Ron Abell
One of the fringe benefits I’ve enjoyed while working on OPB’s Oregon history series has been the opportunity to visit with so many older Oregonians:
World War ll veterans. Founding members of the Portland arts community. Lake County people who worked with “Oregon Desert” rancher Reub Long. The Pendleton Round-up’s oldest living rodeo queen and oldest rodeo clown and oldest rodeo announcer. The first Mexican-American resident of St. Paul…
For me, the downside of meeting other people late in their lives has been sometimes seeing those lives come to an end. Several of the folks featured in our 6 years of Oregon Experience programs have passed away. And even when they’ve been in their 80’s or 90’s, we still always feel surprised and more than a little sad.
The most recent of these deaths was that of Ron Abell. A longtime writer and journalist, Ron worked on the 1968 campaign of Senator Wayne Morse. Ron played an important role in our “Wayne Morse” episode, as well.
Recently, I learned from a couple of his friends that Ron was quite ill and had only a few days to live. And this was more than two weeks before the Morse program would air.
“Ron would like to see the show,” one friend wrote, and of course, I was eager for him to see it. A second friend came to OPB the next day, picked up a DVD of the program and drove to Ron’s apartment. She said that Ron was shy about the prospect of watching it, that he feared he might not look good and that he might wait a couple days before viewing the disk.
Apparently, he changed his mind, because that same afternoon I received an email:
“Thanks for the opportunity to see an advanced preview of the Morse piece. It was a fair and balanced piece of work, as I knew it would be. Congratulations on a job well done. Sorry I won’t have a chance to tell you in person. All the best, Ron Abell “
Five days later, Ron died.
Several Op-Ed pieces and letters about Ron appeared soon after in the newspapers. I had not known that this humble, reclusive man had so many friends. All the obits and testimonials seemed to say what I already knew: that Ron Abell was a neat guy.
I am sorry for our loss. But I’m glad that at least we Oregon-history people were able to introduce other Oregonians to Ron… and to Kaz and Bussie, Monk, Kathryn, Orlin and, well, everyone else on the ever-growing list.
Oregon Suffrage Centennial, 1912-2012
One hundred years ago, Oregon women won the right to vote. Oregon Experience is currently producing a half hour documentary to coincide with the centennial. The documentary will air on OPB-TV in the fall.
Meanwhile, the organization, a Century of Action: Oregon Women Vote!, is planning several exhibits around the state, the Oregon Historical Quarterly will publish a special edition, and a series of public programs and performances are in the works.
One of the first events this year will be an exhibit at the Multnomah County Library. Votes for Women! The Oregon Story runs from January 25 – March 6.
Find out more here.
Additional resources for the Oregon woman’s vote centennial:
Oregon Experience: Abigail Scott Duniway, OPB documentary about the “mother of Oregon Suffrage” available online
Historic Oregon Newspapers, features searchable digitized copies of Duniway’s suffragist newspaper The New Northwest
Countdown to Suffrage, an online OPB student intern project featuring a sampling of historic newspaper articles, advertisements and images that represented the people and events leading up to 1912.
Century of Action: Oregon Women Vote, 1912-2012, an organization dedicated to celebrating the centennial
Woman Suffrage Centennial Web Exhibit, an online exhibit from the Oregon State Archives.
Modoc War screening at the Ross Ragland
OPB had an amazingly successful screening in Klamath Falls recently. The Klamath County Museum and OPB partnered to present the screening, along with a grant from the Oregon Humanities.
Oregon Experience: The Modoc War previewed at the Ross Ragland Theater on Thursday, October 28th. The theater estimated about 810 people attended. Audience members had to sit on the floor and stand in the aisles. 
I was part of a panel discussion afterwards with representatives from the Klamath Tribes, the Lava Beds National Monument, Oregon Institute of Technology’s history department, the Klamath County Museum and the Malin Historical Society.
The next morning I presented the documentary to the Lost River Jr/Sr High School. The program was presented to the entire student body. More than 240 students and teachers crowded the school’s gymnasium to watch the program.
