[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2006-07-20

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  New state archives exhibit online
2.  Heritage tree dedication July 30
3.  UO conference to focus on museums, Indians
4.  Newest Century Farm designees announced


NEW STATE ARCHIVES EXHIBIT ONLINE

A new exhibit based on the publication, "Oregon: End of the Trail", is on display 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday-Friday in the lobby of the Oregon State Archives Building, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem. End of the Trail was written and compiled by the Writers' Program of the Works Projects Administration in Oregon. The WPA, established as part of the New Deal during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, employed many of the nation's writers and intellectuals to record the history of the country. 

The Oregon Writers' Program used the talents of mostly Oregon-based academics to produce Oregon: End of the Trail in 1940. The work includes comprehensive accounts of Oregon's history, culture, and attractions. "A 1940 Journey Across Oregon" represents just one of the tours that can be found in the WPA volume. Oregon: End of the Trail was a welcome chance for many of Oregon's writers not only to exercise their talents, but also to celebrate their land. WPA State Supervisor T. J. Edmonds hailed the work "as a treasure trove of history, a picture of a period, and as a fadeless film of a civilization." The exhibit captures a snapshot in time and allows viewers to not only travel a route across Oregon, but see it as a tourist of 1940 would have experienced it.

The images used to illustrate the tour are from the Oregon Highway Department and the Secretary of State records found in the Oregon State Archives with additions from the on-line Oregon Historical County Records Guide. Forty-eight panels showcase the trip from Ontario to Astoria.

"Oregon: End of the Trail" was written when Oregon seemed to be rapidly changing. Its contributors feared the imminent disappearance of the small-town, rural life which had characterized Oregon. They knew that rapid industrialization was sure to follow the construction of Bonneville Dam, which had already marred the beauty of the Columbia Gorge. The writers were also apprehensive about the construction of highways that would contribute to increasing urbanization. Perhaps the most obvious change, however, was a demographic one caused in part by the immigration of dust-bowl refugees. 

This tour can also be viewed on the Oregon State Archives website http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/news/exhibits/across.html


HERITAGE TREE DEDICATION JULY 30

The 152-year-old Riding Whip Tree will be dedicated into the Oregon Heritage Tree Program at 2:30 p.m. July 30.  The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will be at the GeerCrest Farm located approximately 5 miles south of Silverton at 12390 Sunnyview Road NE.
 
The Riding Whip Tree was planted in 1854 when Florinda Geer stuck her black cottonwood riding switch in the ground after returning from a horse ride.  The stripling took root and grew into a monumental tree. The Daughters of the American Revolution first memorialized this tree in 1936 and in 1986 it was designated as Marion County's first Heritage
Tree.
 
The Oregon Heritage Tree Program is sponsored by the Oregon Travel Information Council and is the first state-sponsored program of its kind in the nation.  It was established to help increase public awareness of the important contribution of trees to Oregon's history and heritage. Oregon has a total of 38 heritage trees located across the state.
 
For more information, contact the Oregon Heritage Tree Program at 1-800-574-9397.


UO CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON MUSEUMS, INDIANS

The University of Oregon's Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History will present a symposium Sept. 14-15 on the development and future of Indian involvement in museum and cultural center management. Founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian, W. Richard West, activist Suzan Shown Harjo, and architect Johnpaul Jones will be our special guests, participating in sessions and speaking on many current issues that effect Indian people and the institutions that represent their cultures and histories. 

The world of institutions that represent Native American cultures has changed dramatically in the past few decades. Non-native museums historically did not welcome participation by Native peoples in the development of narratives about Native life and culture. In the past 30 years the roles of museums have shifted from perceived "mausoleums" to sites for cultural exchange, education, and revitalization, according to symposium sponsors. This symposium aims to address issues that surround decolonizing the museum by bringing together tribal leaders, Native and non-Native museum professionals and the academic community. 

Registration is required for all attendees. Space is limited. Priority will be given to tribal museum professionals and tribal representatives. 

For more information please contact: Deana Dartt-Newton, Conference Coordinator, ddartt at uoregon.edu (541) 346-0135 or (541) 654-1858


NEWEST CENTURY FARM DESIGNEES ANNOUNCED

At an annual awards ceremony at the Oregon State Fair, families from 14 farms and ranches will receive recognition as a Century Farm or Century Ranch.  The 2006 ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 2 in the Jackman-Long Building on the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. The public is invited to join the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation and its major partners, the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, the Oregon Historical Society and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, for this event.

Four ranches and nine farms from eight counties will be honored this year, bringing the total number of Oregon Century Farms and Ranches to 1,069.  The ranch families being acknowledged in 2006 are:  Agnes Doherty, Umatilla County; Boyd & Sheree Follett, Union County; Wayne Morin, Baker County; and, Donell J. & Mary F. Smock, Umatilla County.  The farm families being honored are:  Larry & Paula Bangs, Lane County; Vernon Bruck, Clackamas County; Lila & Jim Elliott, Clackamas County; John H. & Patricia McGhehey, Yamhill County; Robert Mahaffy, Mahaffy Tree Farm, Inc., Coos County; Wilbur A. Olson, Clackamas County; Fay Samuel (Sam) Pambrun, Jr., Umatilla County; Barbara F. Skinner & Carol A. Fery, Linn County; Stephen Unger, Unger Enterprises, Washington County; and, Irv, Joan & Edith Wettlaufer, Clackamas County. 

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land.   In the course of its 48-year history, the program has honored these families by recognizing their perseverance in the ever-changing challenge of supplying food and other farm products to the state, the nation and the world, as well as their commitment to farming and ranching, a reflection of Oregon’s rich agricultural heritage.  
 
To attain the century farm or ranch designation, a family must follow a formal application process.  A seven-member Advisory Board reviews each application against the qualifications, which include continuous family operation of the farm or ranch; a gross income from farm use of not less than $1,000 per year for at least three years out of five prior to application; and family members must live on or actively manage the farm or ranch activities.  The completed applications are forwarded to the Oregon Historical Society Library and are available to researchers and other library users.  To mark the award of the century farm or ranch status, each family receives a certificate with acknowledgment by Governor Ted Kulongoski and Katy Coba, the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  A metal roadside sign denoting century status, the name of the farm or ranch, and the year established also is made available to each family.

The 2006 award ceremony is made possible, in part, by contributions from Roth’s Family Markets, the Hazelnut Marketing Board, the Oregon Wheat Growers League and the Tillamook County Creamery Association. Other supporters include Linn-Benton Women for Agriculture, Deschutes County Farm Bureau, Polk County Farm Bureau, Marion County Farm Bureau, Tillamook County Farm Bureau, and many individual donors.  
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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