Faculty Profile

Mike Allen, Ph.D.

• Ph.D., Early American History and Literature, University of Washington, 1985.

"When I was a little kid growing up in eastern Washington State, one of my favorite toys was a jigsaw puzzle of the United States of America. I loved putting the different colored states together, learning their names, and dreaming of someday visiting them all and learning all about America. As it turned out, I have had the honor of being able to pursue a career in American History and do just that. I am still working with that American puzzle."

Mike Allen was born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington. After serving with the U. S. Marines in Vietnam, he worked for three years as a towboat deckhand and cook on the Mississippi River. He earned his BA, MA, and Ph.D. in early American history from, respectively, Central Washington State College, University of Montana, and University of Washington. He has taught at Tennessee Technological University, Deep Springs College, Montana State University, Billings, and, since 1990, at UW Tacoma.

Mike Allen has published five books: WESTERN RIVERMEN, 1763-1861 (1990); FRONTIERS OF WESTERN HISTORY (1997, with Mary Hanneman); RODEO COWBOYS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN IMAGINATION (1998); PILLAR OF LIBERTY: A HISTORY OF AMERICA (forthcoming, with Larry Schweikart); and CONGRESS AND THE WEST, 1783-1787 (forthcoming). Mike Allen is President of the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. He lives in Tacoma with his wife Mary, and their children, Jim, Davy, and Caroline.

top