History news in brief

History forum

The army camp in Rufus is the topic of the third Regional History forum Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Original Wasco County Courthouse. Presenter Cal McDermid is director of the Fort Dalles Museum and a Sherman County native. He explores the unique settlement in Old Wasco and later Sherman County, and the role of Camp Rufus in developing technology for bridging the Rhine in a presentation titled “Rufus and the Army Camp that Helped End World War II.” Program begins at 1:30 p.m. in the upstairs courtroom of the 1859 courthouse, 410 W. 2nd Place, The Dalles. Admission is free, cookies and coffee will be served. Additional forums are Feb. 22 and 29.

All Together The Dalles

Stories about the many buildings featured in “All together The Dalles” an art print future mural downtown The Dalles, are being compiled and shared on a related blog: Visit www.alltogetherthedalles.com, click on “blog” at the top right of the page, and you will currently find entries on the Neon Museum, Baldwin Saloon, Chinese Building/Wing Hong Tai Building and many others.

Each entry includes a photograph and a short description of the building’s history. Entries are planned through March 21. Future entries include Quinton Street Ball Park, the second Wasco County Courthouse, Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles Art Center, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and others.

Quinton Street Ballpark

Do you have information about Quinton Street ball park in The Dalles? The All Together The Dalles researchers are seeking input about the facilities origins and history. Email contact information to mgibson@thedalleschronicle.com.

Lecture series

The Oregon Historical Society’s Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series has three lectures scheduled.  For over 20 years, the Society has presented the nation’s top scholars and award-winning authors for thought-provoking evenings of history. The events are ticketed, visit OHS.org to learn more. Lectures include:

• Joanne B. Freeman on Tuesday, March 17. Freeman is an expert on early American politics. Her newest book, “The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War,” explores the impact and legacies of physical violence in the U.S. Congress leading up to the Civil War.

• Erika Lee on Tuesday, April 28. One of the nation’s leading immigration and Asian American historians, Erika Lee is the author of four notable books, including “America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States and The Making of Asian America.”

• Evan Thomas on Tuesday, May 19. Evan Thomas is the author of ten books including New York Times bestsellers “Being Nixon, John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder,”  and “First: Sandra Day O’Connor.” For 33 years, Thomas was a writer, correspondent, and editor at TIME and Newsweek.

A fourth speaker, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, host of Finding Your Roots, and author of Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow. His program, “Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow,” will be rescheduled in the fall.

Images needed

Do you have photographs from the 1950s through the 1980s that can help tell the story of the history of your community? The Dalles Chronicle is seeking images from those years for future History Mystery columns. Prints can be brought to the Chronicle office, or electronic scans or reproductions can be emailed to mgibson@thedalleschronicle.com. Include as much information as possible.