Original Wasco County Courthouse

Reporter Volume 2017 Number 1

Board of Directors President: Sandy Bisset Step Back Vice President: Karl Vercouteren Secretary: Juanita Neitling Treasurer: Judy Moore Members at Large: Jerry Davis, in Time Rodger Nichols, Bob Haechrel 1859 Honorary Member: Paul Tews Docent: Davien Lundin MARK THE DATE

Original Wasco County Courthouse Original Wasco 410 West 2nd Place PO Box 839 County Courthouse The Dalles, Oregon 97058 Annual Meeting 541-296-8672 [email protected] rd www.OriginalWascoCountyCourthouse.org Saturday June 3 - 1:30 PM

Located in Trevitt’s Addition Historic District At the Courthouse South of The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center

National Register of Historic Places Silent Movies State of Oregon Historic Landmark Filmed in the Beautiful The Original Wasco County Courthouse Preservation Gorge Corporation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization DESCHUTES DRIFTWOOD (1916) MEMBER TRAILS THAT LURE (1920) Oregon Museum Association and more…. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Wear a period Partner organization costume Oregon Cultural Trust and enjoy the flicks Charm Trail Participant No charge for admission

Popcorn and drinks available Original Wasco County Courthouse for purchase

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We had good intentions for the landscaping on the west NEWS FROM THE side of the building, but with our wet spring we are behind FRONT DESK schedule. Our major work may wait until fall. The ADA ramp is the next priority.

Sandy Bisset Jose Morales of Blue Angel Construction completed our outside repairs, including replacing the fascia board at the A s usual we have a lot to share with all of you. As I write, end of the porch, to eliminate a water problem on the Juanita and Dave Neitling are mowing and raking the lawn porch. He also replaced the vinyl in the bathroom and and sprucing up the yard. The buntings are up, Davien created baseboards that match the rest of the building. Lunden is hosting passengers from our second American Thank you Joe, it really looks great. Empress trip of the season, and Carrie Swearingen is just rounding the corner with a carriage load of visitors. Due Our website and Facebook page languished over the win- ter but we are back on track thanks to Trish Neal. Please to winter weather, lock repair, and high water in the check out our new entries. Bonneville Pool, the Empress was unable to dock at The Dalles until recently. See page 6 for Karl Vercouteren’s recap of a very success- ful February History Forum series. Karl won’t sing his own Our big news is that we are open for a five month season praises but he did a tremendous amount of research and this year, from the beginning of May to the end of Sep- gave us a very enlightening presentation on Maximillian tember, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 11:00 AM Vogt and his Opera Houses. to 3:00 PM as well as the days and times of the Hop On— Hop Off tours. We accommodate special requests to be As part of keeping informed and connected to the local open at other times. For further information contact me history community the Original Courthouse Board took at [email protected] or 541-298-1240 or leave a part in History After Hours, a networking event hosted by message at the Courthouse. the Discovery Center. We manned an informational booth at the Chinese Building for Cherry Festival and Davien Lunden has returned as docent for the 2017 sea- manned a booth at the Wasco County Pioneers Annual son. She did a great job last year and we welcome her Meeting. back. This is also a good time to invite new volunteers. On days As we announced in the last newsletter, we have begun we know we will have a large number of visitors, we charging admission. Our fee schedule is on page 7. attempt to have two docents on duty. This includes the Please note that there is no admission charge for mem- American Empress visitors, and other pre-arranged tours. bers. An Individual Membership admits the person Our Board members have been great about these added named on the membership card, a Family Membership duties but would really appreciate more assistance. If you admits members of the household, Sustaining and Patron like people, history, and have the gift of gab, this is a good Memberships will also receive a number of one time free gig for you. admission tickets for their guests. We have retained Chris Bolton to give our jail cell displays If you are not listed on the membership page you may use a fresh look. The proceeds of our History Raffle Basket will the form in this newsletter to renew. If you feel we have go to help offset the cost of this project. See pages 2 and made an error, contact Davien at the museum during 7 for details. open hours or leave a phone message. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Original Wasco We have brand new rack cards. Trish Neal did the initial County Courthouse I wish you a Happy Independence Day design and Tammy Keys from Bohn’s Printing added her and a sunny summer. professional touch, creating a full color, informational, and visually appealing product. In the process we have begun some informal “branding,” coordinating the look of our Visit us this summer advertising materials for immediate recognition. A belated thank you to Carolyn Purcell of the Columbia and Gorge Discovery Center for her mentorship efforts with our organization. She helped us look forward, by updating our mission statement to reflect our actual purpose. See Step Back in Time article and Mission Statement on page 9.

