Presented by: Dede Montgomery

Took Place: November 13, 2019

In 1842, early Oregon settler Dr. Elijah White took a census of settlers in the Oregon Territory, most living in Wailatpu (near today’s Walla Walla) and the Willamette Valley. The census lists people in “neighborhood” order, including those living at The Falls, or present-day Oregon City. During this presentation learn about Chloe Clarke and William Willson, among a handful of others living at The Falls at that time: where did they come from and why did they come? What did they do, and where did they go? What ideas and misperceptions might they have had, and what legacies and challenges did they leave? As we travel back in time you’ll meet this earliest Methodist Missionary teacher and carpenter, discuss “Beaver Money” and better understand why the author who later wrote the book The White-Headed Eagle did so. Emanating through the presentation is the essence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, critical for travel and livelihood, then and now.

Dede Montgomery is a sixth-generation Oregonian who writes about past and present Oregon in her blog (Musings About Life in Oregon) and her 2017 memoir, My Music Man. Dede is also the author of the 2019 novel Beyond the Ripples. Dede’s deep connection to the Willamette Valley is evidenced by the stories she weaves from seven generations of family, including Chloe Clark and William Willson, who lived at the Willamette Falls from 1841 – 1844, prior to moving to Salem where they have been called “Salem’s First Power Couple.” Other family members include book publisher J.K. Gill, steamship engineer Sam Gill, author Richard Gill Montgomery, Sr. (The White-Headed Eagle, Young Northwest, Pechuck), and Dick Montgomery, maritime writer and historian. My Music Man illustrates the power of storytelling through narratives of seven generations of family living near Oregon’s Willamette River: stories that shed light on change, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Presented by: Kim Argaves Huey

Took Place: October 9, 2019

Gladstone, Oregon, is located at the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers and was once the northern half of the historic town of Oregon City. Gladstone came to prominence as the site of the first Oregon State Fair, the first Clackamas County Fair, the first railroad bridge in Oregon, and the first river crossing of the first interurban trolley west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1869, Gladstone witnessed Ben Holladay, of Pony Express–Overland Stage fame, challenge both his competitors and the Clackamas River in the great north–south railroad race. From 1894 to 1927, Gladstone became known as the "Mother Chautauqua of the West," where orators such as William Jennings Bryan and Rev. Billy Sunday held thousands of attendees spellbound in Gladstone Park. Founded by Judge Harvey E. Cross, Gladstone incorporated in 1911 and steadily grew because of its scenic setting, cultural offerings, and ease of transportation to employment at the Oregon City Mills. The excitement of first events and famous visitors may be over, but Gladstone remains, today, a thriving, family-oriented community proud of its past.

Kim Argraves Huey grew up in Gladstone, Oregon, and fell in love with its history. Lucky enough to live in the Gladstone Park Chautauqua grounds, she came to know intimately the colorful history of the Chautauqua buildings and events that were a significant part of the town’s history.

Presented By: Rick Thompson
Took place: September 11th, 2019

The rich soil of the Willamette Valley is from eastern Washington, brought here by the ice age Lake Missoula Floods. It was this soil that attracted the Oregon Trail pioneers to become part of one of the largest non-forced migrations in all of history. But did you know that from Pendleton to the The Dalles some of the very trails the pioneers used were actually channels of those very floods? Join us as Rick Thompson takes us on a visual journey with photos, LIDAR and maps along the canyons, through the water gaps and next to the giant gravel bars the pioneers saw as they traveled the flood channels carved long before they arrived.

Presented by Jenna Barganski

Took place: May 15th, 2019

Twenty-five women were convicted of homicide in Oregon between 1854 and 1950. During these years the majority faced all-male court and penal systems. As such, they were handled differently in accordance with various social, cultural, and legislative shifts relating to women's roles as citizens. Through an examination of contemporary newspaper articles, inmate case files, and other Oregon State Penitentiary records, this presentation will examine three distinct periods relating to these shifts: 1854-1900, 1901-1935 and 1936-1950.

Jenna Barganski is the Museum Manager at Clackamas County Historical Society in Oregon City. In 2018, Jenna received her M.A. in History and Public History from Portland State University.

Presented by Tom Swearingen

Took Place: April 17th, 2019

Throughout the history of the American West, and in Oregon, cowboy poets have played a large part in preserving our western heritage and the culture of Oregon through oral and written poetry. Cowboy poetry is part of a long-cherished legacy and Oregon has produced well-respected contemporary cowboy poets, including this program’s presenter, Tom Swearingen.

A two-time winner of the National Finals Rodeo Cowboy Poetry Contest, Tom brings his stories to life with rhythm and rhyme and a style that makes him a popular performer. For more on Tom visit oregoncowboypoet.com.

BUILDING OREGON: HOW THE STATE WAS GROWN AND DEVELOPED

Presented by Darrell Jabin

Took place: March 20th, 2019

Native Americans, fur traders, explorers and missionaries came to the area for different reasons, but all were instrumental in the development of our state. Fur traders set up communities missionaries set up schools and meetings were held to set up a government. Darrell Jabin; Oregon's Traveling Historian will share and discuss the individuals and events that helped create the state of Oregon.

FINDING OREGON: HOW THE STATE WAS DISCOVERED AND NAMED

Presented by Darrell Jabin

Took place: February 20th, 2019

Our state is unique in many ways. It has been impacted by Teutonic plates, volcanoes and floods that created our geography and established where pioneers chose to settle. Many countries sent explorers looking for transportation routes and considered claiming ownership of the area. The name Oregon is unique and various beliefs have been shared regarding its’ origin.

