[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2010-05-12

Wed May 12 10:22:11 PDT 2010

In this issue:
1.  Portland archives, Salem bridge celebrate reopenings
2.  Hispanic, Asian Pacific heritage guides available from Park
Service
3.  Talks scheduled in Coos Bay, Vancouver
4.  Willamette Falls Lock Fest set for May 15
5.  Humanities groups seeks conversation program hosts
6.  Preserve America awards program seeks nominations

PORTLAND ARCHIVES, SALEM BRIDGE CELEBRATE REOPENINGS

Portland:  The Portland Archives and Records Center is re-opening in
its new location on the fifth floor of the new Academic and Student
Recreation Center on the Portland State University campus, 1800 SW Sixth
Ave. After 28 years in its North Portland location in a former city
incinerator building, the Center has moved to a centrally located
facility a few blocks from City Hall. The Center is the official
repository for city records and its mission is to preserve these records
for future generations while providing access for today’s citizens and
city employees. The grand opening will take place from noon-4 p.m. May
18 with cake and tours. For more information, phone 503.865.4100 or
visit http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=26978 

Salem:   After a closure for continued renovation, Salem’s historic
Union Street Railroad Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge will officially
re-open to the public on May 15.  The Friends of Two Bridges, a
non-profit organization, has planned a passport program for the event.
The Union Street Railroad Bridge was built across the Willamette River
in 1912-13 by Southern Pacific Railway to connect Salem to the West
Willamette Valley.  The bridge was acquired by Union Pacific Railroad in
1996 and was purchased by the City of Salem for one dollar in 2004.  The
bridge was put on the National Register of Historic Places in January
2006 and its restoration for pedestrians and bicyclists  recently was
recognized with an Oregon Heritage Excellence Award. For more
information on the Union Street Railroad Bridge, the Friends of Two
Bridges, or bridge related events, refer to
www.cityofsalem.net/unionbridge.

HISPANIC, ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE GUIDES AVAILABLE FROM PARK SERVICE

The National Register of Historic Places has produced several
publications to assist individuals and organizations to work with the
heritage of Hispanic, Asian and Pacific people. A variety of material on
Asian Pacific heritage (which is part of a national celebration this
month) can be found at http://www.nps.gov/history/asianpacificheritage/ 
Publications about Hispanic history and culture in the United States are
available at 
http://www.nps.gov/history/nR/feature/hispanic/ and at
http://crm.cr.nps.gov/issue.cfm?volume=20&number=11

TALKS SCHEDULED IN COOS BAY, VANCOUVER

Coos Bay: The Coos Bay Public Library's centennial speaker series will
continue at 7 p.m. May 20 with Stephen Dow Beckham of  Lewis and Clark
College talking about “Books West: Literary Aspirations of Oregon’s
Southwest Coast Writers.” Beckham has written extensively on the Coos
Bay region and western Oregon, including many focusing on American
Indians. He will talk about local pioneer writers such as Samuel
Stillman Mann, Henry Woodward and Robert Starkey. The talk will take
place at the library, 525 Anderson Ave. The series winds up on June 17
with local resident Bill Lansing discussing his latest book
“Remembering When - Coos County
Oregon Schools, 1850 to 1940.” For more information, visit
http://bay.cooslibraries.org/

Vancouver: David Nicandri, executive director of the Washington State
Historical Society, will present "Deconstructing the Lore of Lewis and
Clark" at 7 p.m. May 21 to introduce his new book /River of Promise:
Lewis and Clark on the Columbia. Nicandri will draw from the
expedition's journals and places to explore a shift in focus away from
Missouri River vignettes that dominate the public perception of the
Lewis & Clark story to the primacy of finding the presumed headwaters of
the Columbia River, the relationship between the captains, William
Clark's proper role as the principal geographic problem-solver, and the
demise of Meriwether Lewis. This free program is presented by the
Washington State Historical Society in partnership with the Fort
Vancouver National Trust, the Center for Columbia River History, and the
National Park Service. It will take place at the Red Cross Building, 605
Barnes St., Fort Vancouver National Site. For more information, visit
http://www.ccrh.org/

WILLAMETTE FALLS LOCK FEST SET FOR MAY 15

West Linn's sixth festival at the 1873 Willamette Falls Navigation
Canal and Lock on May 15 will celebrate the 95th anniversary of Corps of
Engineers' stewardship of this  canal that allows boaters to bypass the
52-foot-tall Willamette Falls. Highlights are a colorful flotilla of all
sizes of vessels in the four-lift lock chambers from 8 a.m.- 7 p.m. and
a family-oriented outdoor party in the Locks Park at Mill Street and
Willamette Drive from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Heritage displays will feature information on the history of the locks,
the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the Holy Names Heritage
Center, the Lake Oswego Iron Furnace, Oregon Department of
Transportation's rehab of the historic Arch Bridge at West Linn,
historic West Linn Paper Co., the 1895 T.W. Sullivan Hydropower plant,
the Willamette Falls Heritage Area Coalition, Maddax Woods House and
Park and the McLoughlin Memorial Association. Lock Fest raises awareness
of the historic industrial and transportation cluster at the falls and
advocates for preservation of those resources through public education.
For more information, contact 503.655.0649 or www.willamettefalls.org 

HUMANITIES GROUP SEEKS CONVERSATION PROGRAM HOSTS

Until May 31, Oregon nonprofits may apply to host Conversation Project
programs taking place from July 1-Oct. 31.  The Conversation Project,
which connects Oregonians with public scholars and provocative ideas
through idea-driven dialogue, is a program of Oregon Humanities
(formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities).

The catalog, instructions for host organizations, and downloadable
application form are available at oregonhumanities.org. The 2009-10
Conversation Project lineup features 17 programs presented by 16
scholar-facilitators. This season¹s programs span diverse topics,
including friendship, mega cities, the future of rural
communities, media literacy, and reenvisioning the prison system.

For more information about the Conversation Project program and how to
apply, contact program Coordinator Annie Dubinsky at (503) 241-0543,
ext. 116, or a.dubinsky at oregonhumanities.org.

PRESERVE AMERICA AWARDS PROGRAM SEEKS NOMINATIONS

Preserve America Stewards recognizes organizations and agencies that
successfully use volunteers to help care for America's historic
properties.   

Non-profit organizations, government entities, and businesses are
eligible to seek designation.  To be designated, applicants must
demonstrate their programs: provide volunteers with opportunities to
contribute in direct and tangible ways to preservation, protection, and
promotion of historic properties; address an unfilled need in heritage
preservation through the use of volunteers; and demonstrate innovative
and creative use of volunteer assistance.  

The program is administered by the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation and the Department of the Interior.  Applications are due
June 1. More information and an application form are available at
www.preserveamerica.gov. 
---------------------------------------------------------
Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission,
which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us 