Local Stories Told Through T-Shirts: A Celebration of Place and Community

Sometimes the most unexpected ideas are the ones that become the most successful. As I was folding my husband’s laundry one day in 2007 (a rare moment of domesticity), I noticed how many of his shirts had logos about our local area. He had gathered them over the years from events, music festivals, and local organizations. It occurred to me that local T-Shirts might make an interesting display in our downtown community building. With cooperation from the Mid-Klamath Watershed Council, we put the word out to the community that we were looking to borrow local T-Shirts for an exhibit. The community response was surprisingly enthusiastic, and we wound up with over 150 unique items from a very diverse group of local residents. We displayed the T-Shirts for a month, kicking the exhibit off with an opening reception on October 13, 2007. I was amazed by how well attended the opening event was, and how many people came in throughout the month to look at the shirts. For many, seeing the T-Shirts (organized by location and theme) brought up memories that were shared throughout the duration of the exhibit. There were tears, laughter, and great stories. The exhibit also facilitated an education between generations; younger people and those who had come to the area in recent years got a picture of how the community had changed and learned about important events from the past from long-time residents. For all, the shirts provided a broad perspective of modern local history, honoring different facets of the region and community. The following selections of photographs are just a few of the highlights and are organized by some of the themes that emerged as people brought in their shirts:

Karuk Country

Activism in the Mid-Klamath

Community Groups

Events and Celebrations

Businesses Then and Now

I've Been To....

Bringing Rural Communities Together

As someone passionate not only about the rural place where I live but also in rural places and communities in general, I feel that the local T-Shirt exhibit is an event that can be replicated in other places to benefit rural communities. Rural public libraries, place-based special collections, historical societies, local museums, and community groups are all entities that could sponsor such an event. It was very interesting to see how, in our case, t-shirts were a non-threatening way for an unlikely assortment of people come together to celebrate their common ties to a place. What would your community look like through the lens of local T-Shirts? What stories would emerge? What might you learn?

T-Shirt Credits

The shirts were photographed by my incredible mother Phoebe Storey, who volunteered hours of her time. Thanks Mom!

"Karuk Country" Collage:

• Indian Day - from the collection of Sue and Phil Sanders. Artist: P. Fennel. 1990.
• Karuk Indigenous Basketweavers - from the collection of Laverne Glaze.
• Karuk Tribe of California Natural Resources - from the collection of Karuk Tribe.
• Karuk Country, Orleans - unknown source.
• Orleans Maiden Spirit-Person - from the collection of Deanna Marshall.

"Activism" Collage

• Let the Salmon Run - from the collection of Nancy Bailey.
• Save the Klamath (Back) - from the collection of Laverne Glaze. Artist: Shaunna McCovey.
• NO GO: Stop the Gasquet Orleans Road - from the collection of Terry Supahan.
• Never Again: Un-Dam the Klamath - from the collection of Will and Adrienne Harling. Artist: Clifford Lyle Marshall Jr.
• Un-Dam the Klamath: Bring the Salmon Home - from the collection of Molli White.
• Save the Klamath (Front) - from the collection of Laverne Glaze. Artist: Shaunna McCovey.

"Community Groups" Collage

• Salmon River Mining Council - from the collection of Petey Brucker and Geba Greenberg.
• River Bar Community Band - from the collection of Tina Marier.
• Klamath Outdoor School - from the collection of Edna and Wally Watson.
• Orleans-Somes Bar Chamber of Commerce - from the collection of Judy Lambert. Artist: Laverne Glaze.
• Salmon River Fire and Rescue - from the collection of Sarah Hugdahl and Rex Richardson. Artist: Sarah Hugdahl.

"Events and Celebrations" Collage

• Following the Smoke 2007 - from the collection of Laverne Glaze. Artist: Tony Sylvia. 2007
• 45th Annual Old Timer's Parade & Picnic - from the collection of Judy Lambert. 1993.
• Klamath River Music Festival 1994 - from the collection of Karen Pearson. 1994.
• 3rd Annual Easter Beer Hunt 1987 - from the collection of Sue and Phil Sanders. 1987.
• River Olympics - from the collection of Will and Adrienne Harling. Artist: Sarah Hugdahl.
• 7th Annual Tea Party, Thomaine Mines, Sawyers Bar. From the collection of Cora Villeponteaux. Artist: Lorelei Holzem. 1997.
• Jammin' For the Salmon - from the collection of Will and Adrienne Harling. Artist: Laurie Bell.

