Title: Happy Birthday Oregon
Author: WillametteLive
Publisher: WillametteLive
Date: 3/1/09
Why wait another 50 years for a bicentennial, when you can celebrate the sesquicentennial of Oregon's statehood? Even if you don't know the state song by heart, a birthday celebration is a great time to get familiar with Oregon history, and to explore some wonderful new and forthcoming books.
Why not get started with "The Oregon Blue Book?" Oregon's official state directory and fact book is published every two years by the State Archives, and is conveniently scheduled for a new release this March. Not only does it contain maps, almanacs, and a guide to the "official" state bird, flower and song, but it includes a whole section on Oregon history.
Coming up in April is "Oregon at Work: 1859-2009" by Tom Fuller and Art Ayre, from Ooligan Press. In honor of the sesquicentennial, the Oregon Employment Department has produced this commemorative book, which describes, documents and honors working Oregonians in three eras from statehood to the present. Included are fascinating personal narratives, historic photos, and accounts of native peoples' economy as well.
Just for lucky Salem residents, "Images of America: Salem" also by Tom Fuller, with co-author Christy Van Heukelem will be published in June. This is one of the popular series from Arcadia Press; tight, handy, little picture books of historic photos with well researched captions which cover many places in American history. Salem has been without a simple history book all these years, and the gap will finally be filled with this timely volume.
For fans of creative writing, Matt Love of the independent Oregon history press, Nestucca Spit Press, has edited an anthology, "Citadel of the Spirit: Oregon's Sesquicentennial Anthology." The book's release date was February 14, 2009, Oregon's official 150th birthday. (Has everyone noticed the heart on the Oregon State Seal?) Here are 63 essays by Oregon writers, past and present, and a nearly equal number of excerpts of documents from Oregon history.
If you want to follow the party on online, you can visit www.oregon150.org where you can find educational materials, a guide to upcoming events, and even share your personal story to participate in the celebration.
Title: Author of 'Salem' has local book signing
Author: Barbara Curtin
Publisher: Stateman Journal
Date: 10/11/2009
Christy Van Heukelem, co-author of "Salem," released by Arcadia Publishing this summer, will meet the public and sign books on Saturday at E.Z. Orchards.
The book traces the city's history from a favorite winter camping location for the Kalapuya tribe to a Methodist mission to a pioneer city platted in 1851. Its central location, in the middle of the Willamette Valley's agricultural belt, made it an ideal location for the new capital of Oregon.
Since then, Salem's character has largely been influenced by the presence of woolen mills, crop production and many state institutions. Surviving devastating floods and fires in all three state Capitol buildings, Salem and its people have a history of resilience, leadership and public service.
Van Heukelem is a genealogist and the children's material cataloger for the Salem Public Library. Her co-author, Tom Fuller, reported from Salem for more than a decade with Portland television station KGW.
DETAILS
When: noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct 17
Where: E.Z. Orchards, 5504 Hazelgreen Road NE
Cost: Free; books are available for purchase at E.Z. Orchards.
For more information: www.arcadiapublishing.com
Title: Book a lesson in Salem history
Author: Barabra Curtin
Publisher: Stateman Journal
Date: 6/28/09
Christy Van Heukelem has lived in Salem for 31 years, many of them as a librarian, teacher and genealogist.
But she found plenty to be surprised about while co-authoring "Salem," a new photo and history book about the city.
The book's formal launch will be Thursday at the Mission Mill Museum, which gets credit as a partner in the book's creation. Keni Sturgeon, the museum's curator, wrote the chapter on the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, and the museum provided the photos and captions for that section.
Tom Fuller, Van Heukelem's co-author, was approached for the project last year by Arcadia Publishing. The company liked "Oregon at Work," which Fuller had written with research assistance from Van Heukelem. Arcadia asked for a book on Salem for the same "Image of America" series.
All work on the "Salem" book, from researching through finished copy, took place September through December 2008.
"I'm a researcher at heart," Van Heukelem said. "Digging into the old records was like a treasure hunt. I went through city directories, old biographies, histories of Salem from the 1800s. I learned so much about this amazing city."
Fuller juggled the project around his day job as communications manager with the state Employment Department.
"Christy and I unearthed photos that were squirreled away," he said. "It's an easy book to digest because it's photo-driven.
"People live here, and they know it's the state capital, but they don't know the early history and motivation of people like Jason Lee. They don't know how much Salem is part of the prehistory of Oregon, as well."
