Grant Me this Boon

Ah, grants ... without them we could not undertake nearly as much in the way of exhibits and programming as we have in recent years. Despite the popular misconception that grants represent "free money," keeping up with them is an extraordinary effort in record-keeping and tracking.

To that end, we recently received a slightly more than $52,000 grant from a federal source known as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The first piece of understanding is that, for exhibit purposes, this is a large chunk of money for the Museum. Secondly, it does not come without 'strings,' in that we must match it with another $53,000 in funding and in-kind value and issue periodic reports as well as a final assessment.

This grant will assist in research, design, and installation of a new exhibit with the working title, Through War and Peace: American Military and the People of the Homeland Tribes. We aim to showcase the interconnectedness between the various aspects of armed forces, Euro-American settlers, and the Indian people whose traditional homeland happens to be where we call home today. We also plan to purchase several life-like mannequins and replica uniforms depicting various eras of occupation at Fort Walla Walla. Also to be installed will be items from our Indian artifact collection and Fort Walla Walla military items. Ahem ... it's going to be a L-A-R-G-E exhibit.

Taken separately, these components would yield an incomplete, possibly false story of the historic era from the days of Lewis & Clark (a military expedition) through the region's participation in World War II. The ramifications continue to this day and will likely into the foreseable future. The exhibit will be completed by April 1, 2011.

With a pair of grants from the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, we'll re-install our Lewis & Clark diorama and include a new backdrop mural by acclaimed local artist Leslie Cain. It will feature a view from across the Columbia River at the mouth of the Walla Walla River, the site of Yellept's village and and location of the 'elegant white horse' gift exchange.

Building Progress: I took a walk through and around the entire structure today. I can report that electrical outlets and plumbing fixtures will be coming along, as soon as the mudmen conclude their work ... which will be soon. I also managed a trip upstairs to the storage area that will be above the south end, restrooms, utility room, and public access study area. Being able to store useful items in a climate-controlled area close to exhibits will be a great step-saver for the Collections & Exhibits folks.

Today's photos, from the top: the stairwell into our upstairs storage area, a mudman working on the restrooms exterior, the Grand Hall as it appears from the west entrance (the 'back door'), and our Lewis & Clark diorama as it appeared in the now-departed Exhibit Hall 1.

It's YOUR Heritage, Too!

As darn near everyone in the world of not-for-profit enterprises [Fort Walla Walla Museum is a 501 (c) 3] will tell you, playing 'give-away' is mighty hard to do. We have a duty to be of public service and, out here on Myra Road in the beautiful Walla Walla Valley, we take that seriously.

Everyone should be able to connect with their heritage and for us that means folks who've lived here 'forever' (our Indian friends), those whose forebearers took up residence in the Frenchtown area during the 1820s (retirees from Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Walla Walla and their Indian and Metis families), scions of the earliest pioneer families, and those who arrived yesterday on their own migratory passages. If you live here, the heritage belongs to you.

Cost should not be the determinant in making the connection. We offer free family passes to a wide variety of social service agencies including BMAC, Children's Home Society, Lillian Rice Center, Christian Aid Society, YWCA, and others. We also partner with area schools to provide free admission for families whose economic challenges may preclude a Museum visit. Beyond that, we've offered our most recent book, Soldiers, Pioneers and Indian People, to schools and libraries throughout the region without cost to them.

We also contribute to some worthy causes. We get asked periodically to assist various entities' fundraisers. When appropriate, we're happy to comply. We had the opportunity to meet the winners of a "Walla Walla Get-Away" yesterday when they brought their free passes to the Museum. The passes were part of a package that included lodging, dinner, and a pair of winery tastings. As they are still traveling (and fairly far from home), I'll forego providing their point of origin, lest the criminal element of their home turf find those empty homes an easy mark.

They are having a wonderful time, especially enjoying the warm weather currently underway. It feels good to invite people to our hometown and see them enjoy it so well. Tourism is a key component of the local economy and the Museum's visitors, according to a variety of statistics, contribute about $2.5 million annually. That's just another way we work to 'preserve and share the heritage of the Walla Walla region.'