"Businesses" Collage

• Sandy Bar Ranch - from the collection of Mark Dupont and Blythe Reis.
• Salmon River Outpost - from the collection of Will and Adrienne Harling.
• Orleans Hotel - from the collection of Jacque Blotz. 1970s.
• Panamnik General Store - from the collection of Jana Conrad.
• Orleans Market - from the collection of Sue and Phil Sanders.
• Think Steelhead: Sandy Bar Ranch & Resort - from the collection of Deanna Marshall.
• Pearson's Grocery - from the collection of Karen Pearson.

"I've Been To..." Collage

• Weitchpec, California - from the collection of Karen Pearson.
• Sawyers Bar Grizzlies - from the collection of Kathy McBroom.
• I was Struck By a Klamath River Steelhead - from the collection of Edna and Wally Watson.
• Somes Bar Beyond the End of the Road - from the collection of Frank Fischl and Diane Deschaine.
• Forks of Salmon - from the collection of Barbara Harling.
• Black Bear Ranch - from the collection of Bob Beaver.

The View from Big Rock, Orleans

Permanent overlooks often beckon photographers throughout the decades, and thus can serve as long term photopoints. In Orleans, the aptly named "Big Rock" is such a point, and I have come upon several photos taken from this spot at Humboldt State University Library's Humboldt Room and in the Online Archive of California. These photos provide information about how the town and landscape have changed over time. This first photograph is from the C. Hart Merriam Collection at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library, showing the rock itself upslope from the old Orleans Bridge (circa 1918).

On the third floor of the Humboldt State University Library is the Humboldt Room, which has several historical photograph collections containing images from the Orleans/mid-Klamath area. I found five images of the view from Big Rock there: 3 bird's eye views looking over the town and 2 looking up the Klamath River.

While researching these Big Rock photographs, I learned from several Karuk tribal members that Big Rock is a culturally important place to the Karuk people. They expressed the importance of being especially respectful of such places, and that Big Rock should not be considered a tourist destination. I also learned that Big Rock is located on private property.

None of the Big Rock photos from the Humboldt Room are dated, but comparing them and applying background information about when key buildings were built can help determine their relative order. What appears to be the earliest of the bird's eye photos is this one by A.W. Ericson (Ericson Collection). There are several landmarks that I know of (please add your comment if you know of others) that are visible in this photo. In the photo, the river is flowing from north (right side of the photo) to south (left side of the photo), and I will describe things according to this orientation. The key landmarks shown in this photo include a madrone tree on the northwest corner of the orchard, a westward-running road now called "Downs Ranch Road" and the Orleans Cemetary (a diamond-shaped cluster of trees up the westward road in the center right of the photo). These landmarks are made much more apparent when compared to the other bird's eye photos. A second copy of this photograph is also located in the Humboldt Room's "Humboldt County Collection" (HCC Photos)." On that copy, Susie Baker Fountain (a prolific 20th Century Humboldt County historian) identified several significant buildings, including the court house, hotel, and Brizard Store. These are all on the left half of the photograph.

The next photograph is looking slightly downriver from Ericson's. The writing on it is that of Susie Baker Fountain, from whose private collection the photograph came. In this image, you can see the Orleans Cemetary outlined with a white fence. The orchard in Ericson's photo is not in this one. This photograph is also part of the Humboldt Room's "Humboldt County Collection" (HCC Photos), which is composed of individual loose photographs that are not part of larger, cohesive collections.

In this next photograph (also from HCC Photos), you can see the Orleans Cemetary with the white fence, a larger madrone tree, and new buildings. Across from the cemetary on the other side of the westward road is a house with two sheds. East of the Cemetary is a white house. Both houses were built by F.W. Gent in 1927, which dates this photo after 1927 and the other two bird's eye photos prior to it. Near the madrone is the Episcopal church. This church is no longer standing in Orleans, and is on the site of the current Forest Service compound.

I found two photographs looking upriver from Big Rock. One of them is this one from Ericson:

This photo shows a similar view, with a clearer image of the Pearch Mine (also known as Salstrom's Mine and McGain's Mine). This photo has houses on the right-hand side that are not in Ericson's image, which suggests to me that the Ericson photo was taken earlier.

The last photo shows the bird's eye view from Big Rock today, with a similar scope as Ericson's initial shot. From this photo you can see substantial vegetation growth blocking much of the view Ericson and the other photographers saw. However, the westward road (Downs Ranch Road) follows precisely the same path in all of the bird's eye photos. The cemetary and the F.W. Gent house accross from it are unable to be distinctly identified due to vegetation. The roof and upper story of the white F.W. Gent house is visible, as is the now much larger madrone tree.

Please leave a comment if you have additional knowledge or thoughts about these photographs!