Lost in Time (but not in space)

Here's something to wrap your mind around today.

It's all about the past, right? That's what most folks assume when thinking about or visiting a heritage museum like Fort Walla Walla Museum. After all, that's the point, to see how things were done in bygone years.

While taking care of the past is among our primary duties ... "preserving and sharing" is in our mission statement ... we also must consider the future. While preserving congers visions of forever, perpetuity, and everlasting, we don't know how long forever actually will be. For us, looking down the road about 200 years is the best we can do given current budgets and technologies. We keep the lion's share of our artifacts in climate-controlled areas and are working to do that with much of the rest of our more than 42,000 (and growing) collection.

Somethings just won't work indoors. the 17 buildings in our pioneer settlement come to mind first, one of which, the Ransom Clark Cabin) is among the oldest structures in the state dating to the 1850s. For that building, periodic maintenance including log oiling, re-chinking, and roof replacement is what we're capable of doing. We hope that in 200 years, new ways of taking care of things will allow our grandchildren's grandchildren to gain some perspective through that window into the past.

In the meantime, there's the present. There isn't much point in preserving the past for future generations if no one cares about it today. We do our best to keep the public informed about our new exhibits, events, programs, and the importance of staying in contact with our shared heritage.

So there you have it ... we take care of the past for the sake of the future all the while informing the present about why it's all important. Whew! That's a brain-bender for sure ... fortunately, it's a lot of fun for us and we hope you think so, too. Today's pics represent past (the Ransom Clark Cabin), present (an urban wheat harvest across the road from the Museum in 2008), and future (an artist's idea of a city in the future).

Building Progress!

Friday marked a milestone at Fort Walla Walla Museum in the construction of our new Entrance Building. Until now, most of what was accomplished was demolition or 'horizontal work.' Bulldozers and front-end loaders moving earth and gravel around, the digging of utility trenches, and so forth.

We actually worked 'vertically' Friday, with the pouring of the footers and the walls upon which will be built the new structure. Hopefully we'll continue to see progress with a little bit nicer weather and the ironing out of the expected problems. It is a given in construction that young couples building their first home together will put a strain on their new relationship ... in building, "the best laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft agley," as Robbie Burns wrote ... nothing goes easily or according to plan.

Pouring the concrete was interesting ... a giant crane held up a long pipe through which was pumped the concrete directly from the cement truck. Apparently, that allows exisiting trenches to remain undisturbd, security fencing to remain in place, and the job of delivering concrete to specific points is accomplished with ease.

History Comes Alive!

We take history seriously at Fort Walla Walla Museum, but we're also aware that not everyone else wants a lecture on the subject. One of the most interesting and entertaining ways of learning a little about regional heritage is through our Living History program, the first of whose presentations occurs this Sunday at 2:00 pm.

It's important to learn from our past. As philospher George Santayana once wrote, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The Museum's Living History Company, through its more than 40 weekend presentations through the season, tells the stories of real people in their 'own voice' who helped create the community we have today. I get first nod of the season as I portray Lewis & Clark Expedition member John Colter. Next week, Charles Saranto portrays one of the best stories anywhere as pioneer blacksmith & hotelier Fred Stine.

Through the season, which features performance every Sunday, plus Saturday June through August, you can enjoy Captain Mullan from Mullan Trail fame, Madame Josephine 'Dutch Jo' Wolf, early brewmasters John & Catherine Stahl, Hudson's Bay Company trader William McBean, Suzanne Cayuse Dauphin who was one of the first Indian women to own property in this region, and many, many others. Included in the bunch are special presentations during Ice Cream Social, Women's History Celebration, Frenchtown Rendezvous, and a '19th Century Party' to conclude the season. The season has been described as "a 42-week course in Walla Walla history." Maybe so, but it sure is fun!

Today's photos, top to bottom, include Rich Monacelli as William McBean, Judith Fortney as Suzanne Cayuse Dauphin, Lois Hahn as 'Dutch Jo,' Charles Saranto as Fred Stine, and me, Paul Franzmann as John Colter.

From Near and Far

After our first day of operations this year, we are pleased to report that attendance is up 10% from last year! That's a trend we hope continues throughout the season. We had several visitors from Seattle and Tacoma arrive yestreday, as well as folks from La Grande, Oregon. Our first visitors of the day were from Vancouver, WA and timed their visit to April 1 for our opening.

That's two states down, 48 to go. In my memory, we have never missed our unofficial goal of all 50 states; that might go back a dozen years or more at this point. A couple of years ago, we hit that goal in mid-June, though it's usually September, even October, before we log the final state. The toughest one to record is Rhode Island, a low-population state nearly as far from here as possible.

I also had email yesterday from Jørn in Denmark who'd visited us last year, purchased a quilt-raffle ticket and wondered who won the draw (Rosemary Kenney of Portland, OR was our winner; that's her with the prize). We typically receive visitors from more than 30 foreign countries in a season, though last year that number was 42. Amazing! Imagine traveling halfway across the world to take in the heritage we have right in our own backyard. Pictured here are Marc-Thomas and Urte with their son Nicholas (a family from Germany) at the Jacky play cabin and a group of visiting highschool kids from our sister city, Sasayama, Japan.

