(A Heritage Exhibition)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Cascade Geographic Society is sponsoring their eleventh annual quilt show on July 12th and July 13th, 2008. As in previous yearıs, the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show will be held at the
organizations Oregon Country Settlement (living history village) located at 73370 East Buggy Trail Lane in Rhododendron, just
off of East U.S. Highway 26, behind the Still Creek Inn, one hour East of Portland.
The Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show is a heritage exhibition and show that features unique historical quilts from
the collection of the Cascade Geographic Society. These include quilts from the
Welch family, quilts from the Oregon Trail, those stitched together by homesteaders, and even those from the turn-of-the-century,
the 1920s, 1930s, World War II, and into the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Each
of the quilts have their own story to tell and this is accomplished with live interpretators and written interpretative signs.
In the early years, quilts were looked upon as utilitarian and were never thrown away. They were repaired over and
over again, which allowed the piece to become part of the daily lives of future generations.
In the old days, quilts were said to be made by women with little formal education and certainly no artistic training. Quilting was just something they did, and, although most of the work was indeed beautiful
and outstanding, it was not generally looked upon as art in any sense of the word. This
was just something they were expected to do.
Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show features a variety of quilts, ranging in date from the 1800ıs to the 1990ıs. Pieces that came across the Oregon Trail with captivating histories, or journeyed
across the sea from Europe, or were made right here in America, provide a glimpse into the craftsmanship of different periods,
and are a critical historical linkage.
The continuing influence of tradition is primarily what the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show is all about. The old quilts were handed down through the family, possessed with the stories of lifetimes. And, while
the times have now changed, contemporary quilts are indeed generally looked upon as being works of art that are often hung
on walls or arranged in displays, but are also pieces that will most likely be handed down to future generations.
The quilts featured at the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show represent a wide spectrum of talent and expertise. There are those made by women who have stitched many quilts in their life, to those
which represent the craftspersonıs first attempt in their life at creating a quilt of their own.
There are several quilts from the Welch Family in the exhibit. Samuel Welch was an Oregon Trail pioneer who made the
journey in the early 1840ıs. He guided wagons down the dangerously-steep grades
of the infamous Big Laurel Hill, where ropes were snubbed to trees and the ³Prairie Schooners² slowly lowered down the cliffs.
He later ran a trading post at the mouth of the Zig Zag River prior to settling in Lower Welches Valley in 1882 and establishing
a ranch.
Samuel Welch was the father of Mount Hoodıs tourism. He opened the first
campground in 1888 and the first hotel in 1890. These range from Victorian Crazy Quilts to a pillow made from a quilt square.
From the days of Samuel Welch, and from later members of the Welch family, the quilts represent a special history of
Mount Hood. They include a Tulip Quilt that was created by a superb craftsperson,
who achieved five stitches per inch. The tulips are appliquéd by hand and are
hand quilted. It is reminiscent of a fashionable pioneer piece whose beauty and
durability was worthy of gracing anyones bed.
Another quilt, known as the ³Prairie Schooner Quilt, traveled 2,000-plus miles over the Oregon Trail. It is very typical of the quilts that came over with the emigrants in trunks loaded on the Prairie Schooners
-- small farm wagons that measured between 3 1/2 feet wide by 12 to 18 feet long, with sideboards rising-up 2 feet, and covered
over with a canvas.
There are also two special quilts made by Lina Ditoma (November 11th,1897
to March 24th, 1992) in Naples, Italy. A master craftsperson, Ditomas stitchwork
on the quilts are so fine that they resemble the stitching of a sewing machine.
A Block Quilt, known as the Gangster Quilt, was made by Ditoma sometime in the 1920ıs or early 1930ıs. It survived World War II, and came to America with her in a steamer trunk by ship, which landed on Ellis
Island in New York before coming to Oregon.
Nick-named the ³Gangster Quilt² because of the material used, it is hand-quilted and hand-stitched. It features herringbone designs from vests, suits, pants, and other dress clothes.
This Block Quilt is a good example of what women, in pioneer times through the 1940ıs, would have made by reusing old
clothes in everyday utility quilts. In addition, it demonstrates the kind of
quality work that a talented craftsperson would have achieved.
Another Block Quilt made by Ditoma, was constructed between the 1920s and the 1930s.
After World War II it came to Portland, Oregon, via a ship from Ellis Island, New York.
It is an excellent example of a quality quilt whose purpose was utilitarian, and was continuously utilized until just
recently.
The Cascade Geographic Society will also feature a unique
alternative to quilts at their
Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show. Although these traditional hand-stitched
blocks were used for bedding, they were also put to use in comforting sick people. However,
by April 18th, 1911, there was an alternative that people could rely upon. This
was a specially-designed electric blanket known as the Electronet, which was a garment used, according to advertisements,
³in the cure of disease.
The Electronet was wrapped around the sick person, plugged into a socket, and then the ingenuity of what was then believed
to be the best that modern medicine had to offer, was said to employ its magic. With
110 volts pulsing through this blanket and its accompanying electric cloth pillow and electric cloth boots, the patient could
be cured of rheumatism, gout, nervousness, kidney and liver ailments, and a whole lot of other diseases.
What was the cost of this alternative to wrapping up sick people in a quilt in 1911?
The Electronet cost a whopping $85.00! This computes to over $1,669.00
in 2005 dollars!
Yet, in spite of the Electronet, quilts are the featured attraction of the Cascade Geographic Societyıs Mount Hood
Oregon Trail Quilt Show. Every year, their collection grows and the event gets bigger and bigger.
Music will also add to the atmosphere of the pioneer village, and will be held along a section of the Oregon Trail
that meanders its way through the Oregon Country Settlement². ³Front Porch Concerts
will be given at various times during the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show and will feature a flutist and folk musicians
that will return some of the songs of yesterday to this unique setting.
This two-day event will also feature the sale of some very unique products, but no quilts. If someone wants to purchase something for those special people in their life, or if you want to do your
holiday shopping early, there will be a wide variety of unique things for purchase at the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show. These
include everything from Huckleberry
Jam and other Wildberry products, dried Wild Mushrooms, unique gourmet mustards, hard-to-find Nature and historical books,
³Oregon Trail Walking Sticks², and much more!
The Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show is an event for the entire family. It
is not only interesting, fun, and educational, but it will reinforce your appreciation for fiddle music and the heritage of
the quilts of the past, the present, and even the future.
For additional information on the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show, please call (503) 622-4798. Or, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Cascade Geographic Society, Post Office Box 398, Rhododendron,
Oregon
97049.