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2017 ORIGINAL COURTHOUSE MEMBERSHIP

INDIVIDUAL Mark Popoff Jerry & Lynn Cotter Adele Barnett Charles Powell Kenneth & Phyllis Farner Milly Baumgartner Duane Powell Judy Moore Evelyn Brown Linda Turner Lynn & Dollie Rasmussen Susan Buce Marilyn Urness Marsha Williams Patricia Carty Mary Watts Chip Wood Christine Derting Sam Woolsey Beatrice Dick PATRON FAMILY Ed Elliott Anne Bialous Dennis & Mary Davis Lorna Elliott Jim & Sandy Bisset Jerry & Peg Davis Marvin Elsberry Dan & Jamie Crouse Elt & Laurie Fadness Inez Freeman David & Juanita Neitling Glenn & Donnamae Grannemann David Gross Terry & Bette Nelson Bob & Sandy Haechrel JoAn Henricks Rodger Nichols & Julie Reynolds Robert & Joy Krein Lois Hobbs Louanne Starr Doug & Jill Leash Caroline Homer Dale & Mary Rollins Mike Kilkenny LIFETIME Harold & Lucile Stevens Marlys Krein David & Karen Cooper Karl & Jean Vercouteren Jan Leininger Ellett Construction Barbara Telfer & Heather Thompson Darcy Long-Curtis Jada Gay Jerry & Verna Brown Davien Lunden Keith A. Mobley Corliss Marsh SUSTAINING The Dalles Kiwanis Sherry Mumford Eric Gleason & Jacqui Cheung Trish Neal Ron & Dewanda Clark

MEMORIAL DONATIONS Barbara Telfer in memory of George Telfer Jerry & Verna Browne in memory of Patrick Ellis Cal McDermid in memory of Patrick Ellis

REMEMBERING JACOB KASER 1919-2017 Jacob “Jack” Kaser was a long-time member of the Original Court- house Board and was declared an Honorary Board Member when he was no longer able to attend meetings. He was a life-long ranch- er out along Fifteen Mile Creek, and almost a life-long member of The Dalles Kiwanis Club having started as a student Kiwanian back in his high school days. He was a soft-spoken, genial man who lived a large chunk of local history and had good stories to tell about the “old days.” He will be missed!

