Umatilla County Historical Society receives Oregon Museum grant to help fund Umatilla Gold wheat exhibit

Pendleton, Oregon: The Umatilla County Historical Society was recently awarded an Oregon Museum Grant for $8038 to help fund the construction of the Umatilla Gold: The History of Wheat in Umatlla County exhibit. This grant was written by Eastern Oregon Business Source Community Development Coordinator Bonnie Day.

The Umatilla Gold exhibit tells the story of wheat in Umatilla County, highlighting its importance in the history, culture, and economy of the county. It traces the path wheat travels around the world, and tracks all of the different products wheat is used in. The exhibit emphasizes the role wheat plays in Umatilla County, even for those not directly involved in wheat production. The exhibit also addresses and corrects a number of misconceptions about wheat farming. The Umatilla County Historical Society plans to run the Umatilla Gold exhibit for 10 years.

The money from the Oregon Museum Grant will be used to build the structure for the first three sections of the exhibit. These sections focus on the early residents of Umatilla County. This includes an overview of Native Americans in the region and stories from early european settlers. The display will include props built with consultation from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Contact: Tom Winn, Board President

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