Winter 2010

Winter 2009

In This IssueTall in the Saddle: 100 Years of the Pendleton Round-UpOpens March 2010

More people then ever are coming to Family Days

Limited edition Pacific Wonderland License Plates on sale this Spring

Buy your tickets to the 2010 Hatfield Distinguished Historians Forum

Save the Date: Annual Meeting

This year’s annual meeting will be Saturday, April 17, 2010 so mark your calendar! Family Day will also be on the 17, so make sure to bring the whole family and see what we have been up to this past year at OHS!

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Our Mission

The Oregon Historical Society’s mission is preserving and interpreting Oregon’s past in thoughtful, illuminating, and provocative ways.

Hours

Museum and Museum Store10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - SaturdayNoon - 5 p.m. Sunday

Museum Store will no longer be open on Mondays

Research Library1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday

1200 SW Park AvenuePortland, OR 97205503-222-1741WWW.OHS.ORG

Dear Friends and Members:

The New Year brings an exciting line-up of speakers in our Mark O. Hatfield series; an opportunity to hear Attorney General (and author) John Kroger as featured speaker during the Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 17; more of the amazingly popular History Pubs at McMenamin’s Kennedy School; and a new series of weekend Pavilion talks by local experts and authors. Beyond Portland, our traveling exhibits, notably Oregon Is Indian Country, have reached more than 300,000 Oregonians in the last year and continue to travel through the 39 counties. The Society, as they say, is “cooking.”

It is “cooking” despite a very difficult time in the history of nonprofits and state and local governments. OHS took a deep hit in the last legislative cycle, losing $1.1 million of the previous $1.4 million per year appropriation. This is a large hole that extraordinary fund raising cannot fill. We can repair it temporarily through use of unrestricted cash, but that source will dwindle rapidly. I am writing this before we know the outcome of the referrals of the income and business tax measures to voters. Failure of the measures could cause additional budget problems at the state and local level.

The Board of Trustees has charged me with aggressively seeking solutions to the all-too-frequent public funding problem for OHS. I want you to know that we are pursuing several viable options at both state and local levels that could help us greatly. You will hear more of these options at the Annual Meeting and in subsequent months. Meanwhile, we ask you to remain steadfast supporters of this wonderful institution, and we salute you for your great support in all ways during the past year.

George L. VogtExecutive Director

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Re-release of the Historic Pacific Wonderland License PlateLimited edition plates will be issued this spring, and half of the proceeds go to OHS!

This spring, there will be a little taste of Oregon history at the DMV! In celebration of the recent sesquicentennial, the Oregon Legislative Assembly partnered with the Department of Transportation to present a limited edition of Oregon’s historic Pacific Wonderland license plate. The plate was originally created in celebration of Oregon’s 100th birthday, and it was issued for five years between 1959 and 1964. This coming year, you will have the opportunity to own a piece of history when sesquicentennial plates go on sale, closely resembling the originals.

Even better, by purchasing the Pacific Wonderland license plate, you will directly support history! All proceeds for the surcharge of the plate will be divided equally between the Oregon State Capitol Foundation and the Oregon Historical Society. By purchasing the plate, you will contribute to OHS programs, collections, the Research Library, and more! The Pacific Wonderland plates are unique among special Oregon plates because there is a one-time surcharge of $100 (in addition to the $23 plate fee and regular registration fee). You will not be charged additional fees when you need to renew your registration of this special plate.

You may purchase these plates from March 1, 2010, through any DMV office or through the mail at DMV headquarters, until supplies are gone. Sporting these plates is a great way to show your support of history and the Oregon Historical Society. This edition is limited to 40,000 plates. Check the OHS website for more information.

Original Pacific Wonderland plate issued in 1959.

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Family DayEvery third Saturday of the month If you are looking for a great way to stay warm this winter and spend quality time with your family, check out Family Days at OHS on the 3rd Saturday of every month. We plan special activities for kids of all ages, and two children are admitted free with one paid adult! This program gives families the opportunity to take part in planned crafts and activities and to view all of the exhibits on display. Activities will relate to current exhibits, giving children a greater understanding of what they have seen in the museum. If you have not been to a Family Day yet, make sure to stop by on February 20 for a day of crafts and activities!

