In this issue
Updates:
- Board Meeting Zoom Info for Sunday, August 28
- OCTA's Third Podcast is Now Live!
- OCTA's Two New Documentaries Now Available for Download!
- Submit Your Volunteer Hours
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- Tour the Archaeological Remains of the Old Saltair Resort, September 9 and October 7
- Trails Head Chapter Picnic, Saturday, September 10
- Gateway Chapter Bus Tour, Saturday, September 17
- Puyallup Historical Society at the Meeker Mansion Events Schedule
- 2022 National Trails Workshop in Albuquerque - Save the Date for November 2–4, 2022
- OCTA's 41st Annual Convention at Gering, Nebraska - Save the Date for July 25-29, 2023
- Online Survey for Oregon State-Wide Preservation Goals
Books & Publications
- Oregon and California National Historic Trails Newsletter
- Alcove Spring Summer Newsletter
- National Historic Trail Interpretive Center Newsletter
- Go West, Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail
Ongoing:
- Order Fresh Coffee and Help OCTA's Bottom Line
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Zoom Info For OCTA Board Meeting
Sunday, August 28
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OCTA's Third Podcast is Now Live!
OCTA intern Charlie Dodge recently wrapped up her internship with OCTA and began a new career in late May with the Center for Public Integrity. She graduated from New York University in mid-May, but as part of her senior capstone project, she created a new podcast for OCTA. In an effort to reach newer, younger, and more diverse audiences, Charlie focused on lesser-known stories, especially stories related to the trail experience of women, children, African-Americans, the Chinese, or American Indians.
In this new episode, Charlie interviews Dr. Shirley Ann Wilson Moore, Professor Emerita from Sacramento State University. Author and retired professor Shirley Moore explains her process for gathering and sharing the stories of Black Emigrants on the Overland Trails. Dr. Moore received her bachelor's degree f rom the University of California, Berkeley, 1976; her MA from the University of California, Berkeley, 1979; and her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, 1989. Before arriving at UNLV, she taught at Harvard University, San Francisco State University, and the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from high school in Southern California, she enrolled at UCLA as a sociology major intending to become a high school teacher or social worker. However, the US history courses she was required to take at UCLA were taught by some outstanding instructors who asked some intriguing questions about our national story. This experience opened her to the possibility that history could be an inclusive discipline that could illuminate the lives of the marginalized and anonymous as well as the eminent. Her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, with extraordinary professors like Lawrence Levine, Leon Litwack, Earl Lewis, and Winthrop Jordan deepened this conviction that has continued to inform and guide her professional work to this day. (Excerpted from the American Historical Association).
In Charlie's first episode, she interviewed long-time Overland Journal editor Bob Clark about some of the articles for which that publication has earned some renown. In her second episode, she interviewed, Dr. Sue Fawn Chung, professor emerita from UNLV, and the Chinese in the Gold Rush. The podcast is well-produced, highly entertaining, and even features original music. The first episode checked in at 24-minutes and the second in 36-minutes, so we do hope you'll take the time to download and enjoy! Be sure to subscribe to our SoundCloud Channel so you hear future episodes.
We are very excited about this new opportunity to reach so many new audiences! We will bring you a new episode in August, so subscribe now and be the first to know when it's live!
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OCTA's Two New Documentaries
Now Available for Download!
OCTA has busied itself of late creating content for PBS stations to help get our name in front of new audiences, but many of our members do not live in areas where they can watch these local PBS broadcasts. We've busied ourselves this summer with building a new Vimeo channel to hold any new documentaries OCTA will create in the future. The best part is that these projects, all funded with various grants, will also create new streams of revenue for OCTA into the far future.
Wagon Master: Hansen's Hand-Crafted History, and History and Change on the Old Spanish Trail: Mountain Springs to Salt Creek, are both now available on our brand-new Vimeo Channel. Both movies can be rented for 24 hours for only $3, or you can purchase them for $10 and watch them again and again. However, OCTA members receiving this E-News can take advantage of a 50% discount on either the rental or purchase price by entering the code "Bidwell1841." So, your rental price is only $1.50 and your purchase price is only $5. Of course, we'll also be showing Wagon Master on the big screen at the Casper convention, and it is a treat to see the masterful cinematography on a large screen, so do not miss that opportunity. Please let friends and family alike know that OCTA has lots of incredible new content available (as you'll read further on in this E-News).
Wagon Master is the story of how Doug Hansen learned to handcraft 19th-century wheeled vehicles, with curiosity and fortitude as his guides. Through his own ingenuity and observation, he is recovering knowledge of how to build handcrafted wagons from a bygone era. A much sought-after craftsman, Doug and his team have built wagons and stagecoaches for Hollywood (Yellowstone, 1883, Dances With Wolves, The Hateful Eight) and corporate America (Anheuser-Busch, Wells Fargo, Disney), and his team also restores old vehicles for museums and others.