Plans for another Klamath Falls screening are now in the works.
For me, it was a wonderful homecoming. Having grown up in the area, this story has been especially important to me. I was truly overwhelmed by the turnout and positive response.
I couldn’t have asked for a better reception for this project that has meant so much to me.
Oregon Experience: The Modoc War airs on OPB-TV and SOP-TV on November 8th, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Modoc War documentary screening in Klamath Falls
Oregon Public Broadcasting joins with the Klamath County Museum for a special preview presentation of the new documentary Oregon Experience: The Modoc War.
Through interviews with Modoc War descendants, local experts and national historians, this hour-long program examines one of the most dramatic American Indian wars in U.S. history.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion.
Please join us:
October 27, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Ross Ragland Theater
218 North 7th Street
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
The event is free and open to the public.
Oregon Experience: The Modoc War airs Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 8 P.M. on OPB-TV and SOP-TV.
Found history: Little House in Oregon
I recently ran across an Oregon connection to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series. It was so random and fascinating I just have to share it.
I loved the books growing up, so I was excited to start reading them to my daughter. To my delight she is likes them too. The other night, after finishing another chapter and finally putting my four-year-old to bed, I started to wonder who was the real Nellie Oleson?
In the books, of course, she is Laura’s rival. In the TV show she is more of a full-blown nemesis.
When I read the books as a child, I could only wonder about the real people Laura wrote about. Today, with the magic of the Internet, I can actually find out.
It turns out, three people were the basis of the composite character Nellie Olsen. But the primary person was a woman named Nellie Owens.
And here’s the interesting part – she’s buried in Forest Grove, Oregon! In fact she lived most of her life on the Oregon Coast!
That’s quite a trek from the banks of Plum Creek, Minnesota. Especially in the 1870s.
According to several online sources, she married a man named Harry Kirry in Tillamook. Her grandchildren still live in Oregon and Washington and seem happy to share their information on genealogy pages. You can find a picture of the real Nellie on the Prairie Fans website.
Oregon history is all around us, if we look.
Uncovering the Modoc War
An OPB crew and I recently travelled to Southern Oregon and Northern California for our latest project on the Modoc Indian War of 1872-1873. You can learn more about some of the sites we visited on OPB’s Arts&Life website.
All of the Oregon Experience projects are interesting to work on, but this one is especially important to me. I grew up near Chiloquin, Oregon on former Klamath Tribes reservation lands.
The descendants of many of the war participants still live in the area.
I already knew many of the people we interviewed and thought I had a good understanding of the stories associated with the Modoc War. But what I discovered is that there is still a lot to learn.
At the time, the war was widely reported. Press were ‘embedded’ with troops and even trekked into the Modoc stronghold to talk to the chief, Captain Jack. Over the years, dozens of books, and hundreds – maybe thousands – of articles have been written about the events. Many are just wrong.
The problem is that the American Indians involved had almost no voice in telling their own stories. There are very few accounts of their own words, and most of those vary widely. For instance, several Modoc prisoners spoke at their murder trial. But official court transcripts of those speeches differ from transcripts taken by other people in attendance. The discrepancies may seem minor, but in reality they show bias and a coloring of the facts that change our understanding.
Who was Captain Jack really? What did he think? We may never know the answers to that. But it’s so much fun looking for the clues.
One mystery in particular has captured my attention. “The Ben Wright Massacre” is central to the events, and one of the most controversial mysteries of the Modoc War.
The story that is generally told is that in 1852 Modoc Indians attacked and killed a group of pioneers. When the people of the nearby mining town of Yreka found out, they rallied a group of volunteers to track down the Modocs. Lead by notorious Indian hunter Ben Wright, the vigilante group rode into a Modoc village under a flag of truce, and slaughtered the entire village killing at least 40 people. Only five Modocs survived, including two that would go on to participate in the Modoc War. This event is used to explain why the Modocs later attacked a U.S. Peace Commission in 1873 – because they knew a flag of truce meant deception.