New Sunday LecturesStay tuned for Sunday afternoon lectures at OHS! After the success of Dr. Robert Miller’s lecture this past November, we are working to schedule more of these afternoon events. Mark your calendars, because on January 31 at 2:00 p.m. Dr. Carl Abbott will be joining us as Centuries of Progress, our World’s Fair exhibit, comes to a close. He will be talking about Oregon’s own version of the World’s Fair, in his lecture titled, “Portland’s Pride: The Lewis and Clark Exposition.”

Spring Programs at OHS

History Pub Every last Monday of the month For those of you who have not yet attended a history pub, 2010 is a great time to start! With a variety of exciting speakers and topics, you will want to make sure to be at the Kennedy School Theater on the last Monday of every month. Sponsored by OHS, McMenamins, and the Holy Names Heritage Center, History Pubs bring an array of speakers for monthly evenings of beer and history! Admission is free, but canned food donations are always accepted for the Oregon Food Bank. Check out the topics we have scheduled for the beginning of 2010:

Winter/ Spring Schedule and Topics:

January 25 - Band of Brothers• A talk with Don Malarkey, member of the famous Easy Company of the Second World

February 22 - Urban Renewal and Urban • Removal

March 29 – Columbia River Highway•

April 26 – Prostitutes and Unions in the • Early 20th Century

Save the Dates!

@Fans, Followers, & SubscribersHave you become our fan on Facebook? Are you receiving our tweets? Because the internet is the easiest, quickest, and least expensive way to send news, we use it all the time. Make sure you are following OHS online to keep up to date with all of our exhibits, events, and programs. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (our name on Twitter is orhist).

If you know fans of OHS who want to receive our e-newsletter, let them know that anyone can sign up at www.ohs.org by clicking on the link in the upper right-hand corner. Our emails are the best way to hear the latest on offers and events, whether they be discounted memberships, a special lecturer, or a new acquisition!

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Historic Photos!Need that special something to fill up the blank space on your wall? Visit OHS to view our extensive collection of Oregon historic photographs. With over 3 million images, you are bound to find something perfect to suit any taste or interest. Next time you are at OHS, make sure to browse through a selection of our pictures on the new photo kiosk located in the Miller Pavilion. You can look through a variety of pictures and order your prints directly from the machine. We also have many of our photos posted on our website, where you can browse and order as well. Still not finding the perfect picture? Then come upstairs to the OHS Research Library, and spend the afternoon perusing historic pictures!

Visit Us Online!

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The OHS Research Library has recently acquired a strange and often lively letter containing a detailed description of the Astoria Regatta of 1898 – an annual summer event that began in 1894 and continues to this day. The letter was written by one Edgar Stewart of Albany, Oregon, to his friend Frank Stellmacher, who was serving with the Oregon volunteers in the Philippines. Stewart’s letter includes colorful descriptions (and many lame jokes), such as this:

“About noon we arrived in Astoria, which as a town has the piles worse than any thing or any body you ever saw. We entered the city on a stretch of piling about 3 miles long. All of the business houses are built on piles, and the only level street in town is made of planking resting on thousands of piles. The remaining streets, in winter, must be veritable toboggan slides, for excepting the planking there is not a sq. ft. of real estate in the whole of Astoria that

is not at angle of 45 degrees with what it ought, in common sense, to be. And that is a literal fact and no exaggeration. They actually have to nail slats on the walks in every direction, in order to make them navigable.”

Stewart also informs his friend of local Albany gossip, such as:

“Sternberg & Bridgeford have gone to Portland nominally to study medicine; but if my fears be true, to take an extended course in ‘chasing’ & ‘boozing.’

Stewart’s letter is part of a large collection of other letters written to Frank Stellmacher from his friends and family in Albany (Coll 157 in the Research Library). Altogether they present a vivid snapshot of life in this small Willamette Valley community at the end of the 19th century.

Research Library Acquires Astoria Regatta Letter of 1898

Good News!

At OHS, we are so thankful for everyone who has given time, items, and financial donations to continue forwarding our mission.

Gifts of all kinds and sizes help, which is why we have recently launched a new monthly giving component to our Annual Fund. Now, you can sign up to give monthly donations to OHS in increments of $5, $10, $20, or more.