Building progress: After being away for a few days, I can see progress has been made. The main entries (front and back) have been boarded up, primarily to cut the dust for the mudders completing drywall work. The wood aspect of the log-look entry is also complete. Yesterday I noticed a workman installing frames around the six bathroom windows ... the windows will supply welcome light to both the men's & women's restrooms. Note: we heard our female advisors loud and clear~ their are four stalls in the womens, as opposed to just two in the men's. Perhaps equality means an equal time waiting for an unoccupied space.

Today's photos include the visiting gropup as they mug for the camera in our Ewe Guessed It: Woolen Goods from the Walla Walla Region special exhibit on display through September 7 and the blockhouse entry. The young lady is a French girl I met at the Farmer's Mrket last Saturday. She enjoyed playing with our 'demo' Jacobs Ladder toy that she's holding, as well as the cup 'n ball game we keep on hand for kids just like her. She and her family were nice folks, visiting their American family ... made me wish I knew more French beyond 'bon jour!'

We have a new exhibit about to open (this Friday) featuring primarily woolen goods from our part of the world. Wool, of course, comes from sheep and I thought to illustrate the media release I wrote with some photos. I included a few sheep photos from our collection and another featuring one of our stellar volunteers, Adele Ganguet, standing beside one the sheep wagons in the Museum's collection. Adele's family were sheep people, so it was a fitting shot.

Sheep wagons are pretty cool. Whether one wants to assign the title of 'first RV' to them, conestogas, or some earlier incarnation ... how far back might 'gypsy' wagons go? ... they are along the evolutionary trail to our modern mobile homes and recreational vehicles.

Sometimes solitary, sometimes a couple or a pair of folks, often Basque sheepmen in the 'old days, the sheep wagon was a true 'home on the range' for its inhabitants. Besides the flock, a sheepman's company might have been no more than the horse pulling the wagon and his faithful (yet working) dog.

A little stove on which to cook and to keep warm in cool weather, a place to store food and extra clothes, a set of utensils, some tools of the trade, and a bed. Not a lot, but perhaps that was the point ... not everyone fares well when removed from the human flock.

In the Museum's 'Jo-So' sheep wagon ... named for the Jussaud family, one of whose descendants, 'Jo' Winn, sits on our Board Directors ... one can spot a small guitar. I was reminded of cowboys riding night herd singing their 'cow lullabyes' to their charges. perhaps sheepmen were inclined to perch on a nearby rock in order to strum and sing for their flocks by night, too. Maybe a little music helps keep the dark at bay through the long, lonely hours.

The new exhibit, entitled Ewe Guessed It: Woolen Goods of the Walla Walla Region, looks to be worth seeing as Collections Manager Laura and her volunteers are moving beyond the staging phase into installation this morning. Though largely a textile exhibit, there will be several items never before displayed by the Museum and a number of items distinctly not apparel. Come on out and see it ... it will run from August 14 through September 7.

Building Progress: The drywall is almost entirely in place and my early morning visit to the site showed me the 'mud men' at work. I noticed a fully wired electrical socket and work continues on the log-look of the blockhouse entry.

Today's photos include Adelle by a sheep wagon; the interior of the 'J0-So' sheep wagon; a 'mudder' plying his trade; and a pair of images of the blockhouse entry. Sheep were once almost as plentiful as the grass around here. At some point in the future, the future, the Museum will explore that heritage in more depth in a gallery entitled Where Sheep May Safely Graze. Enjoy!

Down in the Village

There's always something worthwhile to see in Fort Walla Walla Museum's pioneer settlement. For many years, we've used a pair of props for 'curb appeal' ... trying to snag those drivers passing by on Myra Road and lure them into to a Museum visit. Apparently it works; our statistics show that signage and related items are key reasons visitors cite as the reason for their being here. The props ... meaning that they are not artifacts ... are our covered wagon and our tepee.

Regional Indian people made use of local building materials before the arrival of the horse in the 1730s. At that time, annual trips across the mountains to the buffalo country of what is now Montana began to take place; the original tule mat lodges were replaced with buffalo skin tepees. After the destruction of the great buffalo herds, canvas replaced animal hides. The Columbia Plateau-style tepee consists of 19 22-to-25-foot poles and a heavy mass of canvas. Traditionally, tepees were erected by a band’s women, who worked with each other to get a community’s portable housing put up in short order. Tepees were generally considered the property of the homemakers. Getting the poles nested in the right sequence is no easy task; it takes quite a bit of experience to get things just right. Doing it alone is extremely difficult. I tried this once upon a time at a Columbus Quincentenary event in 1992 on the Crow Indian Reservation ... the tribal elders found our efforts to be hilarious.