Jack Kaser at Kiwanis Steak Feed Credit: Karl Vercouteren

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ith Our Gratitude…. Next time you visit the Original Courthouse, note the bank of plaques mounted on the wall as you W go up the inside stairwell. Take a few minutes to stand and read the names of those responsible for the restoration and preservation of our building. We have reproduced the names on the plaques in alphabetical order below for ease of reading. Dr. & Mrs. Harry H. Miller Betty Broer Don & Edwina Bailey Norman Brown Edwin Artzt & Ruth Martin-Artzt Wasco County was the largest county in the George Clark Duke & Bev Chamberlain , encompassing 130,000 square Jim Ellett Construction Company David & Karen Cooper miles. It was established in 1854, five years Gary Denney Floor Covering, Inc. Frederick K. & Edna Mae Cramer before Oregon achieved statehood. Justice Daniel W. Ericksen Ellett Construction Company was administered here for the territory ex- Evelyn Ericksen Weill Dale & Barbara Elliott tending from the Cascade Range in the Rocky Fred Ericksen Walter & Marilyn Ericksen Mountains. Restoration of the historic build- Marilyn Ericksen Mrs. Janet Wilson Floan ing in 1976 could not been achieved without Walter E. Ericksen Dr. & Mrs. Allan Gay contributions from the following life mem- Terray Harmon Leo & Madeline Hammel, Sr. bers of the association. Bruce Harris - Today’s Rays Regina Heath Regina Muller Heath Wallace K. Huntington Gary B. Honald See complete listing at left Huntington & Keist Landscape Architect Hudson Insurance Agency, Inc. Ed Johnson - Johnson Excavating Kargl, Elwood and Geiger Realtors Larry Kaseberg - Wheatacres Christine Keith Jacob Kaser Bert Keith Fritz Kramer Malcolm & Jean Krier Larry Lang - Landscaping Mountain Fir Lumber Company, Inc. Matt Larson Northwest Natural Gas Company Wayne Lease - Leaco Electric Ollie & Lorena Lash Lumberman’s Building Centers Bill & Geraldine Martin Robert Merz & Barry Cantrell – C & M Gutters Bill & Joan Martin Northern Wasco County PUD Delmer & Isabel Martin Pashek’s Gardens Jack & Fern Martin Quality Air Systems - Mike & Kevin Milt & June Martin Virgil Sharp - Concrete Contractor, Inc. Norval Martin George Telfer Martin Marietta Aluminum, Inc. Vernon R. Tenneson Ed & Nellie McKune Rich Tenold - Tenold Construction Co. Judge & Mrs. Dan P. McLoughlin Kenneth Tesch - Sauters Moving & Storage Mid-Columbia Board of Realtors Paul Tews Mill Creek Grange No. 590 Tum-A-Lum Lumber Keith A. Mobley M. D. Van Valkenburgh Arthur & Prudence Muller United Telephone Co. Norm Nelson Tire Karl Vercouteren Northwest Natural Gas Company Jack Wallace - Wallace Plumbing Colonel Lewis Nichols Wasco County Court Bell Oldtimers Wasco County Sheriff’s Work Crew Payless Drug Jim Weeks Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. Yakima, WA Judge Fredrick Pierce The removal of Wasco County’s first courthouse to its present loca- Florence Williams-Pierce tion, the sixth in its history dating to 1859, became a reality in 1996- Paul Schiller 97 through the generous aid of business firms, organizations and Mary Snider individuals. Those especially recognized are listed below. When it Soroptimist Club of The Dalles became clear that the historic building could not remain at the site The Dalles Kiwanis Club west of The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce building, help came United Telephone – Hood River to the Original Courthouse Preservation Corp., in many ways. Finan- M. D. Van Valkenburgh cial, in-kind, and volunteer. This building, the oldest known hall of Wasco County Court justice in our latitude west of the Mississippi and treasured as part of Jim & Grace Weeks this area’s bright past, thus has experienced still another restoration, Alf Wernmark one in which all who have taken part can be proud. Mr. & Mrs. Don Williams Harold & Doris Woolsey See complete listing above at right

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2017 February History Forums ALL THINGS HISTORICAL Revisited lease support History in The Karl Vercouteren P Dalles by supporting the Original

Wasco County Courthouse and our he 2017 Regional History Forum drew a large attendance in spite of partner organizations. winter weather. The first week’s program was rescheduled from Feb- T ruary to March because of snow and ice. Original Wasco County Courthouse

