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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2021)
Applegater Spring 2021 7 NONPROFIT NEWS AND UPDATES Finally, it’s 2021! Let’s try that again. You can now hit the Upper Applegate History Trail BY SETH KAPLAN BY LAURA AHEARN Spring is the time for renewal, so no better time than now to announce that A Greater Applegate (AGA) is calling a “do-over” on 2020. Readers who follow AGA may remember that 2020 was the year we intended to visit every part of the Applegate Valley to hear your ideas for our collective future. We made it to Little Applegate, Upper Applegate, and Humbug Creek before COVID-19 put an end to community gatherings. Now, ever hopeful, we replace 20/20 Community Vision with Applegate Valley Vision and move forward with our plan to visit Thompson Creek, North Applegate/Slagle Road, Back to the vision-drawing board: Ruch, Provolt, Williams, Griffin Outdoor gatherings are planned in Applegate Valley Lane/Sterling Creek, Murphy, neighborhoods so residents can share ideas about the Wilderville/Wonder, and Elliott community’s future. Creek/Carberry Creek during the coming months. Still uncertain about COVID-19 and its impact on the procedures, receive tax advice, and more. Applegate, our intention is to conduct This program was previously used to create listening sessions in each of these areas the still-available online eight-session during the outdoor months and use the e-commerce training, available at the AGA indoor months to draft a vision document website (agreaterapplegate.org), and the Applegate Marketplace (applegatemarket. based on what we learned. We are looking for outdoor settings in org). If you are a sole proprietor or a small each of these areas where we can gather business with employees, you are eligible in groups of 25-40 (or whatever the for this free technical assistance. In 2020, AGA used COVID-19 restrictions are at the time) to break bread (at a distance) and share ideas about your emergency funds from the Oregon neighborhood’s and your community’s Community Foundation, the Ford Family future. Please contact us if you (1) can Foundation, and local donors to create provide or know of a good outdoor the Mutual Aid Network and to provide location in one of these areas, (2) want to food and other resources to Applegaters. help plan or recruit for the listening session One of these efforts has become the Farm in your area, or (3) want to be notified to Food Pantry program, funded by Cow when the listening session is scheduled Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. This program will enable us to provide meat for your area. and produce from local farms and ranches More good news from AGA Our popular Small Business Technical to the Ruch and Williams food pantries Assistance program, funded by Business with a local in-kind match. Applegate Oregon, has been extended until June Valley producers interested in participating 2021! Designed to support local businesses in this program should contact Megan impacted by the pandemic, this program Fehrman at megan@agreaterapplegate.org. Contact us at info@agreaterapplegate. provides Applegate Valley businesses and startups with free support to sustain or org to learn more about any of these grow your business during this extended programs or other offerings and challenging time. Local businesses have opportunities from AGA. Seth Kaplan, Executive Director used this program to develop a marketing A Greater Applegate or communication plan, design or upgrade seth@agreaterapplegate.org a website, set up online bookkeeping McKee Bridge Historical Society has a treasury of vintage photos and historical relics collected by founder Evelyn Byrne Williams and her mother, Pearl McKee Byrne, which has inspired the Society to relaunch its website and inaugurate an Upper Applegate History Trail. The Society received a $1,500 grant from the Jackson County Cultural Coalition to develop the History Trail, and by the time you read this article you should be able to take a look at the “work in progress” at mckeebridge.org. Information about the History Trail will be provided on the MBHS “rack card,” a dedicated page on the website, and (soon, we hope) on a printed and downloadable nine- by 16- inch, two-sided map. Don’t worry if your favorite Upper Applegate saga or site isn’t included in the rollout—the web page is dynamic, so send us your recommendations at mckeebridge1917@ gmail.com. In 2021 the society will apply for more grants to install interpretive panels at McKee Bridge. There are conceptual designs for panels at additional locations—Seattle Bar, for example, where the Blue Ledge Mining Company had The McKee Bridge Historical Society has created an a placer camp in 1906-09 Upper Applegate History Trail that is available as and attempted to build a a printed card and on its website. hydro plant and even a massive If you’re a Facebook user, follow smelter. The MBHS collection includes original journals, logs, and correspondence McKee Bridge Historical Society for posts from the Blue Ledge Mine, revealing true about fascinating Applegate pioneers statistics about operations in contrast to like the Collings and Byrne families of the hyperbolic descriptions published Watkins, Mary Terrier Buckley (she had in the early 1900s about the mine’s five husbands), and the Culys and Shearers of Steamboat. performance and potential. If you are not a Facebook fan, you can Applegater Chelsea Rose, at Southern Oregon University’s Laboratory of find these stories at mckeebridge.org. Become a member of the society to Anthropology, serves as academic advisor on these projects. Robert Kentta, Cultural enjoy access to the Virtual Museum and Specialist for the Confederated Tribes of other members-only benefits. Membership Siletz Indians, has provided invaluable is still only $20 per year for your entire guidance. Ruch resident Christina Ammon household. Laura Ahearn has pitched in to edit text. Laurel Briggs, McKee Bridge Historical Society Creative Marketing Design, is the graphics mckeebridge1917@gmail.com and website designer. Food bank still here to help Your friends at the Ruch Food Pantry would like to take a moment and give special thanks to those who really stepped up with donations during this pandemic. We appreciate all of our supporters, and we look forward to seeing you. Our hours are 11:30 am to 1 pm on Mondays (closed holidays) on the backside of Ruch School. Come check us out! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Deborah Price, Manager, 541-826-9149 Michelle Bollinger, Assistant Manager 541-218-6471 Now serving burgers! Nonprofit organizations in the Applegate Valley are welcome to submit news and event information to the Applegater. Email gater@applegater.org.