All donations help us continue to offer wonderful exhibits, keep our library running, and present compelling programs and publications. Thank you for all of your support during this past year, and we hope you will continue your generosity into 2010!

Monthly Giving

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Centuries of ProgressThrough February 3

Centuries of Progress offers a trip back in time to the century that brought us one of the greatest exhibitions of international culture, the World’s Fair. With over 125 objects, photographs, and ephemera, this exhibit gives visitors a look at the many pieces that made up the 17 fairs that took place in the United States. Starting in 1853 with the Crystal Palace exhibition in New York and extending through the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, this exhibit breaks the fairs down into six exciting categories with different artifacts and souveniers.

Tall in the Saddle100 years of the Pendleton Round-UpOpens March 5Experience the thrills and spills of an event that helped put Oregon on the map nationally and around the world—the Pendleton Round-Up. Among the nation’s largest and best-known rodeos, the Round-Up celebrates its centennial in September 2010. This exhibition will explore how a small town in then-remote eastern Oregon came together to stage such an exciting and enduring affair. Among the highlights are films of the first Round-Ups, the silver-studded saddle awarded to Nez Perce horseman Jackson Sundown in 1916 for winning the bucking contest at age 53, and an outfit worn by famed old-time cowgirl Bertha Blancett.

Becoming American: Teenagers & ImmigrationOpens March 20 This traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution paints a poignant picture of teenage

immigrants in America. After meeting teenage refugees in Kosovo, photographer Barbara Beirne was inspired to work with immigrant teenagers in America to tell their stories with pictures. The teens showcased in this exhibit not only chose the location and clothing they wore in the pictures but also wrote the captions that accompanies their photographs. This exhibit tells the story of what it means to leave one’s home at a young age and acclimate to life in a different environment.

Vintage License PlatesOpens Spring 2010In celebration of the release of the classic Pacific Wonderland license plate, OHS will showcase a collection of vintage license plates. Presented by OHS board president John Herman, this extensive exhibit will give visitors an understanding of how license plates have changed and evolved, just like the automobiles they grace.

Arte en la Charreria Opens July 31This exciting traveling exhibit features the saddles and silver of Mexican cowboy culture. Much like an American rodeo, the Mexican charreada features nine equestrian and roping events exhibited by the charro, or “gentleman rider.” This bilingual exhibit, which closely coincides with the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s independence, gives visitors a rare glimpse into Mexican ranching culture and provides a detailed history through artifacts, traditional dress, and video clips.

Winter and Spring Exhibits at OHS!

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All photographs © Barbara Beirne

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Following up a successful sesquicentennial series, OHS has four new and exciting historians coming to Portland to give lectures this spring. Tickets are on sale now, so get yours today and reserve your spot to hear these fantastic speakers!

Ron White February 23, 2010Abraham LincolnDr. Ronald C. White, Jr., is the best-selling author of A. Lincoln: A Biog-

raphy, Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugu-ral, and The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words. He has lectured at the White House and been interviewed on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

Douglas BrinkleyApril 13, 2010 Theodore Roosevelt Dr. Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a fellow at the James A. Baker III In-

stitute for Public Policy. Five of Brinkley’s books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Brinkley is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, and American Heritage and is a frequent contribu-tor to The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic Monthly.

Patty Limerick March 16, 2010Western American HistoryDr. Patty Limerick is the Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West

at the University of Colorado, where she is also a professor of history. Limerick has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between academ-ics and the general public and to demonstrating the benefits of applying historical perspective to contemporary dilemmas and conflicts.

James McPhersonMay 18, 2010Civil War EraJames M. McPherson is the author of 15 books and the editor of an-other ten, mostly on the era of the

Civil War and Reconstruction and on Abraham Lincoln. His books have won several prizes, most notably the Pulitzer Prize (1989) for Battle Cry of Freedom; The Civil War Era.

Online: www.boxofficetickets.comPhone: 1-800-494-8497 or (503) 205-0715Mail: Box Office Tickets Inc.818 SW 3rd Ave. PMB 213Portland, OR 97204-2405

Fax: 1-800-329-8497Email: service@boxofficetickets.comIn Person: Hollywood Theatre4122 NE Sandy Blvd.Portland, OR 97212-5336Open daily from 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

For more information, please visit http://ohs.org/education/mark-o-hatfield.cfm

Ordering Tickets