Tall tales from
the Oregon Trail
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
AKER CITY — Bill Rossiter
started playing the banjo
in high school, and wove song
verses into his school papers.
But it was the song “Darlin’
Nellie Gray” that piqued his
interest in historical tunes.
“That intrigued me, so I
started looking for songs,” he
said.
And so began a lifetime of
music and collecting songs
from the past. This weekend,
he will share songs from the
Oregon Trail that tell the story
of pioneers.
“It’s a history of the westward
movement starting in the 1840s
to the nineteen-teens,” he said.
“These songs are diamonds.
They are so heartfelt and tied to
the moment.”
Rossiter will give perfor-
mances Friday through Sun-
day, Aug. 6-8, at the National
Historic Oregon Trail Interpre-
tive Center outside Baker City.
His shows are at 10:30 a.m.,
12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. each
day. The center is currently
closed due to COVID-19 re-
strictions. All programs are held
outside.
On Saturday, Aug. 7, he will
perform at 5 p.m. in Geiser-Poll-
man Park in Baker City.
Admission is free to all the
performances.
Rossiter, who describes
himself as a “retired folklorist,”
taught literature and folklore
for 25 years at Flathead Valley
Community College in Kalispell,
Montana. As for his historical
performances, he’s developed
a dozen diff erent programs. He
plays clawhammer banjo, guitar,
autoharp and harmonica.
In a typical year, he performs
three to four times per month,
and also plays with three diff er-
ent bands in Kalispell.
For his Baker City appear-
ances, his show is titled “Tall
Tales and Tall Songs: Going Out
AUGUST 4�11, 2021
Ranger
programs
scheduled each
week, Thursday
through Sunday
Bill Rossiter shares pioneer
stories through song
B
7
CULTURE & HERITAGE
CELEBRATING THE HISTORY
OF EASTERN OREGON
B
AKER CITY — The Na-
tional Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center
remains closed to visitors,
but outdoor programming
is off ered Thursday through
Sunday.
An information table
is staff ed from 10 a.m. to
3 p.m.
The “Oregon Fever”
ranger program begins at
11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.,
and “Going for Gold” can be
seen at 9:30 a.m.
The network of trails
— both paved and gravel
— are open from daylight
to dusk every day. Gates to
the top of the hill close at
4 p.m., but the trail system
Submitted
Bill Rossiter
TALL TALES AND
TALL SONGS
Aug. 6-8: 10:30 a.m.,
12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. daily at
the National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center
Aug. 7: 5 p.m. at Geiser-Poll-
man Park, Baker City
Admission: free
West to See the Elephant.”
“Seeing the elephant” refers
to high excitement about some-
thing (going west, in this case)
followed by a sense of disillu-
sionment.
can be accessed from a
pull-out on Highway 86.
Looking ahead, Mike
Follin will perform Dr.
Balthasar’s Traveling Medi-
cine Show Aug. 12-15, at
10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and
2:30 p.m. each day. Follin’s
program can also be seen
at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14,
in Geiser-Pollman Park.
The Nimiipuu (Nez Perce)
Experience “Where History
Meets Culture” can be seen
at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 21-22
and Aug. 28-29. Perfor-
mances are also planned
for Geiser-Pollman Park
at 5 p.m. on Aug. 21 and
Aug. 28.
Visit Artisan Alley to purchase items from local
artists and watch them work.
(Vendor applications available at the Museum)
We thank these Chamber Members
for their continued support
12pm-3pm
FREE
Admission
www.VisitUnionCounty.org
City of
NORTH POWDER
IN PENDLETON
www.HeritageStationMuseum.org
Open Tues-Sat
10am-4pm