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New Plan Would Preserve Oregon History

The saddle of famous Nez Perce cowboy Jackson Sundown in his 1916 Pendleton Roundup win is part of Oregon's rich western heritage. It's still on display and in mint condition, and a new Oregon Heritage Plan aims to ensure other rare artifacts also are preserved.
Photo by W.S. Bowman, 1916.
The saddle of famous Nez Perce cowboy Jackson Sundown in his 1916 Pendleton Roundup win is part of Oregon's rich western heritage. It's still on display and in mint condition, and a new Oregon Heritage Plan aims to ensure other rare artifacts also are preserved.

Oregon needs to do more to preserve its history-- that's according to people who support a new state Heritage Plan. It would set many of the state's historic preservation priorities for the next five years.

The saddle of famous Nez Perce cowboy Jackson Sundown in his 1916 Pendleton Roundup win is part of Oregon's rich western heritage. It's still on display and in mint condition, and a new Oregon Heritage Plan aims to ensure other rare artifacts also are preserved.
Credit Photo by W.S. Bowman, 1916.
The saddle of famous Nez Perce cowboy Jackson Sundown in his 1916 Pendleton Roundup win is part of Oregon's rich western heritage. It's still on display and in mint condition, and a new Oregon Heritage Plan aims to ensure other rare artifacts also are preserved.

The median annual budget for the many small museums around the state is less than a typical lower income household, and many depend on volunteers to keep their doors open. Kyle Jansson is with the Oregon Heritage Commission. He says more training for caretakers is one aspect of the plan.

Jansson: "the idea with these collections is that they're going to be around forever. And so, our goal is to have people in communities knowledgeable about how to take care of paper and artifacts and everything else related to heritage."

Jansson says many people aren't aware of the history of their communities. The plan includes economic development goals for communities that can tap into their roots to boost tourism. Comments on the Oregon Heritage Plan are being taken through January 15th.

 

The Oregon News Service contributed to this story.

Copyright 2013 KLCC

Rachael McDonald is KLCC's All Things Considered host. She also reports on a variety of topics including local government, education, and breaking news.