[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2008-09-29

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Gorge photography focus of Portland exhibits
2.  Governor announces Main Street selections
3.  Tualatin history talk scheduled Oct. 1
4.  Shogren named interim director


GORGE PHOTOGRAPHY FOCUS OF PORTLAND EXHIBITS

Complementary exhibitions of historic Columbia River photography will
open Oct. 4 at the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Art
Museum, facilities located in Portland across Park Avenue from each
other.

"Stereoviews of the Columbia River Gorge" at OHS will show rare "3-D"
images by Carleton Watkins, considered to be one of the finest landscape
photographers of the early American West. During a series of trips from
1867 to 1885, he photographed Portland and the Columbia River Gorge,
creating some of the first photographs of Castle Rock, Cape Horn, and
Multnomah Falls. The exhibit will display nearly 100 stereoscopic views
that Watkins printed.

Visitors to the exhibit can use the ticket for a 50 percent discount on
admission to "Wild Beauty: Photographs of the Columbia River Gorge,
1867*1957" that is opening simultaneously at the Portland Art Museum.
The images in "Wild Beauty", a 200-image photographic survey of the
Columbia River Gorge, comprise some of the most striking and poignant
pictures taken during the period. Beginning with Watkins and including
work from several photographers drawn to the region when the railroad
made the Gorge more accessible, "Wild Beauty" highlights the growing
human impact on the Gorge through transportation advances, tourism, and
dam construction.
A full-color illustrated book will accompany the exhibition. "Wild
Beauty" was curated by Terry Toedtemeier, the museum's curator of
photography.

For more information about the exhibits and related events, visit
www.ohs.org or www.pam.org 


GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES MAIN STREET SELECTIONS

Governor Ted Kulongoski announced the selection of 10 communities to
participate in the Oregon Main Street program. The Main Street program,
modeled after a national program developed by the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, emphasizes community organization, design,
promotion, and economic restructuring
to create healthy downtown commercial districts. This approach
advocates a return to community self-reliance, empowerment, and the
rebuilding of commercial districts based on traditional assets, unique
architecture, personal service, local ownership, and sense of
community.

The Oregon Main Street program provides three levels of programs that
allow communities to participate in ways that best meet their capacity
and needs. Thirty-two cities are currently enrolled in the entry-level
Exploring Downtown program and eight communities have submitted letters
of intent to apply for the Performing Main Street and Transforming
Downtown programs in early 2009.

The cities of Albany, Baker City, Oregon City and Roseburg have been
selected to participate in the Performing Main Street program. The
cities of Carlton, La Grande, Oakridge, Riddle, and Sandy, and the
community of North Northeast Business Association have been selected to
participate in the Transforming Downtown program. 

The Oregon Main Street program was re-established through the efforts
of the Main Street Task Force, approved by the State Legislature in
2007, and developed in 2008. The governor's announcement represents the
first selection of cities and communities. 

For more information, contact Gary Van Huffel, Oregon Main Street
Coordinator, at 503-986-0134.


TUALATIN HISTORY TALK SCHEDULED OCT. 1

The Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, will host a talk at
1:15 p.m. Oct. 1 by Yvonne Addington, Tualatin's first city manager, who
will tell how Tualatin went from a small, rural village with a toilet
tank float atop the city flag pole to become one of the fastest growing
cities in Oregon. The talk will also highlight several key people
involved in the growth. For more information, contact the Heritage
Center at 503-885-1926. 


SHOGREN NAMED INTERIM DIRECTOR

The Washington County Historical Society and Museum has hired Sam
Shogren as its interim executive director. Shogren has worked for more
than 20 years in planning, exhibit and cultural interpretation, historic
preservation and public policy. Museum president Gary Imbrie said the
museum's board will now begin a strategic planning process. For more
information about the museum, visit www.washingtoncountymuseum.org 
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission,
which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us