Naomi Pike Schenk: Survivor of the Ill-fated Donner Party Fort Dalles Museum Julie Reynolds presented a fine program on Naomi Pike Schenck who sur- and vived the Donner Party as a small child, lived most of her life in The Dalles, Anderson Homestead and who gifted a beautiful stained glass window to the old St. Paul’s Episco- pal chapel. Wasco County Historical Society Art Deco Architecture: The Gorge Ellen Shapley from Hood River Rorick/Moody House offered slides illustrating various architectural styles found in the Columbia Gorge communities, concentrating on the Art Deco treasures still with us like St. Peter’s Landmark The Dalles High School and Klickitat County Courthouse. The Dalles Mural Society Thomas Condon as Paleontologist Bill Orr’s program enlightened the audience regarding Thomas Condon’s fossil collection and subsequent District 21 School Museum paleontological discoveries. Orr is a retired professor of geology and curator of the Condon collection at the U of O’s Condon Museum. His lively presen- The Dalles Fire Museum tation of Oregon’s pre-history and the creatures that inhabited the country eons ago left many attendees saying “I wish I’d had a science teacher like Columbia Gorge that!” Discovery Center and Museum Now Playing at the Vogt: The Dalles Forgotten Opera House Wasco County Pioneers Rescheduled to the first Saturday in March was Karl Vercouteren’s explora- tion of the Vogt Opera House and its builder, Maximillian Vogt. Technical Civic Auditorium troubles made for a late start, but the full house audience proved to be pa- tient and was treated to series of photos, many from the Wasco County Pio- neer Collection, that traced the old theater’s major role in the community in the 1890s and early 1900s. (Vercouteren will present the program again on June 17, 2017 in the Wasco Co. Historical Society’s summer series at the Moody-Rorick House.) Step Back nd the answer is…. In the last issue we asked if you could identify in Time A these art deco architectural elements. Ellen Shapley provides the answers below. From the top clockwise WHO IS HE? Keir Drugstore—Hood River Klickitat County Courthouse The answer is Goldendale, on the Original Hood River Hospital The Dalles High School Courthouse wall

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A NEW LOOK FOR THE OLD JAIL CELL s the keepers of the Original Courthouse, one of our Director of the Historical Museum in A goals continues to be the upgrading of our interpre- Twin Falls, Idaho. He got his feet tive displays. We have done this a little at a time, adding wet in The Dalles as part of the team new visuals and information, but without a solid master that put together A Community For- plan. This changed when Chris Bolton moved came on the gotten: Uncovering the Story of The scene. He has a background in exhibit design and was the Dalles Chinatown. the new Chinese exhibit at the Columbia Gorge Dis- 1 Design by covery Center. The Courthouse Board has retained him to design Chris Bolton and implement a new look for our historic jail cell with an emphasis on Chris Bolton 2 self-guided interpretation.

To the left is a shoebox version of the new design. The first step is to rearrange the furniture to increase the floor space. To the left will be the display case holding the his- toric jail restraints, including the infamous Oregon Boot which is described on a visual above the display case. The original dinner basket will be displayed on the wall. The reproduction of an “iron jail bed” with a Hudson’s Bay blanket will be along the rear wall. On the wall above is 3 information about the Guard House at Fort Dalles which housed civilian prisoners prior to the building of the jail. On the right wall are showcased some of our most well known prisoners, desperado Hank Vaughan and accused murderess Mary Leonard who was acquitted after eleven months in this jail. She went on to become Oregon’s first female attorney.

Thank you in advance for helping finance this display with your purchase of a History Raffle Basket ticket.

4 Step Back in Time

he Original Wasco County ADMISSION CHARGES T Courthouse is an Oregon Cultural Trust Partner. As a con- Adults $3.00 tributor to our organization you Age 12-18 $2.00

are eligible to participate in Ore- Age 6-11 $1.00 gon’s Cultural Trust Tax Credit program. Donors who contribute Under 6 FREE to Oregon cultural nonprofits, in- Adult Groups $2.00 each cluding the Original Wasco County Courthouse, are eligi- Student Groups * ble to make a matching donation to the Oregon Cultural *Suggested Donation arranged Trust and receive a 100% tax credit for the Trust donation with Instructor in advance (up to $500 for individual, $1,000 for a couple filing joint- ly and $2,500 for a Class-C Corporation). There is no admission charge for 2017 Thank you for your support Original Wasco County Courthouse Thank you for your support Members

