[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2009-06-29

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Online digital newspaper project gets NEH grant
2.  Transplanted ranger station opens July 1
3.  Oakland museum adds extra events during 40th anniversary
4.  Salem book launch set for Thursday
5.  Tribal conference seeks award nominations


ONLINE DIGITAL NEWSPAPER PROJECT GETS NEH GRANT

Oregon history, from 1860 to 1922, as chronicled by the state's newspapers will be digitized for public access under a $364,042 grant to the University of Oregon from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Library of Congress. With matching grants totaling $145,000 from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and Oregon Heritage Commission using contributions made to the Oregon Cultural Trust, the project to digitize 100,000 pages of Oregon newspapers will add to an already "long history of collaboration with the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association," said Karen Estlund, digital collections coordinator for the UO's Knight Library, who will head the statewide Oregon Digital Newspaper Project. 

The program will deliver access for people who can't get to a library to use microfilm, Estlund said. "The full text available with the digitized images allows for keyword searching, which revolutionizes research of old newspapers. No longer will a researcher need to spend hours, days or even weeks scrolling through microfilm hoping to catch what they're looking to find." 

Beginning in 1953, the Knight Library started the Oregon Newspaper Program in association with ONPA to microfilm all of Oregon's newspapers for preservation. The new project took root earlier this year under a Library Services & Technology block grant of $79,883 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Oregon State Library in Salem. 

"Historic newspapers supply vital evidence of our history and culture and are used by students, scholars, historians, arts groups, businesses, urban planners, genealogists and others," Estlund said. "These primary source materials provide a window into the life of local Oregon communities a century or more ago, covering early environmental preservation, industry, agriculture, urban development, Native American and race relations, the establishment of the state and more." 

For more information, visit  http://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/news-release/2009/6/oregon-newspapers-1860-1922-going-digital 


TRANSPLANTED RANGER STATION OPENS JULY 1

The High Desert Museum's newly restored 1933 High Desert Ranger Station opens on July 1. During the last five years, the museum worked with the U.S. Forest
Service and Nevada's state Historic Preservation Office to save the station, moving it from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, restoring it, and furnishing it.. 

The ranger station's role in Forest Service history will be shown at the station by Forest Service retirees talking with visitors about wildfire prevention and the evolving roles of the Forest Service. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the station in eastern California in 1933. In 1962, the Forest Service moved it to the Reese River Valley in central Nevada. According to the architectural historian for the region's National Forest Service, this station is the only surviving building of its type that has not been subjected to major renovation or modification over the past 75 years. 

The project was managed by museum curator Bob Boyd. The project was made possible through contributions by Forest Service retirees, individuals interested in preserving and interpreting forest history and business donations of labor, materials and equipment. 

The High Desert Museum is located five minutes south of Bend on Highway 97.  For additional information, contact  (541) 382-4754 or visit www.highdesertmuseum.org 


OAKLAND MUSEUM ADDS EXTRA EVENTS DURING 40th ANNIVERSARY

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, the Oakland Museum will participate in the city's Fourth of July celebration by providing demonstrations of pioneer activities in the museum and wood carving in the Oakland City Park.  Noting this anniversary is part of the birthday of the United States and the 150th birthday of Oregon, several ladies are making cupcakes and will arrange them in colors and shape of the US flag.  Normally, the museum is closed on holidays but will open for this Fourth.

The Oakland Museum was established in 1969 by a group of Oakland area residents who were passionate about saving the history of Oakland. The museum has grown over the years and now depicts the history of the town with artifacts , stories and photographs in an 1894 brick building built by the original founder of "new" 
Oakland, Alonzo Brown.    

The demonstrations will take place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.makewebs.com/oakland/index.html  or phone 541 459-4531.


SALEM BOOK LAUNCH SET FOR THURSDAY

Mission Mill Museum, 1313 Mill St., Salem, will host the launch of a new book, "Salem, a Photographic History of our Community," from 5:30-7 p.m. July 2. The book includes more than 200 vintage photographs from Mission Mill Museum, Marion County Historical Society, Salem Public Library and other collectors. The book's authors are Tom Fuller and Christy Heukelem. For more information, visit www.missionmill.org or phone 503-585-7012.


TRIBAL CONFERENCE SEEKS AWARD NOMINATIONS

The 2009 Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums National Conference is looking for a few good people. The deadline for nominations for individual and institutional awards is June 30. Eight categories of awards are Lifetime Achievement, Leadership, Outstanding Project, Friends of Tribes, and Institutional Excellence Awards in Libraries, Museums, Archives and Language. For more information, contact the awards committee chair, Terry Baxter at 503.988.3741 or at
terry.d.baxter at co.multnomah.or.us .
------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission, which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us