Americans’ land rights. His current research project is tentatively titled, “Land, Sovereignty, and Meskwaki Self-Governance, 1857-1938.” This work focuses on the relationship between the small Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa and the land they purchased communally in 1857, and how that purchase allowed the tribe to carve a unique, and at times autonomous, space within the broader state and federal policies.

Zimmer received a research grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa to pursue this project. He says his project will add to current knowledge of Iowa history by presenting the history of a small, lesser-known tribe like the Meskwaki to enrich broader narratives about state, federal, and tribal relations.

Zimmer became interested in the history of Meskwaki land tenure and governance after travelling to the tribe’s settlement near Tama, Iowa, and getting to know Johnathan Buffalo, the Meskwaki historic preservation director.

“A lot of researchers head out to tribal communities full of interest and ideas, but don’t take the time to wonder what stories the tribes might find most valuable,” Zimmer says. “I had a couple of rough ideas about possible Meskwaki projects when I headed to Tama, but Johnathan deserves credit for pointing me toward the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, because he told me a lot of disagreement about that election still exists within the tribe.  Over time, the topic grew into this larger project spanning 80 years and focusing on tribal land and governance.”

A native of Rapid City, S.D., Zimmer is creating a project that expands beyond written accounts of history. With plans to create an interpretive center, he is working to renovate an old barn. Not just any barn, this one is associated with a Native American-themed tourist attraction called Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns in western South Dakota, just down the highway from Mount Rushmore National Monument. Zimmer hopes the site will shed light on multiple periods and aspects of history from the surrounding area, including tribal relationships, tourism, and race relations in the twentieth century Black Hills.

In August, Zimmer met with Peter Heffron, Crystal Caverns’ manager, to discuss the possibility of presenting the barn rehabilitation project to the Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns executive board.

“It’s a complicated thing, getting a bunch of business people on board with a project that’s going to take time, money, and effort, but Peter and I are optimistic that several board members will be willing to hear us out,” Zimmer says. “The barn has artistic, cultural, political, and historic value, and they know that. The challenge lies in getting the right people to commit the right resources to make the project a success. 

Zimmer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history and political science at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., in 2010. After graduation, he took six months off from school and worked under the tribal liaison in the Office of U.S. Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota.

“The time I spent on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations with Senator Johnson’s tribal liaison remains very important,” Zimmer says. “I gained first-hand knowledge of the relationship between local, state, and federal governments and tribal governments and communities. These experiences deeply informed my understanding of contemporary Native American issues.”

During that time, Zimmer also e-mailed professors at 50 different universities inquiring about graduate school.

One of his first e-mail responses came from Jacki Thompson Rand, associate professor of history at the University of Iowa. Zimmer had read Rand’s book, “Kiowa Humanity and the Invasion of the State,” which spurred his interest in studying under her. After visiting Rand in Iowa City, he knew the University of Iowa was the place for him.

“When I came here for a visit she literally drove me to the Coralville Reservoir because she knew I was a camper,” Zimmer says, recalling his faculty mentor’s hospitality.

His time at the UI has reaffirmed his belief in the importance of studying history.

“Part of history is about having a robust discourse, which is a key to not being taken advantage of,” Zimmer says. “Whether it’s something a politician or news reporter says on TV or something a professor says in class, I think everyone can benefit from developing the sort of critical-thinking skills we cultivate in UI’s History Department—the skills to think twice and fact check the information we receive on a daily basis.”