Lincoln’s Election Turmoil and Puget Sound’s Mosquito Fleet

The Des Moines Historical Society is hosting two spring programs as part of America at 250 celebrations: a March 18, 2026 presentation by Dr. Michael J. Devine on Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 election and its role in the Civil War, and a May 18, 2026 talk by historian Ed Brown on the Mosquito Fleet, small steamships that served as Puget Sound’s primary transportation network before modern highways and bridges were built. Both events will be held at the Des Moines Odd Fellows Hall at 730 South 225th Street.