Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society

October 8th Meeting- Hood River Historical Museum

Changed Venue for Our October Meeting

The Discovery Center, our usual haunt, is all tied up with activities associated with the 25th anniversary of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic River Act. On at least two occasions in the past your board of directors has considered visiting area museums and/or historical societies to get idea on how to display or preserve family artifacts and to learn what genealogical resources they have for research opportunities. We will be meeting at The History Museum in Hood River on October 8, 2001. As usual the board meeting will be at 10:30 AM and the regular meeting at 1:00 PM. It is located at 300 East Port Marina Drive. Use Exit 64 from I-84 and turn toward the Hood River Bridge. Then turn left onto East Port Marina Drive. Keep left; go around all the construction equipment and you’ll see the museum sign. Bring a sack lunch and we’ll all have a noontime picnic under the BIG Paddle Wheel (or inside at the tables if bad weather). Casey Housen, Education and Volunteer Coordinator, will describe the resources at the museum, give us a tour of the displays, tell of the renovation effort currently under way and answer questions. There will be no charge for members; Guests pay $3.00.

If you have any questions or need more information please contact Jim Bull ( jimbull@gorge.net) Sandy Bisset (wildflowers@gorge.net) or Georga Foster (georga.foster@gmail.com) 541-296-2882

Vancouver, Washington (September 19, 2011) – The Confluence Project will host two free events to capture the stories of locals who participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1933 and 1942. Headquartered at Vancouver Barracks, the Northwest CCC program operated 27 major camps and hundreds of temporary work stations along the Columbia River Gorge. Previously enrolled personnel from the Forest Service, Army, or Navy are invited to share their memories of service through oral histories, photographs, and memorabilia as part of ongoing research by the Confluence Project on the history of the Gorge and the Columbia River.

Scheduled interviews will take place on Saturday, October 15th at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, Oregon, and on Saturday, November 12th at the Howard House, Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve in Vancouver, Washington. Past enrollees and their families are encouraged to contact Mary Rose at (360) 693-7742 to schedule an interview time. Interview volunteers will be sent questionnaires in advance. Interviewers will gather information from participants including:

When did volunteers enroll and under what circumstances?

Did volunteers live in the Northwest at the time?

Was the CCC experience meaningful to volunteers and their families?

In retrospect, did the CCC leave a lasting impression?

What camps did they work in?

What specific memories or events stand out from their time of service?

What are the lasting effects of the CCC's in the Columbia River Gorge and beyond?

All oral histories, scanned photos, and other memorabilia gathered will inform interpretive materials for the Confluence Project, specifically at the Vancouver Land Bridge at Fort Vancouver and online at www.confluenceproject.org.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of the New Deal. In less than a decade, over 2.5 million Americans created a lasting heritage throughout the nation and in the Northwest, planting nearly 3 billion trees, building over 800 parks, updating forest fire fighting methods, and creating a network trails, campsites, roads, and conservation practices that have helped preserve our forests and scenic vistas for generations to come.

To read more about the Confluence Project , please visit their website at:

http://www.confluenceproject.org/

Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island Seminar

For more information , visit their website at :

http://www.gsswi.org/index.php

What did the 1940 census sheet look like???

Follow the link below to view what the 1940 census sheet contained and a explanation of the sheet questions.

http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/1940-census-form-fillable.pdf

News from the National Archives

The National Archives has announced that the 1940 census will be released online April 2, 2012. It will be free and accessible to all . To read more about this, go to the archives main web page at:

http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/

2026- 2027 Programs and Events

January 10 - Social History and Your Genealogical Research
Febuary- All Saturdays of the month- Original Wasco County Courthouse History Forums
March 14- Kenneth R. Marks - How to Develop Critical Online Newspaper Research Skills
April 11 - Ft. Dalles Tour
May - IOOF Photo Requests
June 5 - Membership Luncheon
Summer Break- July and August
September 19- Brian Rhinehart-Navigating the Records From The War of 1812
Oct. 17 - National Family History Month - Sanctuaries of the Mind - Little Lula
Nov. 7- Wasco County Historical Society annual Meeting
December- Christmas Break
January 2027 - TBA
February - All Saturday's_Original Wasco County Courthouse Forums
March 13- IS IT TRUE? Using Manuscripts and Family Records for Genealogical Proof - Steven Morrison
April- TBA

Pioneers of The West

Header Photo: Helen Lundeberg created this painting while employed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program that employed artists during the Great Depression. Like other WPA artists, Lundeberg depicted a hopeful view of the United States during a time of turmoil and uncertainty by showing a dreamlike image of western expansion. The group of pioneers, with their backs to the viewer, follows an ox-drawn wagon into a valley. The monumental figures appear strong and assured in their forward progress. Rising mountains melt into the sun. Lundeberg's style of mixing fantastic images with reality is evident in the background: The pink, rolling mountains blend into the orange, pink, and bluish haze of the sky; it is difficult to determine where the mountains end and the sky begins. The careful use of space and dreamlike elements in Pioneers of the West is representative of Lundeberg's postsurrealist style. This movement, derived from surrealism, purposely combined fantasy with reality and was predominantly found on the West Coast. (Helen Lundeberg, Pioneers of the West, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1985.8.27) GSA: Information and images created or owned by the GSA unless otherwise indicated, are considered in the public domain. They may be distributed or copied as permitted by applicable law.