Wednesday, October 16, 2019
GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon
3
EXHIBIT TELLS OF
‘Uncanny Tales
Along the Oregon Trail’
■ Explore folklore and spooky fables of the Oregon Trail era
By Lisa Britton
BAKER CITY — You’ll fi nd a
ghost story or two, but the new
“Uncanny Tales” exhibit is focused
more on folk traditions from the
era of the Oregon Trail than spooky
stories.
“Hopefully it makes people think
about the role folklore plays in
their life,” said Bobby Reis, exhibit
specialist at the National Historic
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.
“Uncanny Tales Along the Or-
egon Trail” opened on Sept. 30. It
will be on display through Dec. 20.
The exhibit is arranged in chap-
ters. The fi rst section outlines the
“uncanny” story, followed by history
and a deeper study of the possible
background.
Take, for instance, the legend of
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Elizabeth Winchell Markham.
The story goes that one day,
while on the Oregon Trail, she sat
unresponsive. Her family left but
sent a son back to get her. She at-
tacked him in what was described
as the acts of a crazy woman.
In the exhibit, Reis delves into
the complex issues of mental
health and how women — who
often didn’t have much of a choice
— reacted during the journey.
“It’s an avenue to explore mental
health on the Oregon Trail and
what the roles of women were on
the trail,” he said.
Reis’ background is anthropology
Come visit the
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When: Friday and Saturday: 9am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-4pm
Monday-Thursday: By appointment
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Photo by Lisa Britton
A faux campfi re, battery-operated candles and music add to the
ambience of the exhibit “Uncanny Tales.”
and folktales, so he turned to his
vast library when researching for
this exhibit.
Folklore, he said, varies by
culture and is a traditional belief
system passed on from one genera-
tion to the next.
“I want them to have fun with it,”
he said of visitors to the display. “I
enjoy ghost stories and folktales.”
The exhibit includes the story
of the Lost Blue Bucket Mine,
recounting the tale of children
who picked up pretty rocks along
their journey. When the rocks were
revealed to be gold, the location
of their discovery could never be
found again.
Although ghost stories are not
the main focus of “Uncanny Tales,”
Reis did include a few. Phantom
coaches, for instance, can be traced
to English folklore but also cropped
up in America — “from Norfolk to
the Great Plains,” Reis said.
“Folklore moves with people,” he
noted.
The Interpretive Center is
located 5 miles east of Baker City
on Highway 86. It is currently
open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is $8 adults, $6 seniors,
and free for ages 15 and younger.
Federal passes are accepted.
Beginning in December, the cen-
ter will be open Thursday through
Sunday. Admission will be free for
all during the month of December.
For a schedule, visit www.oregon-
trail.blm.gov or call 541-523-1843.