Darrell Jabin, Oregon’s Traveling Historian has created a program to explain how geography and the explorations of various countries impacted the discovery of the state of Oregon and how we got our name.

WILLAMETTE LOCKS

PRESENTED BY SANDY CARTER

Took Place: November 14th 2018

Constructed in 1872 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Willamette Locks served to give passage to commercial and private vessels back-and-forth from the lower and upper sections of the Willamette river.

However in 2011 the locks were closed due to lack of funding for repairs. As redevelopment plans for the Willamette Falls industrial site gets underway and public interest in the falls increases, the question of what should be done with the Willamette Locks has been raised once more.

Sandy Carter, Willamette Falls Locks advocate and Collections manager for Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation, will discuss the history of the Willamette Locks as well as what its future may hold.

WILLAMETTE FALLS PAPERMAKING

PRESENTED BY BOB BRESKY

Presented: October 17th 2018

Who are the people behind Oregon’s industrial revolution at Willamette Falls? This presentation answers that question, beginning with the much-ballyhooed opening of the Oregon paper mill in 1867, and ending with the closure of the West Linn Paper Company, a mill that had carried the heritage of the Willamette Falls papermaking industry for over 128 years.

Through personal stories of the Oregon City and West Linn paper mill workers and wondrous photographs, this presentation by Bob Bresky, author of "The Papermakers: More Than Run of the Mill," talks about the industry’s inspiring, funny, and sometimes controversial past, and how its legacy carries on into the present day.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY WINERIES

BY BARB RANDALL

Presented: September 19th, 2018.

Despite its short, 50-year history, Oregon's Willamette Valley was named Wine Region of the Year in 2016 by Wine Enthusiast, besting Champagne, France; Crete, Greece; and Sonoma, California. Credit for the award can be traced to the pioneer winemakers, a small group of dreamers who—through grit and determination—succeeded in growing grapes where it was considered impossible. Others joined the adventure, and through collaboration and a passion for making the best wine possible, the Willamette Valley's wine industry was born. Presented by Barbara Randall, author of the book by the same name, "Willamette Valley Wineries" takes a look at the challenges and successes that led to the burgeoning local wine industry- complete with wine provided at the event.

THE DYING TRADITIONS AND NEW LIFE OF OREGON’S FUNERAL INDUSTRY

BY ELIZABETH FOURNIER

Presented: August 15th, 2018

One hundred percent of the people you meet in your lifetime will die. Every last one, yourself included. How many other human experiences can you assign that kind of number to in history?

So what if your final act could be a gift to the planet? And what if that final act could empower you to make choices concerning after-death-care while avoiding the economic burdens of the past history of the funeral industry?

Local mortician Elizabeth Fournier will lead a lively discussion of the historical events that have helped change the landscape of the funeral industry here in Oregon. She's the owner and undertaker of Cornerstone Funeral, the first green funeral home in the Portland Metropolitan area.

IN DEFENSE OF WYAM

BY KATY BARBER

Presented: July 18th, 2018

When the US Army Corps of Engineers proposed The Dalles Dam at Celilo Village in the mid-twentieth century, it was clear that this traditional fishing, commerce, and social site of immense importance to Native tribes would be changed forever. Controversy surrounded the project, with local Native communities anticipating the devastation of their way of life and white settler-descended advocates of the dam envisioning a future of thriving infrastructure and industry. "In Defense of Wyam: Native-White Alliances & The Struggle for Celilo Village" presents a remarkable alliance across the opposed groups, chronicling how Flora Thompson, member of the Warm Springs Tribe and wife of the Wyam chief, and Martha McKeown, daughter of an affluent white farming family, became lifelong allies as they worked together to protect Oregon's oldest continuously inhabited site.

THE TROUBLED LIFE OF PETER BURNETT

BY R. GREGORY NOKES

Presented: June 13th, 2018

Few people in the nineteenth-century American West could boast the achievements of Peter Burnett. He helped organize the first major wagon train to the Oregon Country. He served on Oregon’s first elected government and was Oregon’s first supreme court judge. He opened a wagon road from Oregon to California. He worked with the young John Sutter to develop the new city of Sacramento. Within a year of arriving in California, voters overwhelmingly elected him as the first US governor. He also won appointment to the California Supreme Court.

It was one heck of a resume. Yet with the exception of the wagon road to California, in none of these roles was Burnett considered successful or well remembered. Indeed, he resigned from many of his most important positions, including the governorship, where he was widely perceived a failure.

Burnett’s weakness was that he refused to take advice from others. He insisted on marching to his own drum, even when it led to some terrible decisions. A former slaveholder, he could never seem to get beyond his single-minded goal of banning blacks and other minorities from the West.

The Troubled Life of Peter Burnett is the first full-length biography of this complicated character. Historians, scholars, and general readers with an interest in Western history will welcome R. Gregory Nokes’ accessible and deeply researched account.

Presented by: Darrel Jabin

Took Place: December 11, 2019

Theaters have always captured our imaginations. Their architecture and lighting have drawn us inside. Their decorative lobbies have let us know something special was about to happen. Darrell Jabin; Oregon’s Traveling Historian toured and photographed dozens of theaters. He researched opera houses, vaudeville, movie palaces, drive ins and neighborhood theaters. He interviewed historians, theater owners and directors of community theaters to create a presentation covering a unique part of Oregon history.

Darrell Jabin; Oregon’s Traveling Historian travels throughout our state, covering close to 10,000 miles and working in more than 2 dozen cities each year. He takes advantage of these trips to discover stories about Oregon and Oregon history and share them in videos, on social media and in presentations. His longer videos can be found in numerous libraries. His video channel has received more than 50,000 views and he has provided more than 200 presentations.