Author: Ushriya

Author: Ushriya

I’ve recently confirmed the details with Greg Shine, Chief Ranger & Historian at Fort Vancouver. He will meet us at the stockade entrance at 3:30 and give us a brief overview of the wide array of historical and cultural resources at the site — including an introduction to the work being done this summer as part of the annual archaeology field school.

From about 4:30 to 6:00, we’ll have time to wander around the site, eat our picnic meals, and get good seats to watch the 1860s vintage baseball game on the Parade Grounds. During the game we’ll be supporting NHN Associate Val Ballestrem and the other hearty souls wearing period costumes and having fun in the sun! (Reminder: Don’t forget to bring sunscreen, plenty of water, and perhaps even a hat, as it’s likely to be quite warm & sunny.)

This special event is somewhat different from our usual quarterly general meetings in that it incorporates a field trip and it is open only to NHN Associates (including, certainly their families & significant others) and prospective NHN Associates. We’ve not advertised this event more broadly so that we don’t overwhelm Greg or the archaeology field school students with too large a group. We’re also pleased to offer this special opportunity for NHN Associates to meet with their colleagues, to enjoy some time out of the archives & away from the computers, and — perhaps most importantly — to experience a truly fascinating and unique historical site of inestimable value to the entire Pacific Northwest and beyond.

As Donna Sinclair wrote in her response to my “save the date” email, “If you haven’t been to Fort Vancouver, you really can’t say you’re doing Oregon history!” To this I would also add that you really can’t say that you’re doing public history, either!

For all these compelling reasons and many more, plase do join us next Saturday for a great time!

For questions or more information, contact me on 971.506.5998 or by email at jvhillegas@gmail.com.

James
—
James V. Hillegas

I was distressed and saddened to hear that Great Northwest Books burned. Owner Phil Wikelund always kept a good stock of regional titles, and Phil and manager John Henley have long been wonderful laid-back supporters of the region’s collectors and appreciators of Pacific Northwest books and manuscripts. I also heard that Walt Curtis lost his archives in the fire — Walt the author of “Mala Noche,” Walt the “unofficial poet laureate of Portland,” Walt the voice in the recent film “Salmon Poet.” And Walt, for many years a collector of paper ephemera, like street posters for concerts and readings. The last time I was at Great Northwest was for the launching of Michael Munk’s “Portland Red Guide,” where we sang “Solidarity Forever” and the Reed College anthem, “Epistemology Forever” played by a glorious band, and ate terrible food with a splendidly eclectic group of people. We’ve lost a great old building and a wonderful Portland institution. We still have Phil, and John, and Walt, and may they recover and carry on.

— Richard H. Engeman
Oregon Rediviva LLC
www.oregonrediviva.com

Portland Mercury reporter (and history major) Sara Mirk and the Dill Pickle Club are partnering with a variety of talented local artists to produce a series of comics looking at “under-acknowledged” Oregon histories. The planned topics are:

  • Faces of Lone Fir Cemetery
  • Life and Death of the X-Ray Cafe
  • Vanport Flood
  • The Fall of Logging
  • Portland’s Black Panthers
  • Celilo Falls
  • Oregon Bike Building
  • Chinatown
  • Portland’s Bridges
  • Dead Freeways

They are currently seeking $2,500 of funding (and are halfway there) via Kickstarter at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dillpickleclub/oregon-history-comics

– where you can also see a sample of the first comic completed in the series (Lone Fir Cemetery) and find more information about the artists involved.