Ben Wright died not long after the massacre. The story grew and grew. What really happened? There are several versions. I became a little obsessed trying to discover something, anything, which validated the story.
I finally found something in the records of the California Legislature of 1853. Ben Wright requested payment for services protecting settlers. The letter is a bit vague, however a similar letter from one of Ben Wright’s companions provides far more details including:
“Capt. Wright’s Company have had another battle with the Lake Indians, and succeeded in killing forty-three; three of his men were wounded seriously – but they are now recovering.”
That’s not a smoke gun. But it’s interesting and provides a clue. Read the letters yourself, and see what you think.
And by the way, the Legislature did vote to approve payment. I couldn’t figure out how much they were paid – another mystery.
Ben Wright Letters page 1
Ben Wright Letters 2
Ben Wright Letters page 3
Ben Wright Letters page 4
Oregon Experience Wins Telly Awards
It’s award season and Oregon Experience just received two more awards.
Oregon Experience: The Spirit of Tek and Oregon Experience: Wild West Way both received Bronze Telly Awards.
The Spirit of Tek was produced by Nadine Jelsing and edited by Lisa Kallem. Videographers included Greg Bond, Michael Bendixen and Nicholas Fisher. Audio Technicians included Randy Layton, William Ward and Glenn Micallef.
The Wild West Way was co-produced by Nadine Jelsing and Eric Cain, and edited by Bruce Barrow. Videographers included Greg Bond and Tom Shrider, with Audio Technician Randy Layton.
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.
Congratulations to the entire Oregon Experience team for their work!
Oregon Experience Wins Two Emmys
Oregon Experience picked up two 2011 Northwest Emmy awards. The winners were announced Saturday, June 11.
2011 - 48th Annual EMMY® winners
NATAS Northwest Chapter
Documentary – Cultural
Pendleton Round-Up: The Wild West Way • O P B • Nadine Jelsing, Producer/Writer • Eric Cain, Producer/Writer • Bruce Barrow, Editor
Documentary – Historical
Oregon Experience: Vortex 1 • O B P • Eric Cain, Producer/Writer • Todd Sonflieth, Editor
Congratulations!
Emmy Awards announced Saturday
The Emmy Awards are this weekend!
Oregon Public Broadcasting received 14 Northwest Regional Emmy nominations this year. Oregon Experience’s nominations are listed below:
2011 - 48th Annual EMMY® Nominations
NATAS Northwest Chapter
Historic/Cultural – Program/Special
Oregon Experience: Opal Whiteley • O P B • Kami Horton, Producer/Writer • Bruce Barrow, Editor
Documentary – Cultural
Pendleton Round-Up: The Wild West Way • O P B • Nadine Jelsing, Producer/Writer • Eric Cain, Producer/Writer • Bruce Barrow, Eidtor
Documentary – Historical
Oregon Experience: Vortex 1 • O B P • Eric Cain, Producer/Writer • Todd Sonflieth, Editor
Oregon Experience: The Spirit of Tek • O B P • Nadine Jelsing, Producer/Writer • Lisa Suinn Kallem, Editor
Director – Post Production
Vortex I • Eric Cain • Oregon Public Broadcasting
Writer – Program
Oregon Experience: Opal Whiteley • Kami Horton • Oregon Public Broadcasting
Wish us luck!
Linus Pauling documentary airs Memorial Day on OPB
Oregon Experience: Linus Pauling airs Monday, May 30, 2011, 9:00 PM on OPB-TV.
Linus Pauling is considered one of the greatest chemists of the 20th century. A brilliant scientist and humanitarian he made revolutionary discoveries in chemistry, physics, molecular biology and medicine; then used his international fame and popularity to promote world peace.
Targeted by the FBI and labeled a Communist during the height of the Cold War, Linus Pauling is the only person in history to win two unshared Nobel Prizes.
RELATED:
Take a tour of the Linus Pauling House with Terry Bristol, President of the Institute for Science, Engineering and Public Policy
