Calumet Heritage Partnership hosts its ninth annual autumn conference Saturday at Indiana University Northwest's Savannah Center.

This year's theme focuses on transportation and will celebrate the Calumet Region's foundations and future modes of transport.

Transportation has always been a key to the development of the Calumet Region. From the early trails of Native Americans to the South Shore Line and regional expressways, transportation routes have served as catalysts for the rise of the region's cities and towns and led to the rapid industrialization of the "Workshop of America."

This fall's conference will pay tribute to the region's transportation past as well as examine plans for the future of transportation.

Although morning sessions will offer information on the historical context of the South Shore Line and transportation planning, the afternoon tour will highlight Old Lincoln Highway in Illinois and Indiana.

Local author and Lincoln Highway historian Cynthia Ogorek will lead conference attendees along portions of Lincoln Highway, as she has in her new book, "The Lincoln Highway Around Chicago." The conference also will feature exhibits by local historical societies and environmental organizations on both sides of the state line.

For more information on the conference and registration materials, visit the partnership's Web site at http://www.calumetheritage.org/ or contact Steve McShane at the Calumet Regional Archives at (219) 980-6628 or e-mail him at smcshane@iun.edu for a brochure.

Registration is $20 and includes lunch. The Lincoln Highway bus tour is an additional $10. To ensure a spot for lunch, register by Tuesday). Become a member of the partnership and receive a $5 discount on the conference fee.

Calumet Heritage Partnership is a diverse, bi-state partnership of environmental, cultural and historical organizations and individuals, libraries, educational institutions, municipalities and governmental agencies. Each partner is committed to celebrating, preserving and protecting the unique heritage of the Calumet region.

The organization pursues the following mission: to identify, preserve, protect and reclaim the natural, historical, cultural and recreational heritage of the Calumet region of Illinois and Indiana for the purposes of educating and inspiring the public, restoring regional pride, and revitalizing our communities and their interconnectedness.