Oregon Trail Unit Study Resources

Last month, "Jamin" posted some links to great online resources for families wanting to learn more about the Oregon Trail. You can see her blog post at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jaminacema/731949/.

Thanks, Jamin, for connecting families with hands-on learning opportunities!

This is Jamin in front of the memorial at Donner's Pass.

June 4, 1852

Excerpt (30 seconds) from a Trail Diary at Windlass Hill in Nebraska:

Twin Falls, Idaho on the Oregon Trail

Twin Falls is proud of its heritage as an agricultural town on the Oregon Trail. Watch for the Oregon-California Trails Association marker just like the one at the Foster Farm.

Composing Trail Music

Interesting comments and musical illustrations of those who traveled in wagon trains.

Tom Marquette takes to the Road

Foster Farm volunteer and Oregon Trail reenactor Tom Marquette  in the News.

Ezra Meeker's Book available online

If you are interested in Oregon History first-hand accounts, the Gutenberg project has posted a book right up your alley. Ezra Meeker's book, The Ox-Team Days on the Old Oregon Trail, first published in 1922, is now available for free download at http://www.feedbooks.com/book/4381. Meeker took the Columbia river, while his friends took the Barlow Road route, so this book doesn't mention Philip Foster, Eagle Creek, or Laurel Hill, but it's a good primer on the hardships of the trail and the promotion that went into keeping it "famous" after its use was superseded by railroads.

Social Media in the 1800's

Twitter, Facebook, email, mobile computing - These technologies are completely incompatible with the mission of Living History, right? Well, yes and no. When I'm dressed in my hoop skirt, you won't find me reading Twitter messages or updating my Facebook status from my "talking pocket watch." But living history is pretty useless if no one knows it's happening. How can we promote awareness and get people to visit and engage in the history without diluting the history itself?
Some businesses have dedicated social media people, who spread the word while the rest of the company carries on the action. That means the "we" they speak of in their updates is really "they." All "we" are doing is updating! Of course the advantage of this model is that the social media is constantly monitored and updated, which makes the business very engaging and responsive - if not very real.
Here at the Philip Foster Farm, we don't have the budget for a fulltime media specialist, and probably wouldn't want one. Philip Foster himself was an "early adopter," heading for Oregon a full year ahead of everyone else, building roads and stores and mills ahead of the crowd. We think he'd be proud of the way we're forging ahead to share his life with the pioneers of a whole new "land rush."
Please leave a comment or contact us if you'd like to get timely information about our events, summer camps or tours, or if you have a suggestion about more ways to get the word out to the people who want to experience living history.

Museum Teacher Fair at OHS

Museum educators understand the pressure teachers face, trying to provide the best opportunities for students with limited time and resources. That's why Megan Burt (shown at right with a group of students) helped organize the Oregon Museum Educators. Tomorrow evening from 5:00 to 7:00, teachers can visit the Oregon Historical Society for a seminar (with PDUs/clock hours for many districts) and visits with representatives from 30 different Oregon Museums:
For more information contact steve.m.greenwood@wellsfargo.com or call 503-886-1102.
Museums represented: Columbia River Maritime Museum, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, Forest History Center, Friends of Historic Champoeg, GeerCrest Family Farm, Historic Belmont Firehouse, Marion County Historical Society, McLoughlin House, Mission Mill Museum, National History Day, Newell House, Nikkei Legacy Center, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon National Guard, Philip Foster Farm, Portland Police Museum, Sherwood Historical Society, Washington County Historical Society, Wells Fargo History Museum, Wings of Wonder.

Photo courtesy of recent guest, Eliza Adams. See her story and more pictures at http://tambatanhidup.blogspot.com/2009/10/field-trip-with-school.html