“Historic The Dalles Days” celebrates community’s unique heritage
Contact: The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce (541) 296-2231 or (800) 255-3385
www.historicthedalles.org

The Dalles, one of Oregon’s oldest cities, celebrates its historic heritage this month with an 1858 costume ball, public concerts, horse-drawn wagon rides, Native American storytelling, “talking murals,” a run/walk crossing the Columbia River atop The Dalles Dam, wine tastings, “living biographies,” pioneer children’s games and other family activities.

Those are among the highlights of “Historic The Dalles Days” from Sept. 18-21 in The Dalles, Oregon – campsite for Lewis & Clark, end of the Overland Oregon Trail, and a center of trade for at least 10,000 years.

“Historic The Dalles Days” presents the human stories behind this shared legacy – of Native American legends and European explorers, traders, pioneers and frontier lawmen, of saloon-keepers and missionaries and merchants and soldiers. Each year the event features tours of historic buildings and museums, music, demonstrations, speakers and family fun.

This year’s celebration takes place at museums and historical sites throughout the city, beginning Thursday, Sept. 18, when the popular “Cascade Singers” offer a free public concert in St. Peter’s Landmark (built in 1897), famous for its historic stained glass windows. Events continue Sept. 19, with a Tribute to Veterans, POWs and MIAs in the Civic Auditorium (1921), home to one of Oregon’s four “floating” dance floors, and Saturday, Sept. 20 with wagon rides, free tours, music, and demonstrations at Fort Dalles Museum (1856), “Three Courthouses” presentation in the Original Wasco County Courthouse (1859), “living biographies” of noted pioneers presented by high school students in the city’s Pioneer Cemetery, pioneer children’s games at the public library, Port of The Dalles 75 th Anniversary reception at Klindt’s Annex, tour of D21 School District Archive Museum, artists’ demonstrations in The Dalles Art Center, a quilt display in the Rorick House (1850). Saturday evening there will be a gala 1858 costume ball and dinner in the Discovery Center & Museum.

On Sunday, Sept. 21, walkers and runners have the rare opportunity to cross the top of The Dalles Dam, courtesy of special permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That event starts at 10 a.m. from the Seufert’s Visitor Center, just east of Highway 197.

Open houses, wine tastings and other activities continue all four days. People can also pick up a key to the community’s “talking murals,” which document local history through images and recordings, from the chamber office. For details on Historic The Dalles Days 2008, visit the website at www.historicthedalles.org or contact The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, (541) 296-2231 or (800) 255-3385, for a brochure with detailed events schedule.

The Dalles was seat of government for one of the largest counties in American history, when the sheriff’s jurisdiction reached as far east as Wyoming and Montana. All three of the county’s courthouses are still standing, as well as the ornate “Surgeon’s Quarters” from a Civil War-era military fort. A United States Mint building – now a popular winery – was commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln during the gold rush. A former Catholic Church – now a museum – displays the stained glass creations of Portland’s famed Povey Brothers. Lewis & Clark camped along the Columbia River at The Dalles twice, in 1805 and 1806. The overland Oregon Trail ended at The Dalles, where pioneers had to portage around ‘le grand dalles’ of the Columbia, the dangerous rapids that gave the city its name, before reaching the Willamette Valley. Mary Leonard, who would later become Oregon’s first woman attorney, was imprisoned here on murder charges (she was acquitted). Downtown The Dalles was destroyed by fire in 1891 and rebuilt, only to be flooded three years later.) Eastern Oregon’s first newspaper was published here. But the city’s oldest legacy, as a center of Native American trade, predates all that by thousands of years, given silent testimony by ancient rock petroglyph art and some of North America’s most important archaeological sites.

The Dalles is still a center of trade in the Columbia River Gorge for regional ranchers and farmers, clean hydro-electric and wind power, and boasts a fiber optic network that enticed internet-giant, Google, to establish a growing facility at the Port of The Dalles. Located 82 miles east of Portland, at the junction of I-84 and Hwy 197, The Dalles is at the east end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The Dalles is centrally located for easy access to some of the best outdoor sports sites, including white-water rafting, skiing on Mt. Hood, wind surfing, cycling, hiking, boating, fishing and more.

Contact The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce (541) 296-2231 or (800) 255-3385
or visit www.historicthedalles.org for more information.