Most of our visitors come from 'the neighborhood,' Washington, Oregon, and Idaho followed by California and Montana. We receive many of the rest of the states courtesy of the "boat people," those Columbia River cruise tourists who get bussed here from the docks in the Tri-Cities. They tend to be active retirees who are intensely interested in all facets of life. Like all of us, they love to share the interesting things about their home towns, what they've done along life's road, and what they are doing sailing up the Columbia River. You can see the bus they arrive on ... that looks like a pretty comfortable ride!

It's one of the best things about museum life ... we get to meet the neatest people! I also think that's one of the biggest draws for those who volunteer here, the chance to share our wonderful community with so many people, an average of about 25,000 annually over the past decade.

Family Fun at Fort Walla Walla Museum

This is it! The Museum Store is re-stocked, the 33-mule team is buffed, and new exhibits are ready for inspection! Welcome to Fort Walla Walla Museum's 42nd season of service from beautiful Fort Walla Walla Park!

It's Spring Break and a great opportunity to take the family to the Museum. Less costly than the movies and an experience that will last far longer with your young ones. It's good to share time with your kids, doing things as a family. The kids will remember that sort of gift more so than most any tangible present they might receive.

The weather will be mostly dry today, so grab the kids, call a friend and let's all meet at the Museum!

Here's to the Children!

Tomorrow's the BIG Day, the opening of our 42nd season of service from our location here in beautiful Fort Walla Walla park. We already have something approaching 2,000 participants booked for the admission-free school tour program this spring. The program is open to public, private, and home schools and is generously sponsored by Pacific Power Foundation;Boise, Inc's Wallula Mill; The Blue Mountain Area Foundation; the J.L. Stubblefield Trust; and the Bonnie Braden Trust.

Most years we get kids from across Washington and Oregon, as well as from Idaho. As school budgets have been strapped the past couple years, we've seen a bit of a decline in numbers, but the progam still averages more than 5,000 participants each year. Not a bad way to put kids in touch with their heritage!

Many schools that arrive at the Museum also manage to book a tour at Whitman Mission for the other half of their day. I'm told that many schools also take their students to either the Yakama Nation Museum or to Tamastastlikt Cultural Institute, the museum of The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. When they're through touring, the kids end up with a pretty good base of regional historical knowledge.

We enjoy being a part of the region's educational efforts. Kids who know of their heritage are far more capable of helping to lead our communities into the future. To that end, the past is just about our only road map into the future and we ignore it to our peril. It doesn't matter if your family has lived here for umpteen generations or if you just finished unloading the moving van, this is the region's heritage and now it's yours. Knowing it helps us cope with daily existence as well as helping to make a brighter tomorrow for us all.

These days, we interact with regional school kids only once or twice in their K-12 years. We'd like to make that five or six times. Our plans for the future include hirring an Education Coordinator so that we can do more outreach in the schools and have more things for kids while they're at the Museum. History class is too often a 'death match' between kids and the guy at the front of the class (and he'd win if it weren't for graduation!) ... I think it's all about people and that should make it all the time interesting.

So here's to the kids! Bring 'em to the Museum this week during Spring Break ... it's one of the best things parents can do for their kids.

Enjoy the photos ... I like the one of Walla Walla's Edison School with the kids near their busses, all waving.

Snow, man!

Snow?!? Waking up yesterday was a bit of a shock. Having moved here from Montana nearly a dozen years ago, snow in March was hardly unusual ... nor is April or even May blizzards. In the years I lived in that state, I saw it snow on every major holiday. But a late March snow in Walla Walla seems like something our grandparents would have referred to from the 'old days.'

Snow or rain (but not gloom of night), Museum work continues. Each year we take a day to shoot new photos of our Living History participants so that they'll look fresh in newspaper articles, web site postings, and wherever else they might appear. In the past, we did the shoot in late February and it seemed that more often than not we were dodging cold rain or snow flurries under an overcast sky that was hardly repesentative of local weather during the bulk of our season. We try hard to portray the community in its best light (no pun intended), knowing that our many guests from 'the wet side' travel this far to enjoy dry, sunny weather. Shooting in the gloom largely defeats that purpose.

This year we pushed picture day back a month to try to take advantage of better weather. Saturday's day-long rain and Sunday's snow nearly doused that hope, but by Sunday afternoon the clouds parted and things had warmed up. A goodly number of the Company arrived for group and individual portraits, including Chloe, the first kid we've seen in the Company for awhile. All dressed up in 'Sunday-go-to-Meetin' pioneer garb, she was quite a lovely sight.

Today is gloriously sunny ... out my office window I can see the farthest windmills on the ridge west of town, even see the blades rotating. That means its quite clear today, so let's all get out when we can and enjoy as much of the day as possible. It's Spring Break for Washington School kids and teachers and the Museum opens April 1 for visitation. Looks like a good opportunity to have a little family fun at Fort Walla Walla Museum!