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LETTERS
To the Editor:
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As an avid reader of biographies, I must disagree with Mr. George Venn's review of Dear Medora, Sydney Stevens's biography of her Aunt Medora Espy, which appeared in the Summer issue of [OHQ]. |
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It is true the history of an entire family, or of multiple generations of a family, will present a more comprehensive view, including "gender balance," as expressed by Mr. Venn. However, after reading Mrs. Stevens's delightful book about her aunt's too short life, I think Mr. Venn has missed the point. |
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The point of the biography, I believe, was to tell the true story of a young girl, living in a rural area, in a certain moment of time. Had Mrs. Stevens wanted to write a full family history, she certainly had the material and the means to do so. As it is, however, her Uncle Willard Espy had already done that to good advantage. |
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Medora is a short biography because the life of this girl was, unfortunately, very brief. That there was so much information, in addition to the loving letters between mother and daughter, makes this a story worth the telling. Mrs. Stevens's narrative only adds to the charm of the book.
Robert T. LeFevre, Jr.
Salinas, California |
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To the Editor:
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I read George Venn's commentary [book review, Summer 2008] on line regarding the book, Dear Medora, written by Sydney Stevens of Oysterville, Wa. I feel he didn't truly get the point of this beautifully written book. I'm wondering if he read it all. The letters from mother to daughter and daughter to mother were most touching and showed what a wonderfully close and loving relationship they shared. I don't agree that Medora was "boy crazy" as was mentioned by Venn but exhibited very normal behavior for a girl of her age. I feel that Sydney Stevens did a wonderful job compiling the letters in a sensible order along with great pictures, footnotes, illustrations and sidebars to make this an interesting and understandable read. While this is a very personal story about the Espy family during this time in history it also reveals what was going on in our state and the logistics for Senator Espy to serve in the senate. I personally loved this book from start to finish and will recommend it to my friends.
Marion Freshley
Olympia and Oysterville, Washington |
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To the Editor:
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The back-facing page [of the Fall 2008 issue] shows a view of the Columbia River by Carleton Watkins. The caption for the photograph is not entirely correct. The early basalt flows did not block the river but pushed it north many miles. The Bretz Floods some 20,000 years ago did not carve a path through the lava but removed much overburden and minor protruberances. |
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Upper Cape Horn on the Oregon side remains a prominent feature well above Lake Celilo. It does not appear in the 7th edition of Oregon Geographic Names because, at the time, the origin of the name was unknown. After examining the 1867 Watkins [photograph] entitled picture Cape Horn, an entry has been prepared for the 8th edition, giving Watkins credit for the first known use. |
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Lower Cape Horn is a misnomer. In 1826, John Work of the Hudson's Bay Company named this prominent bluff on the Columbia River Cape Heron for the presence of numerous birds of that species. Over the years, mis-transcriptions changed the name to Cape Horn.
Lewis L. McArthur
Portland, Oregon |
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