[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2006-07-13

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Travel Oregon announces tourism matching grants
2.  Baldwin Hotel rededication July 22 in Klamath Falls
3.  Historic farm skills to be practiced at Champoeg
4.  Herman named interim leader at OHS


TRAVEL OREGON ANNOUNCES TOURISM MATCHING GRANTS

The Oregon Tourism Commission, doing business as Travel Oregon, is seeking applications for its 2006-07 Matching Grants Program. The commission has $100,000 available for grants up to $10,000.  

Cities, counties, port districts, federally-recognized Tribes and non-profit entities located in Oregon and involved with tourism promotion and development are eligible to apply.  A match of 50 percent is required.  The deadline to submit applications is Sept. 1.  Application guidelines and an application form can be downloaded through the Travel Oregon website at:  http://otc.traveloregon.com/grants.cfm 

If you have questions, contact Carole Gibbs, Oregon Tourism Commission/Travel Oregon, 670 Hawthorne Ave. SE, Suite 240, Salem, OR, 97301, Carole at TravelOregon.com or (503)378-8853.


BALDWIN HOTEL REDEDICATION JULY 22 IN KLAMATH FALLS

A formal rededication of the 1906 Baldwin Hotel Museum building in Klamath Falls is scheduled for noon July 22.

The four-story building was constructed by George Baldwin, a hardware dealer and community leader who moved to the community when it was still known as Linkville in the late 1800s. Stagecoaches and steamboats were the principal mode of travel to Klamath Falls when the Baldwin Building opened.

The structure was first used as a hardware store and office building, but was converted to a hotel when the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in 1909. It served as a hotel and apartment building until closing in 1978. Klamath County then acquired the building and converted it to a museum. It was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum is open only during summer months, staffed by a combination of county employees and volunteers. Hours for the Baldwin Hotel Museum are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday- Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Viewing is conducted in guided tour groups, with the last tour beginning at 2:30 p.m. each day. A free open house will be held following the rededication on July 22.


HISTORIC FARM SKILLS TO BE PRACTICED AT CHAMPOEG

Smithing, churning and haying are some of the activities taking place at Champoeg State Heritage Area during the next 10 days.

On July 15,  there will be much clanging and banging as blacksmiths showcase their skills.  From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. the old oak tree behind the visitor center will bring shade to the blacksmiths and the gunsmith as they demonstrate the many steps that are involved with the ancient craft of smithing.  The Donald Manson Farmstead was a working farm in the 19th century, and many of the farm skills used there are not practiced now, but blacksmithing is an exception. It is still practiced today by many craftsmen, including farriers who still make horseshoes the old fashioned way.

The Oregon Draft Horse Breeders Association, Friends of Historic Champoeg, and Champoeg State Heritage Area will present a demonstration of draft horse hay-baling on July 22 (weather permitting). From approximately 10 a.m. to dusk, six to eight teams of draft horses and mules will pull balers of various early designs. Haying in the 19th and early 20th century was labor-intensive. Baling is the last of several steps that begins with tilling, planting, cutting, and turning. The public is invited to watch hay-baling as it was done in the 1920s, using a variety of equipment, from a mule-powered stationary baler to a motorized horse-drawn baler.
	
Also on July 22, Friends of Historic Champoeg invites the public to experience butter churning the way it was done in the 1860s. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., visitors can participate in demonstrations of butter churning and buttermilk baking using the Dutch oven over an open fire. For additional information, contact Friends of Historic Champoeg at 503-678-1649 or kim at champoeg.org.


HERMAN NAMED INTERIM LEADER AT OHS

The Oregon Historical Society has announced that  John H. Herman will serve as interim executive director. The process to find a permanent executive director is underway, and will continue throughout the summer months. 

Herman is a third-generation OHS board member. Herman was named vice president at the society's annual meeting in April . He is a native Oregonian and the principal of Herman Development Co., as well as a strategic partner at Veber Partners in Portland.
 
For more information about Herman, visit the OHS website at www.ohs.org
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission, which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us