HISTORIC THE DALLES 2008 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, September 18

• Commodore II (1906) 312 Court St. Open House. Free. Thurs. 12-4 p.m.

• St. Peter’s Landmark (1898) W 3rd & Lincoln. Old Favorites concert with the Cascade Singers, conducted by Lloyd Walworth. Thurs. 7:30 p.m.

Friday, September 19

• Civic Auditorium. (1921) 323 E. 4th St. A Tribute to Veterans, POWs and MIAs. Visit with veterans, presentation by The Dalles Wahtonka history students. Fri. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

• The Mint / Erin Glenn Winery (1870) 710 E. 2nd St. Wine tasting and music. 710 E. Second St. 12-9 p.m.

• Bolton Cellars. (1926) 306 Court St. Wine tasting. Opens at 3 p.m.

• Commodore II. Fri. Open House. 12-4 p.m.

• St. Peter’s Landmark (1898) W. Third & Lincoln. Free tours 11-3.

Saturday, September 20

• The Dalles Wasco County Library. 722 Court St. Frontier games and activities for kids. Free. 722 Court St. Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

• The Dalles Art Center/Carnegie Library (1910). Open house. Free. 220 E. Fourth St. Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Fort Dalles Museum and Anderson Homestead - (built 1856), 500 W. 15th & Garrison. Music all day includes Linda McAlister and Co., Hardshell Harmony, Dufur Valley String Band, and The Dalles Wahtonka High School Jazz Band. Ed Edmo will be sharing Native American storytelling, and archaeologist Virginia Butler will speak on “Relic Hunting, Archaeology and loss of Native American Herigage.” Steve Plucker will re-enact life as a soldier at Fort Dalles. Wagon rides, wool spinning demonstration, farm animal petting zoo, refreshments. Free admission. Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Original Wasco County Courthouse (1859). John Lundell at 1:30 p.m. presents ‘Three Courthouses - A Governmental History of Wasco County.’ Free. 410 W. Second Place. Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Rorick House (1850). 300 W. 13th St. Quilting display. Horse-drawn wagon rides 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Pioneer Cemetery (1860). Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society and School District 21 history students present a Cemetery Walk. Students will present a “living biography” of noted pioneers and the history they made in our community. Free. 400 Block East Scenic Dr. Sat. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• The Port of The Dalles. The Port celebrates its 75th Anniversary with an open house at Klindt’s Annex, 313 E. 2nd. Displays include: time-line history of the Port, historical photos and memorabilia, a video presentation of Port and river history, and a restored 1923 GMC truck. Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Commodore II. Open House. Sat. 12-4 p.m.

• Wasco County Pioneer Association. Picture boards on display at Klindt’s Annex. Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, 5000 Discovery Dr. 1858 Costume Ball and dinner. Music of the era by the High Strung String Quartet. Horse-drawn carriage valet parking. $25 per person. Optional candlelight buffet dinner $12, served until 8 p.m. For more information: www.gorgediscovery.org or call 296-8600. Sat. 6-10 p.m.

• The Dalles School District Archive Museum. Location: East The Dalles Wahtonka high school campus, entrance at 10th and Court Street, The Dalles. Displays include Steelhead Annuals from 1911 to present, plus trophies both sport and FFA, uniforms, Booster Girls and Girls League and a lot more. Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• The Mint / Erin Glenn Winery. 12-5 p.m.

• Bolton Cellars. Opens at 3 p.m.

• St. Peter’s Landmark (1898) Free tours 12-3.

Sunday, September 21

• The Dalles Dam Walk & Run - Sun. 10 a.m. start from Seufert Visitor Center. 8K (4.98 miles) out and back acros the dam. $5 or $15 with a t-shirt; $3 for under 18 with no t-shirt. Pre-register by Sept. 18 or $10 or $20 w/t-shirt, $5 under 18 with no shirt, day of registration. Register day of race 9 to 9:55 a.m. Information 541-298-1119.

• Ben Snipes Home. Enjoy scones and Devonshire tea, tour the Ben Snipes house / Anzac Tea Parlour. Sun. 1-5 p.m.

• Commodore II. Open House. Sun. 12-4 p.m.

• The Mint / Erin Glenn Winery. Sun. 12-5 p.m.

View the Talking Murals downtown! Keys $5, available at The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce offices Thursday and Friday, or at Fort Dalles Museum Saturday and Sunday.