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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 6, 2004 Historic conference starts in city By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings After a one-year hiatus because of financial problems in the state, the Oregon Heritage Conference returns, setting up in Ashland for the first time ever, at the Ashland Springs Hotel. Kyle Jansson, coordinator of the Oregon Heritage Commission, said Ashland was a natural site for the conference to return after its one-year layoff. "The conference has been in a number of places around the state," he said. "We have not been to Southwestern Oregon before. We had hoped to have the conference here a year ago but due to the state's financial crisis, we canceled the conference. We decided then that if we were able to hold a conference again, we would bring it to Ashland." The conference runs through Saturday and will include two dozen workshops, walking tours, seminars, speakers and meetings. Governor Ted Kulongoski will speak to the attendees Friday at 1 p.m. "The conference includes workshops dealing with fundraising, with archives management and includes shorter sessions including threats to Oregon's heritage resources, such as archaeological sites and museums collections or historic buildings," Jansson said. "We are talking about the problems and talking about solutions." In addition, two commissions are holding their meetings while the conference is taking place. One is the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, dealing with cemeteries where people were buried prior to 1912. The other is the Oregon Heritage Commission. Historical societies are found throughout the state. Oregon has over 200 different museums. Some of them are in danger due to financial problems. "Southern Oregon Historical Society is not unique," Jansson said. "Part of the challenge to heritage resources in this state is that without adequate funding, both by private donations and governmental funds, protection of those resources, whether they be a 5,000-year-old pair of shoes or metal from the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, they are all threatened because of improper care." A recent historic find in Jacksonville coincided with the conference in Ashland. Jansson said all were excited about the discovery under the road construction. "We were first of all delighted that the Department of Transportation was on top of the situation," he said. "We were able to save some of the material and study the site. Our banquet speaker Saturday night will be Julie Schablitsky, the archaeologist on the project. "They found some Chinese bottles and pottery and plates. It was interesting where they were located in relation to the street and into known fire pits. It gives a clue to how the Chinese lived in the 1850s." Jansson noted the big challenge facing historical societies in Oregon. "There are two main challenges," he said. "One is training. We need to make sure there are people throughout the state who know how to save heritage resources, be they oral histories, documents, buildings or artifacts. "The second is money. Oregon is one of a handful of states in the country that does not provide public funds to the state historical society. This last session of the Legislature was the first time the Oregon Historical Society had not been funded in over 100 years. We are hopeful that we can get part of that back." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams