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Journeys
At Willamette Valley, view of paradise awaits A new exhibit immerses visitors in the scenery; A comprehensive exhibit tracks valley's evolution Ron Cowan, Statesman Journal The thought may seem remote at times in the 1990s, but to the first settlers, the Willamette Valley was the Garden of Eden.
This vision of paradise, the changes time has wrought and the current debate on how the valley is being used are the subject of the new permanent Oregon History Center exhibit, "Willamette Valley: Visions of Eden."
When the European settlers first arrived in the Willamette Valley, they thought it was a place untouched by humans. But the American Indians had lived here for thousands of years, altering the land to meet their needs and to follow their religious beliefs.
It was a study in contrasting cultures and differing perspectives on the relationship between people and nature and the beginning of an ongoing Oregon debate on the use of the valley and its resources.
"Land-use issues have gotten a lot of attention recently, but this subject has always been important to people living in Oregon," said exhibit curator M.C. Cuthill.
"The Willamette Valley we live in today is the result of many human decisions which have changed the land."
The new Willamette Valley exhibit leads visitors on a journey through time and through the landscape itself.
The exhibit designers have created an experience intended to immerse visitors in the scenery.
Floor-to-ceiling murals show vistas ranging from the earliest recorded color drawings of the valley to a modern photo of today's suburban neighborhoods crowding forest areas and farms.
"Foothills" jut into the exhibit space, doubling as video, interactive and information centers.
Overhead, a representation of the Willamette River flows along the entire exhibit length, just as it does through the valley, providing a continuous historic time line and unifying exhibit sections.
The exhibit is divided into three themes: Section I: Inhabiting a Landscape (valley history before 1840); Section II: Cultivating a Vision (1840-1960); Section III: Re-Envisioning (1960 and on ...).
The first section sees the valley as a landscape with competing European and Indian attitudes at work, contrasting their approaches. This section includes a giant 3D topographical map of the valley.
Section two follows the increasingly intense cultivation, lumbering and manipulation of the land. We see how the settlers brought their old attitudes to the new land, logging forests, damming and controlling waterways and building cities and towns.
The final section focuses on Oregon's famed land-use planning legislation, reflecting the modern shift in public thinking about the land, its resources and our relationships to both.
Personal involvement is emphasized, as visitors learn how critical they are in determining the valley's future.
"This exhibit helps inform visitors how and why the valley had evolved into the place we know today, how it continues to change and how important they are as individuals in that ongoing process," Cuthill said.
Included in the three sections are historic artifacts, interactive displays and activities, videos, photographs and models. There are more than 180 precious artifacts and more than 200 images, ranging from photographs to paintings.
"Willamette Valley: Visions of Eden" is the product of three years of research, planning and development. Here are some unusual facts from the exhibit:
•With only 12 percent of Oregon's surface area, the Willamette Valley has more than 70 percent of its prime farmland.
•The Willamette River watershed is the 10th largest river system in the United States based on average annual flow and is about 300 miles long.
•Oregon City was the first incorporated town west of the Rocky Mountains. The Olympian Copyright 1999
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