[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2006-07-25

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  August open house list available online
2.  Speakers set for Newport, Portland
3.  New exhibit set for Tamastslikt
4. Tour to find what's cooking in Portland


AUGUST OPEN HOUSE LIST AVAILABLE ONLINE

Open houses for properties in the National Register of Historic Places are scheduled during August in Albany, Astoria, Aurora, Bend, Clackamas, Hammond, La Grande, Lake Oswego, Medford, Portland, Prineville, Roseburg, Springfield, Shaniko and Union Creek.

The assortment includes a saloon, a livery barn, historic military officers quarters, a school, a railroad depot, a cabin, four downtown buildings and 15 houses.  Each of the properties receives property tax relief under the state's special assessment program, which freezes a property's assessed value for 15 years for local tax purposes. Owners of commercial properties may reapply for an additional 15 years.

In return for the special assessment benefit, a property owner must hold an annual open house for the public at least one day per year.

The monthly open house list is distributed through the State Historic Preservation Office and certain participating chambers of commerce, historical societies, assessor's offices and local landmarks offices. It is online with other information about the program at <http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/docs/openhouse_even_month.pdf> . 


SPEAKERS SET FOR NEWPORT, PORTLAND

Presentations about the construction of the Roosevelt Military Highway and Richard Nixon are scheduled for September.

Tom Wicker will talk about Richard M. Nixon at the opening of this year's  Hatfield Distinguished Historians Forum of the Oregon Historical Society. The opener is scheduled for Sept. 14.  Other presentations during the series will be Ruth Barnes Moynihan talking about Abigail Scott Duniway on Oct. 12; For U.S. senator Gary Hart explaining President James Monroe on Nov. 9, and John Siegenthaler, Sr., speaking about President James K. Polk on Feb. 8. More information and registration is available from OHS at 503.306.5237 or www.ohs.org

Eugene author Joe R. Blakely is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Carriage House, 545 SW Ninth St., Newport. His topic will be "Lifting Oregon Out of the Mud: Building the Oregon Coast Highway" which is also the name of his latest book. The book tells the story of the building of the Roosevelt Military Highway, forerunner of Highway 101, starting in 1913. 

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Lincoln County Historical Society, 541-265-7509. The Lincoln County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the history of Oregon¹s Coast. 


NEW EXHIBIT OPENS AT TAMASTSLIKT

Businessman, postmaster, rancher, and pioneer. Lee Moorhouse took a lot of photographs.  The University of Oregon archives holds over 6,000 of his glass negatives from photos he took in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Smithsonian lnstitution also holds many in its collection. In all Moorhouse is estimated to have shot over 9,000 photos, all on the difficult to handle glass negatives. And now, in an exhibit, Peoples of the Plateau, opening Sept. 1-Jan. 14, the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute will present the public with a large 
number of those exquisite photographs, striking in their quality and in the intimate way in which Moorhouse captured his subjects.

The photos are also the subject of a book, Peoples of the Plateau, published in 2005 by the University of Oklahoma Press.  Steven L. Grafe, editor of the book, will present a lecture on Maj. Moorhouse at Tamástslikt at 2 p.m. Sept. 8. The lecture is free and open to the public. The book includes a history of Moorhouse written by Grafe and nearly 100 of Moorhouse's tribal photos with detailed descriptions.

One of Moorhouse's many jobs put him in close proximity to the 19th century Tribal residents of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.  Thanks to his Republican Party connections Moorhouse was able to persuade newly elected president Benjamin Harrison in 1889 to appoint him agent of the reservation.  In the ensuing years Moorhouse captured tribal life on his glass negatives thousands of times. 

One aspect of his photography was unusual.  While many photographers of Indians in the 19th century, such as the famous Edward Curtis, saw their subjects as emblematic of a type and seldom put a name to the photo, Moorhouse knew and appreciated his subjects--nearly every one of his photos has the names of the individual subjects attached.  This has been a boon to today's tribal members seeking portraits of ancestors.  For many, Moorhouse's photos represent the only images of a beloved family elder from the late 19th century.

Tamástslikt Cultural Institute is located next to the Wildhorse Resort & Casino, 10 minutes east of Pendleton. Tamástslikt is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information: 541-966-9748 or www.tamastslikt.org. Tamástslikt is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation


TOUR TO FIND WHAT'S COOKING IN PORTLAND

Vintage Portland homes with authentically remodeled kitchens will be on a tour presented beginning Aug. 12 by the Architectural Heritage Center.  Participants will view the craftsmanship, explore creative ideas for blending modern functionality with period design, see renovations in all price ranges, and visit different period homes..

The Architectural Heritage Center is a non-profit resource center and showcase for historic preservation in the Portland metro area.  Owned and operated by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, the AHC offers education programs to help people appreciate, restore, and maintain vintage properties.  This tour is sponsored by Rejuvenation..

Pre-registration is suggested.  For information or tickets, call the AHC at 503-231-7264 or go to www.VisitAHC.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