15th Annual

Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show

(A Heritage Exhibition& Old-Time Music Jamboree)

(Saturday) July 14th,2012~ Noon to 5 PM

(Sunday) July 15th, 2012 ~ Noon to 5 PM

Featuring: Historical Quilt Displays with Interpretation, Along with Sale of Huckleberry Jam and other Wildberry Products, Unique Gourmet Mustards, Nature and Historical Books, Flute Music with “Wy’East Flute Circle”, , and Much More!

LOCATION:

“Oregon Country Settlement” (living history village), 73370 East Buggy Trail Lane in Rhododendron, directly behind Still Creek Inn, just off of East U.S. Highway 26 (1 hour East of Portland)

No Admission & Free Parking!

Sponsored by Cascade Geographic Society (503-622-4798). For additional information, please send a S.A.S.E to:

P.O. Box 398, Rhododendron, Oregon 97049. Or, you can email us at: cgsmthood@onemain.com. Please check out our websites at: www.cgsmthood or www.members.tripod.com/cgs-mthood.

For Additional Information, Please Contact:

Michael P. Jones --- (503) 622-4798

Nita Kreuzer --- (503) 658-6233

The heritage of our quilting traditions is celebrated in this two-day event. Held in the Village of Rhododendron during the month of July, this special event brings together heritage quilts of the past -- such a s those dating back to the days of the Oregon Trail, hand-sewn by those who made the 2,000-plus mile journey westward -- with the artistic quilts of contemporary times. In addition to quilts, there will be arts and crafts on sale, Huckleberry jam and other wildberry goodies, historical and Nature books, and unique Oregon Trail walking sticks, plus storytelling. On Saturday and Sunday, entertainers performing Native American flute music as well as old-time music will be on hand for daytime jams and concerts along with those performing Traditional Folk and Blues. It is said that there are more historic quilts in this one area than youÕll see anywhere else.

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 1800's to the 1990's. 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 craftsperson¹s 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 1840's. He guided wagons down the dangerously-steep grades of the infamous Big Laurel Hill, where ropes were "snubbed" to trees and the "Prairie Schooners" 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 Hood's 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 appliqued by hand and are hand quilted. It is reminiscent of a fashionable pioneer piece whose beauty and durability was worthy of "gracing" anyone's bed.

Another quilt, known as the "Prairie 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, Ditoma's 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 1920's or early 1930's. 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 "Gangster Quilt" 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 1940's, 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 1920's and the 1930's. 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, “in 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 2009 dollars!

Yet, in spite of the “Electronet”, quilts are the featured attraction of the Cascade Geographic Society’s 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 Settlement”. “Front Porch Concerts” will be given at various times during the Mount Hood Oregon Trail Quilt Show and will feature a Cybdi Hubb, a solo flutist who will bring to life some traditional pioneer songs of yesterday to this unique setting. Members of the Wy”East Flute Circle will also be performing Native American flute music on traditional American Indian wooden flutes.

This two-day event features also the sale of some unique products, but no quilts. If someone wants to purchase something for those special people in your 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, Oregon Trail Walking Sticks, 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 flute 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, P.O. Box 398, Rhododendron, Oregon 97049. For quicker response, please email us at: cgsmthood@onemain.com. Still more information on this event can be found on our website at:: www.cgsmthood.com or www.members.tripod.com/cgs-mthood.