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Reviews
STARTING OVER: COMMUNITY BUILDING ON THE EASTERN OREGON FRONTIER
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by William F. Willingham
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Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, 2005.
Photographs, maps, tables, notes, bibliography, index. 240 pages. $22.00 paper. |
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| William F. Willingham is a public historian who has written half a dozen previous books, mostly on Pacific Northwest history. In this engaging community study, he examines about fifty years of ups and downs in a small community in Long Creek Valley, Grant County, Oregon. Settlers from northeastern Arkansas and other parts of the lower Mississippi Valley migrated to Long Creek Valley during the 1870s to farm and ranch. All four of Willingham's grandparents were among those early settlers. When he vacationed in the valley as a boy in the early 1950s, Willingham heard stories of the area from family members. Regrettably, few residents left personal records, memoirs, or interviews, so these highly desirable primary sources do not figure strongly in the book. |
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As with any good community study, Willingham ably integrates evidence on social, cultural, economic, and political development. He creates a "thick description" of pioneers who "created from scratch an agricultural settlement consisting of homesteads and a small town in an isolated wilderness" (p. 3). Willingham makes excellent use of a wide range of sources, including census data, local and state newspapers, and local, county, state, and federal documents covering land acquisitions, taxes, and civil and criminal records. |
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The author does not commit the most common sin of local history: leaving the case study hanging in historical and historiographical isolation. The virtue of Willingham's approach is that we don't get the isolated "slice of life" view sometimes presented in less comprehensive studies. He provides excellent contextual analysis of the events in this tiny valley, repeatedly comparing them to developments in western Oregon as well as across the American West and the world. Ranchers, for example, depended on global market changes to determine whether to raise greater numbers of cattle or sheep. World War I created a high demand for beef, so many valley ranchers switched from sheep to beef cattle. |
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Compared with other small agricultural and ranching communities, Long Creek Valley showed both similarities and distinctive features. Most of the settlers owned their properties mortgage-free, an unusual circumstance in the American West. Thus, few farmers or businesses lost their holdings in the 1890s, a decade that decimated smallholders throughout the country. On the other hand, the area received strong Chinese immigration, as did many parts of the Pacific Northwest, tied to the ebbing and flowing of gold placer mining in Grant County. "Some whites disliked Chinese enough to refuse to stay in a hotel or eat in an establishment that employed them" (p. 80). Like most westerners, valley residents valued education; they built their first school in 1877 and added a high school in 1916. |
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One of the strongest themes of this study is how the people of Long Creek Valley responded to challenges and difficulties in ways that strengthened their sense of community. Indians, displaced by white encroachment, struck back in 1878 in the so-called Bannock War. Settlers constructed a stockade, where they could retreat in case of further attack. Following several natural disasters, including a freak cyclone in 1894 and massive fires in 1895 and 1910, town residents cooperated to rebuild their properties and lives. "Medical care also called for neighborly assistance when a family or individual became overwhelmed by illness or injury" (p. 125). Ranchers had to cooperate to combat rustlers and encroaching livestock herded to their ranges from surrounding counties. |
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My sole criticism of this fine study lies with the topic of religion. Only a few sparse paragraphs address churches and religious activities. Perhaps these did not figure prominently in Long Creek; or perhaps the author needed to probe church sources more fully. I could have used a bit more locational and geographic information. The town's elevation of 3,772 feet needs mention because it is relevant to the kinds of economic activities possible. Readers get some sense of herds being moved around, but a true topographic map and more discussion of the valley's interesting and varied terrains would help. I would like a more substantial epilogue, giving a snapshot of the town today. In 2000, the town had 228 inhabitants, compared with 123 persons in 1900 and 86 in 1910. |
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These quibbles aside, I thoroughly enjoyed and heartily recommend this clearly organized and well-written book to a wide audience. Maps and small but clear photographs supplement the text. A very useful bibliographic essay replaces the usual simple bibliography; this is a plus, given that the notes include full citations to all sources. With its sound and appropriate historiographical grounding, this book will appeal to anyone interested in community studies, Oregon history, or agricultural and ranching history. |
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| RICHARD W. SLATTA
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| North Carolina State University, Raleigh |
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