The Museum acquired the tepee from Old West Tipis of Lapwai, Idaho several years ago. According to company owners Dr. Steve Evans and his wife Connie, a full-blood Nez Perce Tribal member, Plateau-style teepees differ from their Plains cousins in several ways. The doorways are not oval, but a kind of upside down ‘U’ with no closure pins at the bottom. The vent flaps are typically shorter and the backs tend to be steeper. You can learn more from Old West Tipi’s website, www.oldwesttipis.com/

The tepee’s poles are assembled in an open nest-like pattern, then the canvas is draped over the frame. Tie-downs and final touches that ensure a realistic portrayal complete the job.

More next time about the 'prairie schooner.'

Building progress: The new version of the log-look entry is progressing. In an effort to keep the new building from looking too much like a new building, the architect has included several ideas to make things look as though the structure has been in place for many a year, much akin to an old military post. For instance, on the back side, a pair of window frams are in place, though no windows will admit light into the interior. Imagine a fort having a building in place but the commander has a new use for the structure ... the windows might be removed, though the frames left in place and the hole boarded up. Another notion is to give the log-look ends of the entry blockhouse a 'nock' on the ends, much like a log cabin would have looked (see the Ransom Clark Cabin in the village).

Today's pics, from the top: two images of Jim and Carol Kirk (Carol's an enolled member of the Confederated Umatilla Tribes) help direct the Museum's crew in erecting the tepee earlier this season; three images of the blockhouse entry.

'Stirring' up Memories

We have lots of things that can be considered 'icons' of the Museum. Our "curb appeal" icons include the covered wagon and tipi on the lawn closest to Myra Road qualify. We often refer to our 33-mule team, Shandoney hitch, and wooden Harris combine in Exhibit Hall 3 as stars of the show, and our life-size Lewis & Clark diorama, currently on view in Headquareters as it awaits a new backdrop mural to be installed in the new Entrance building. By the way, local artist Leslie Cain has been commissioned to do the new mural.

Various things on display obviously please some folks more than others, but a perennial favorite is the Territorial Prison display in Exhibit hall 5. As you walk through the old firehouse doors and past the circa 1900 American LaFrance fire engine, you'll see an actual pair of cells and the locking mechanism used to maintain security.

Many folks ... especially kids ... seem to like to take photos of their friends and family 'in stir.' In the letters we get from participants in our school tours, boys are inclined to pick the jail as their favorite display on the grounds. Boys, of course, will be boys.

In these warm days, consider the life of a prisoner. The cells are small and were occupied by at least two men. In the days before modern plumbing, restroom facilities consisted of a chamber pot: a bucket with a removable lid. This arrangement was emptied once a day by the prisoners. One can imagine the aroma building on a day such as this.

Next to the cells is a bit of the history of the prison and includes a selection of home-made weapons designed and crafted by the prisoners ... before they were confiscated.

Building Progress Report: Two steps forward, one step back ... I was once told that a couple building a home could expect enough stress in the building process to test the vialbility of their marriage. Well, we aren't married to the contractors, but you see the point, I'm sure. The lovely wood-look being applied to the exterior of the blockhouse entry did not meet the architect's specifications. To that end, we are trying our best to keep our new building from looking so much like a new building. When you consider that we are trying to enmulate an old fort, that makes sense ... the idea of trying to make the building appear as if it's already had a long life with lots of use.

Today's fotos, from the top: Washington State Penitentiary employee Alan Walter portrayed first Warden Frank Paine in the Living History Company ... that's him by the jail cells; Walla Walla Fire Department Captain Greg Van Donge portrays Walla Walla's first professional fireman Robert Wolf in the Living History Company, standing beside the American LaFrance pumper; an employee of Jim's Glass Copany repairs some broken glass on the firehouse doors from a windstorm in November, 2007. The doors are from the old station #4 that was on Rose Street, where the parking lot behind the City Building stands; a closer-up of the wood-look/no luck situation with the entry.