History and Change on the Old Spanish Trail: Mountain Springs to Salt Creek tells the story of when Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, traders started developing mule-pack routes from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. Over the next 27 years, three main branches of what would come to be known as the Old Spanish Trail were developed, and by 1848, portions of one of these routes near Death Valley was developed into a wagon road by newly settled Mormon emigrants. By 1849, news of the California Gold Rush had spread around the world, and this route became one of many used by 49ers to get to California. But this was already a well-established route, utilized by various American Indian groups over many millennia. Download this enthralling 30-minute documentary to hear and see the history of this little-known route across the deserts and mountains of the American West while also learning about the impacts to the Paiute Indians and the ecological change that has taken place in a short amount of time on this well-preserved segment of historic trail.
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Please Continue to Report
Your Volunteer Hours!!!!
Please continue to turn in your volunteer hours, mileage, expenses paid by you and not reimbursed, time traveling to meetings (including the San Diego Symposium), research, etc. We are attempting to collect data on an ongoing basis throughout the year to present the most accurate picture of all of the incredible work done by our huge team of advocates.
To submit hours, visit our online volunteer hour reporting portal for a simple, fast way to share your hard work with our federal agency partners and budget planners in Congress. Your volunteer hours are matched with appropriations and the Volunteers in Parks program to the financial benefit of our trails. Please report all you have done! It's the most important thing we do!
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Tour the Archaeological Remains of the
Old Saltair Resort
Chris Merritt, archaeologist and Utah’s state historic preservation officer, [and Crossroads’ friend] will be leading walking tours of the remains of the Saltair resort on Friday, Sept. 9, and Friday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m. to noon, as part of the Great Salt Lake Collaborative.
https://greatsaltlakenews.org/events/tour-the-archaeological-remains-of-the-old-saltair-resort (scroll down to “events,” for tickets and information.)
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Trails Head Chapter Picnic
Click here for the details of the Trails Head Chapter Picnic on Saturday, September 10 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Sapling Grove Park in Overland Park, Kansas.
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Gateway Chapter Tour - September 17, 2022
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The 2022 Event Schedule for the
Puyallup Historical Society at the Meeker Mansion
October 8th MEEKER CIDER SQUEEZE & OREGON TRAIL: 10am to 3pm
November 26th CHRISTMAS AT THE MEEKER MANSION: Noon to 4pm through end of year
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Registration Open for the 2022 National Trails Workshop
November 2-4, 2022 | Albuquerque, NM
The 2022 National Trails Workshop will be three days of learning, collaboration, and networking amongst seasoned trails and tourism professionals, emerging leaders and people who are interested in getting involved with trails in their communities and across the nation. With a particular emphasis on learning from and with Indigenous communities, the workshop will provide opportunities to grow your trails skillset, collaboratively confront issues facing trails, and co-create solutions for specific and system-wide problems.
As we convene for the National Trails Workshop in-person for the first time in three years, we will offer a variety of formal sessions that will produce actionable results and free-form or impromptu exchange and co-creation. Participants will leave sessions with drafts or completed versions of tools, documents, or strategies to apply what they learned to their trails.
Register now to secure your spot at the workshop and you will receive a discounted Early Bird rate. Organizations, agencies, and businesses who purchase 10 or more registrations will receive a special bulk rate.
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OCTA Announces Gering, Nebraska as
Host of Its 2023 Convention
Independence, Missouri – The Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) announces that its Board of Directors has unanimously selected Gering, Nebraska as the site for its 41st Annual Convention. The convention is slated to get underway on Tuesday, July 25 and conclude on Saturday, July 29. Next year’s theme is “We Do Old in a New Way” in a nod to the new facilities at Scotts Bluff National Monument, the Chimney Rock Museum, and the Legacy of the Plains Museum. If you think you’ve already seen what western Nebraska has to offer, you’re in for a great surprise, with numerous new exhibits in brand new facilities that help to better tell the story of the 19th century trails of the American West.
The Gering Convention Center will be convention headquarters, with many other activities slated to occur at local landmarks, historic sites, and other facilities. OCTA is partnering with the Gering Visitors Bureau, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Legacy of the Plains Museum, and the Chimney Rock Museum to stage this week-long event. Other partners are still being sought as well.
The convention will feature an array of activities, including day-long guided tours to historic trail sites in both Nebraska and Wyoming; two days of speakers featuring a diverse array of topics that will include not only the Oregon and California National Historic Trails, but also the Pony Express and Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trails, the histories of regional American Indian nations; workshops that may focus on things like the importance of quilts in telling the story of the trails, historic 19th century gun collections, and utilizing trail diaries to conduct genealogical research; evening events that will include a presentation about the trail art of William Henry Jackson at Scotts Bluff National Monument, an awards banquet, a silent and live auction, a closing event at the Legacy of the Plains Museum that will feature a chuckwagon grilled steak dinner, and even a potential concert at the Five Rocks Amphitheater.