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RaffleRaffle ticketticket Thank you for sharing your purchasespurchases Email address helphelp createcreate f we have your email address we will send you a full I color copy of our latest newsletter. In addition with a newnew jailjail few keystrokes you will be able to send it on to friends. Those of you without email, please don’t worry. We will displaydisplay continue to send the same information to you by snail

oney from your 2017 raffle ticket purchases will mail. M help support the new interpretive displays in the Original Courthouse jail cell. This is the first step in up- grading the presentation of our exhibits. Meet designer Charm Trail Chris Bolton on page 7. on’t forget we have charms for your Charm Trail D bracelet. Get an authentic pewter Sheriff’s Badge and Jail Key for $1.50 each. Available in our Museum Store and at Klindt’s Booksellers when we Have you renewed your membership? emember our member- R ship year runs from Janu-

ary 1 through December 31 each Step Back in Time year. Please renew your mem- bership and continue being part of our historic preservation ef- fort. Ask a friend to join and help us exceed last year’s membership numbers. Available for sale at Original Wasco County Courthouse

Oregon Cultural Trust Partner Organization

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Oregon Heritage MentorCorps

he Oregon Heritage MentorCorps is a project of T the Oregon Heritage Commission, a part of the Or- egon Parks and Recreation Department, working in part- nership with the Oregon Library Association, Northwest Archivists, Oregon Museums Association, Oregon State Archives, Oregon State Library, Oregon Historical Society and Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. The MentorCorps is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The MentorCorps is a trained group of volunteers with professional experience in collections care and emer- gency management. Its members are ready to help your organization get the training and tools it needs to get the job done. Oh, and it’s completely free.

One day a couple of years ago, Carolyn Purcell, Director of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, explained the Mentorcorps program to me and asked if the Original Courthouse could use some assistance. We jumped at the chance and a partnership began.

After touring our facility and observing how we operate, she challenged us to create a Mission Statement unique to our vision for the Original Courthouse. We went back to the drawing board multiple times but finally came up with a statement that matched our vision.

Our next step was to create an Emergency Management Plan. This went beyond “call 911,” including responses to fire, flood, mil- dew, and other potential damage to our collection and building.

Carolyn continues to help us as we need it and we appreciate her greatly.

DANNY LEROY ARENDS MISSION STATEMENT 1937-2015 e knew “Lefty” Arends ORIGINAL WASCO COUNTY COURTHOUSE W best as a member of Fort The Mission of the Original Courthouse Preservation Dalles Floozies and Friends, also as the Sheriff who added Corporation is to: reality to the shooting of the PRESERVE the Original Wasco County Courthouse; OPB Thomas Condon special filmed at the Original Court- COLLECT, EXHIBIT, and INTERPRET items related to house in 2015. the governmental/legal history of Wasco County; He is also known by his Cowboy Provide a venue for PRESENTATIONS of Action Shooter persona “Bad local historical interest; Eye Lefty.” We thought it would be a fitting gesture to Preserve and make available relevant showcase his badge and hat in EDUCATIONAL and RESEARCH MATERIALS. our new brochure.

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Original Wasco County Courthouse First

PO Box 839 Class The Dalles, Oregon Postage 97058

Have a Great Summer! AMERICANS WITH Thank You, Trish Neal DISABILITIES rish has moved to Anchorage and is T no longer an official board member COMPLIANCE for the Original Courthouse; however, she continues to work on our website and s part of our commitment to ADA compliant acces- social networking sites. She also contin- AA sibility a curb cut was created in line with our entry ues to help with other local History/ ramp to allow easier access to the entrance from the Heritage projects—long distance. Thank

street. Please do not park in front of it. you for being our connection. We have created a way to get wheel chairs and scooters over the doorway threshold into the building. Ask us and he Original Wasco County we can quickly set it up. T Courthouse has achieved a We have a downstairs television link to enable viewing of Bike Friendly designation through upstairs programs without climbing the stairs. Travel Oregon. We have com- We will install a railing along the ramp into our building mitted to provide drinking water, making wheelchair access safer and giving others some- WiFi access, Phone charging capa- thing to hang onto. bility, and a bike rack for our bicy- Please note that as much as we would like it to be, our cling patrons. In return we receive restroom is not wheelchair accessible; however, a grab recognition in Oregon bicycling bar has been installed. brochures and websites. And additional visitors.

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