P roposal to the D istrict School Board concerning
the future use o f the current site o f the Cannon
Beach G rade School.
Prepared by Billy Lloyd Hults
I L /k e
It is proposed that the current site of the Cannon Beach
Grade School be used as an educational facility to enlighten the
general public as to the cultural, environmental and historic
importance of this site. We believe this board has a unique
opportunity to make the highest use of this property that will
provide benefits for years to come
When it was proposed that the Cannon Beach Grade School
site was at risk to Tsunami conditions, and that the school be
moved, the question arose what to do with this unique
property. Though the options may be many, we would
suggest that there is a highest use for the property under this
board’s jurisdiction. It is the uniqueness of this property that
demands this highest use. As the board, and millions of
Americans know, William Clark, Sacajawea, and a party from
the Corps o f Discovery visited this site on Jan. 9, 1806 to
trade with the villagers living by the creek Clark named Ecola.
The historical significance of this visit and this site should
not be underestimated. As Americans make plans to celebrate
the bicentennial o f the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 2004,
2005 and 2006, thousands, perhaps millions of Americans and
people from around the world will be visiting parts of or even
traveling all of The Lewis & Clark Trail. From St. Louis to
Ft. Clatsop, communities, government agencies. Native
Tribes, Historical Associations and ordinary citizens are
planning for this celebration. Have no doubt that a large
percentage of these people will be fully aware of the historic
significance of this site. They will come armed with copies of
the Journals, and Captain Clark’s drawings of the village
which once was here. They will try to imagine that moment
in our country’s history, and perhaps some will agree that this
is in fact the End o f the Lewis and Clark Trail. With all due
respect to Fort Clatsop, it has been suggested that a trail ends
where the foot prints stop and turn back. This site is where
the foot prints stop, and turn back.
Thus we feel that the highest use of this property, to further
educational opportunities in this School district, to preserve
and study an important site in the history of Oregon and
America, and to add ongoing benefit to this community, would
be as follows.
To use the existing buildings on the site, in cooperation
with Clatsop Community College to offer courses related to
this site’s history, geology, & ecology. Include community
involvement in the planning of a permanent facility at this site
that would include an authentic long house similar to one of
the five known to have been on or near the site. A
landscaping plan that would include plants used by the
inhabitants of the village, and perhaps a Whale skeleton. We
would also encourage the planning of an archeological survey
and dig. We feel the educational opportunities of this use of
this site would be immense. We believe the positive impact
on the community and the area would be likewise.
We believe there is support available from many sources to
enact this proposal. N o doubt, it is an ambitious proposal,
and to enact it will take cooperation on the part of many
different entities, public and private, and many decisions will
have to be made, but you members o f the School Board must
make the first one.
M / k e ’f
b ik e
'•
The O regonian wins Pulitzer;
you want fries with that?
»
Though given ample opportunity. I have never - well, only
a few times -- disparaged the Oregonian in particular, or the
media in general. That horse has been whipped to death by the
media jockeys themselves. And I don’t mean to demean the
article on the journey of a potato into French fry-hood; it was
well written, informative, and important.
Having said that, I still have the vision of the reporter at
M cD’s, hearing the now icon-like phrase just one too many
times, and gazing at his wilting, greasy, sugary and salted slice
of a once proud potato, and muttering, ‘Poor Spud, how could
this have happened to you?” And the rest is Journalistic
history.
My problem is lately with that very history, and the current
contributions we are offered daily; “the first rough draft of
history” as Ben Bradlee called it. The American Newspaper is,
and has been for quite a while, in serious trouble. Because of
hostile takeovers, mergers, and increasing costs and
competition, newspapers all over this country have just
disappeared. Most cities, like Portland, have only one daily
paper, owned by a multi-national corporation. Recently the
Big O underwent a design change. I’ve heard that the person
who did the makeover is the same person who introduced the
little side-bar on the Living section front page that basically
surfs the net for tasteless jokes, and then decorates them with
little cartoons that look like they were drawn by a Generation
X sell-out. Much to my embarrassment it is called The Edge.
Well, this hip new format for the grand old paper (yes, that
does make it GOP), is a change of font, smaller type, and new
color wallet size photos of the regular columnists.
‘W ow! It really does look like a web page.” I imagine they
exclaimed with delight. The probably most offensive ‘new
feature’ was on die back of the Business section where the five
day forecast clianged from die familiar symbols for die clouds
and the sun into little squiggles that looked like more work by
the Gen-X cartoonist. That little feature was gone in days.
You can get cutesie with some things, but in Oregon the
weather is not to be messed with.
The problem I find widi newspapers these days, is that they
don’t seem to want to be newspapers anymore They want to
be slow TV or a web page print-out. They think they are
competing with the electronic media, when in fact they are
not. Not in providing information. They are only competing
for profits for the multi-national corporation that now own
them. Newspapers are being run by television watchers who
have no idea why people read newspapers, rather than watch
television, or surf the net. To muddle a metaphor, newspapers
should provide food for thought, not eye candy. Candy makes
huge profits, and is very popular widi young people.
But good wholesome food for thought is what makes for a
strong healthy readership. As the newspaper of record, and the
‘Largest newspaper in the Northwest’, even after reducing its
actual size, (The Upper Left Edge is one and one half inches
wider) the Oregonian would be well advised to put some
organic vegetables on the plate, along with some real meat and
potatoes, and start serving up something that is not available
at every fast food news outlet in America. I can ‘read’ the
Oregonian these days in less time than it takes my old Mac to
download the Drudge Report, and both seem to waste my time.
The old grey lady just doesn’t look good in Doc Martens, and a
nose ring. Oh, and congratulations on your Pulitzer.
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U niversity o f O regon M useum o f Art
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May 22nd - June 20th Exhibition of UO fine arts students receiving
their Masters of Fine and Applied Arts degree. Every Wednesday from 5-8pm
free programming supplementing the exhibition is available to the public. For
more detailed information call 541-346-0942, email
kmanning@oregon.uoregon.edu, or visit our website at
http://uoma.uoregon.edu.
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