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.

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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.