Gering last hosted the convention in 2007. Scottsbluff hosted in 1985. Every year, the convention moves to a new site, with Casper, Wyoming hosting this year. Elko, Nevada hosted in 2021. The planning committee is in the early stages of charting out the events and speakers for the week, so stay tuned for future announcements about hotels, travel arrangements, meals, speakers, and tours, among other things. Registration materials will be ready in March 2023 and the general public is invited to all events. Be sure to mark your calendar for July 25-29, 2023, to help us “do old in a new way” in Gering, Nebraska!
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Online Survey for Oregon
State-Wide Preservation Goals
This summer and fall Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is asking Oregonians how Oregon's heritage is special to them in a series of 90-minute virtual public meetings and an online survey to direct state-wide preservation goals for the 2024-2029 Oregon Preservation Plan. The SHPO is an office of Oregon Heritage.
The SHPO completes a state-wide preservation plan every five years that describes how the SHPO, government agencies, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, and the public will work together to identify, designate, protect, and treat our state's important historic places. The Plan is required by the National Park Service in Washington DC. The agency partially funds the SHPO through a biannual grant under the provisions of the 1966 Historic Preservation Act. See the current 2017-2023 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan.
Meetings will focus on a specific region or topic, but all are welcome to attend one or more of the meetings. Participants will identify what issues matter most, how to best preserve our history, and what government agencies, cultural institutions, and each Oregonian can do to protect and share our history. Topic-based meetings will discuss how the heritage community can better address diversity, equity,
and inclusion in cultural resource programs, disaster preparedness and response, and planning for cultural resources in development and infrastructure projects. The meetings will be held Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00, June through September by Zoom video and teleconference. The information from the meetings will be used to create the 2024-2029 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan that will be published in early 2024.
Meeting dates are:
August 31st, Northwest and Central Oregon Coast - Register here.
September 7th, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access in the Oregon Preservation Plan - Register here.
September 14th, Disaster Preparation and Response for Cultural Resources - Register here.
September 21st, Community Planning for Cultural Resources - Register here.
They're also inviting every Oregonian to participate in our online survey. The survey asks about your interests, what issues matter most, and what we can all do to preserve our history. Go to this page.
Watch the project webpage here.
Facebook page.
You can also watch this awesome video to let all of you know what the plan is all about and how to participate.
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Oregon & California National Historic Trails Newsletter
Read the latest updates from our National Park Service partner.
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Alcove Spring Summer Newsletter
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National Historic Oregon Trail
Interpretive Center Newsletter
Enjoy news from the museum in Baker City, Oregon.
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Go West, Young Man: A Father
and Son Rediscover America
on the Oregon Trail
At the sound of the bell on the last day of kindergarten, B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son, Henry, hop in the car to strike out on a 2,500-mile road trip retracing the Oregon Trail. Their mission: to rediscover America, and Americans, along the way. Throughout their two-week adventure, they endure the usual setbacks (car trouble, inclement weather, and father-son fatigue), but their most compelling drama involves people, privilege, and their attempt to find common ground in an all-too-fractured country.
Writing in the footsteps of John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, Hollars picks up the trail with his son more than half a century later. Together they sidle up to a stool at every truck stop, camp by every creek, and roam the West. They encounter not only the beauty and heartbreak of America, but also the beauty and heartbreak of a father and son eager to make the most of their time together. From Chimney Rock to Independence Rock to the rocky coast of Oregon, they learn and relearn the devastating truth of America’s exploitative past, as well as their role within it.
Go West, Young Man recounts the author’s effort to teach his son the difficult realities of our nation’s founding while also reaffirming his faith in America today. It also features extensive interviews with OCTA Past President Duane Iles, the Historic Inscriptions on Emigrant Trails and Graves and Sites on the Oregon and California Trails author Randy Brown, and OCTA Association Manager Travis Boley, among others.
You can order your own copy of the book on OCTA's website for only $19.95. It would make an excellent Christmas gift!
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Order Fresh Coffee and Help
OCTA's Bottom Line
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OCTA member Richard Gibson reached out to us with a review of the coffee. He wrote:
"I wanted to say to the group and to the KC ROASTERS that I am thoroughly enjoying my OREGON TRAIL ROAST BLEND COFFEE. It is mellow but full of flavor and is easy to warm back up or drink when cold! Great Idea for whomever came up with this promotion for OCTA! THANKS. I still have another package unopened!"
OCTA Board Member Jean Coupal-Smith added:
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"This is a wonderful brew! I love the rich, bold flavor, even though its medium roast and I usually drink dark roast. I rate it up there at the top with my favorite Starbucks blend of Cafe Verona. It is very smooth."
We concur whole-heartedly with Richard and Jean, though this E-News editor is of the opinion that the Butterfield Bean Medium Roast is slightly better than the wonderful Oregon Trail Medium Roast Blend. We remain excited that KC Coffee Roasters created two specialty coffees with 10% of every purchase being donated to the Oregon-California Trails Association. They are currently featuring Oregon Trail and Butterfield Bean blends. Visit their website at https://www.kccoffeeroasters.com/order-online to order now.
And an extra special thank you to Idaho Chapter President Jerry Eichhorst, whose keen eye discovered this ad from a 1929 issue of the Idaho Statesman!
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