Christopher MacMahon

Christopher MacMahon graduated in Spring 2021 with a Ph.D. from the Department of History with an interdisciplinary emphasis in the environment and society. His research examines environmental settler colonialism and the creation of water policy in Nevada between 1840 and 1890. In January 2022, Christopher was selected as the new Director of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City, Nevada.

Christopher’s professional volunteer experience includes serving as the Curator of Education for the Las Cruces Railroad Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico and as the Secretary of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Education Committee for the Goleta Valley Historical Society in Goleta, California. 

Christopher has been a longtime member of the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Nevada and served two terms on the Board of Trustees. As a graduate student, he continued to work with this organization in creating exhibits for special events, incorporating human stories into the museum’s educational narrative, and designing strategies for educational outreach to the state’s rural school districts. Christopher also volunteered with the museum in steam train operations, running and interpreting 19th-century railroad artifacts for the public.

Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn and visit his website.

Read Christopher’s post on the Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Blog, which discusses the colorful history of a railroad car at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Read about Christopher’s fellow-designed community project with the Nevada State Railroad Museum here.

Watch Christopher’s Spring 2021 Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Program Capstone Presentation: