[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2009-11-20

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Wallowa Ranger Station listed in National Register
2.  Historic cemeteries grants awarded to 19 sites
3.  Family day railroad activities slated at OHS
4.  Oregon Humanities offers responsive program grants
5.  Fort Vancouver tops one million visitors for first time


WALLOWA RANGER STATION LISTED IN NATIONAL REGISTER

The Wallowa Ranger Station in Wallowa is one of Oregon’s newest
entries in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Wallowa Ranger Station is an example of Depression-era planning and
construction by the Forest Service and Civilian Conservation Corps
during the late 1930s. A remarkably intact district, the ranger station
has not been significantly altered and demonstrates the Forest
Service’s planning principles and involvement in the city of
Wallowa and Wallowa Valley. The ranger station is important for both its
association with the Forest Service and CCC, but also for its rustic
style of architecture employed by the Forest Service during the 1930s
that emphasized the use of simple forms and natural materials.

Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation
recommended the building’s nomination in June 2009. The Wallowa Ranger
Station joins the Hunter-Morelock House as the only buildings listed in
the National Register in Wallowa. The National Register is maintained by
the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966. 

More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings
is online at
http://www.oregonheritage.org/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/nrhp_recent_nominations.shtml
   


HISTORIC CEMETERIES GRANTS AWARDED TO 19 SITES

Financial aid ranging from $380 for a Coos County records project to
$4,000 for marker repair projects are among the latest grants released
by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to help preserve and
interpret historic cemeteries. 

The department’s 2009 Historic Cemeteries Program grants will spread
$41,000 in state lottery dollars among 19 projects throughout the state.
This is the first of two grant cycles for the state biennium. The grants
were award to cemetery projects in 14 counties for marker repair, tree
care, fencing, signage, websites and training. 

 “The projects demonstrate the variety of ways people are helping
preserve historic cemeteries in their communities,” said Kuri Gill,
the department's historic cemeteries program coordinator. “We’re
especially pleased with the quality of proposed projects.”

The department has awarded $216,000 in historic cemetery grants since
2004, helping fund 135 projects. Proposed projects are approved by the
Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries. A list of the recent awardees
is available at

http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/OCHC/docs/OCHC_Grants/2009_Awarded_Cemeteries_Grants.pdf

For more information on the Historic Cemeteries Program and the grants
contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.Gill at state.or.us or (503) 986-0685.


FAMILY DAY RAILROAD ACTIVITIES SLATED AT OHS

Visitors to the Oregon History Museum on Nov. 21 will view a historic
model railroad and visit with railroad historians as part of the
organization's Family Day activities. In addition, beginning at 1 p.m.,
Jeni Foster will give a musical performance and lecture called “Magic
Carpet Made of Steel.”  Children will also have a chance to paint
their own railroad car during craft time.

The Family Day, which is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. coincides with
the traveling exhibit "The Wests the Railroad Made." The exhibit shows
how railroads transformed the West by bringing ethnic diversity,
commercialism, and creating a link between the cities and countryside. 
This exhibit displays more than 150 exciting photographs and artifacts.

The museum is located at 1200 SW Park Ave., Portland. For additional
information, visit www.ohs.org or phone (503) 306-5198.


OREGON HUMANITIES OFFERS RESPONSIVE PROGRAM GRANTS

In addition to its annual Public Program grants cycle, Oregon
Humanities supports organizations responding quickly and thoughtfully to
current issues and events throughout the year. Responsive Program grant
requests (formerly called Opportunity grants) for up to $1,000 are
accepted year-round to fund public humanities programs exploring
pressing issues or events that the applicant organization is uniquely
suited to help the public address.

For more information, visit
http://www.oregonhum.org/images/uploads/media/Responsive_Program_Grants_2010.pdf


FORT VANCOUVER TOPS ONE MILLION VISITORS FOR FIRST TIME

Superintendent Tracy Fortmann announced that annual visitation to Fort
Vancouver National Historic Site surpassed one million for the first
time in the site’s history.

According to the National Park Service, Fort Vancouver recorded
1,010,153 recreational visits in the 2009 fiscal year, which ended Sept.
30. This represented a 17.4 percent increase over the previous fiscal
year, and is especially significant as the annual Fourth of July
celebration – bringing 60,000 to 80,000 visitors each year -- did not
occur in 2009.

Included in this total was the McLoughlin House Unit of Fort Vancouver,
located in Oregon City, where visitation increased 35.2 percent to
13,589.
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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