Wearin' o' the Green

Visitors to the Museum this time of year get to see the grounds in much of its radiant glory. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the cool shade from the large trees in the pioneer village offers a welcome respite from the day's bright sunshine.

Much work goes into making the grounds look so good. Jim, our Buildings and Grounds Manager, gets most of the credit, but he is ably assisted by a coterie of volunteers. Today, Wednesday, is lawn-mowing day. Visitors will not likely see this operation, as it is done in the early morning hours before we open. A gent from The City of Walla Walla Parks & Recreation Department climbs aboard the large machine and makes short work of things. The Museum rents this place acreage from the city and we are part of Fort Walla Walla Park. Our rental agreement includes lawn mowing and a few other odds 'n ends.

Our relationship with the city has proven to be highly productive. As we move forward with our construction, the city has stepped up big time with support. Perhaps the most obvious item to park visitors will be the outside-access only restroom on the new building's northeast corner. Park users will have access to the facility during early morning park hours and again in the evening. During the day, folks are invited to come indoors and use the Museum's restrooms. As a side note, ladies take notice: We heard you when you told us that restroom equity regarding the number of stalls was non-productive. In the new building, the women's restroom will be larger and have more stalls than the men's room. Both will have diaper-changing stations.

Come on out and see us. Jim has installed a couple of hummingbird feeders which proven to be very popular among our feathered friends. The Italian Herb Garden (a horticultural exhibit, along with our vineyard, in support of the Saturno Italian Farmstead) is getting productive, and the place just looks grand.

Building Progress Department: as I came into work this morning, I noticed that the crew was continuing work on the log-look to the entrway blockhouse.

Today's top-to-bottom photos include our pal Elaine Johnson at work in the Italian Herb Garden, the Fry family overlooking the Saturno homestead (you can see their kids rolling down the slope ... a major kid magnet, that hill!), a city worker mowing the lawn near our tipi, a view of the Headquarters (where the special exhibit Yesterday's Fashions is currently on view) from the construction site, and the log-look work on the entry of our new Entrance building.

No Place Like Home

After a week away from the desk communing with nature on Oregon's Metolius River and later, communing with my distant family in the hospital at Eugene, Oregon, I can report that truly, there is no place like home. My sister underwent semi-emergency surgery for an intestinal disorder and is recovering nicely, thank you very much. Also while my lovely wife and I were away, a friend may have delivered her first-born ... if so, congratulations Becky! On a more somber note, a member of our extended Museum family passed away ... adieu, Linda, whose celebration of life occurs today.

It is finally high summer in the Walla Walla Valley and the wheat harvest is in full swing. A small field across the road from the Museum was harvested in my absence, but given the prospects for development of that area, I thought last year might have been the last for urban wheat fields in my neighborhood. Nice to know that progress waited a little while for me to catch my breath.

Clear and sunny skies with cool nights makes the grapes perfect when it comes time to harvest them. I shall have to check on the progress of the Museum's own vineyard when I get caught up here. We grow a varietal known variously as 'Black Prince' or 'Cinseault.' I'm told that the name depends on whether you are a Francophile or an Anglophile, but the name may date to the days when the two European rivals disliked almost everything about each other. Whichever way, they are a delicious black, seeded grape suitable for either wine or the table. A local winery, Morrison Lane, sells a bottle of Cinseault (not our grapes) at its downtown tasting room at 4th and Main Streets. I may not write for Wine Spectator, but I highly recommend it.

In the meantime, progress continued on our construction project. Insulation has been put in place and interior plywood is now covering much of the framework. The drywall process began yesterday, too, as well as the first aspect of the 'log look' for the entryway blockhouse. I'll remind you that this is a community project and your help is greatly appreciated. We are still actively fund-raising on this project and seek support for such things as the orientation theater, children's hands-on stations, and other "naming opportunities." Call us at (509) 525-7703 if you'd like to participate as we carry the past into the future!

Today's photos, from the bottom up, include last year's wheat harvest across the road as one overlooks our vineyard, a sample of our grapes, a couple of shots showing the building of the log-look corner of the blockhouse, and a bit of the drywall.