I had really wanted to visit at least some of the museums and cultural centers listed here: https://issuu.com/traveloregon2019/docs/travelguidetooregonindiancountry/s/16542751
That did not work out, at least not this year. However, I have recently visited three spots that could be good destinations for you.
(There is a new mural by Yakama artist Toma Villa at the Artists Repertory Theater, but I have not been to see it yet: https://www.kgw.com/article/life/mural-yakama-artist-toma-villa-blaine-fontana-downtown-portland-artists-repertory-theater-indigenous-storytelling/283-f9567181-3a3a-490f-ac01-0837149b3fc7)
First of all, they have updated the marker at the original Five Oaks site, a traditional meeting place for the original inhabitants of the area and the settlers who later joined them.
An interpretive panel by Jordan Rosenblum gives information both historical and ecological.
https://jordanrosenblum.com/Five-Oaks-Interpretive-Panel
Although only one of the trees dates back, there is still a cluster of oaks you can view the do form a beautiful natural landscape, even though you are in the middle of a business park.
I had heard the site called (besides Five Oaks) Chatakuin and "Meeting Place", and assumed that is what Chatakuin meant. In fact, the name refers to the noises made from processing the acorns, which was done annually. Since people came together to do so, it became a convenient location for doing business and connecting with others.
We learned all about that at the Five Oaks Museum, with its current exhibit, "Replenish the Root: Six Centuries of Gathering Under the Oaks.
Full of artworks and artifacts, there was a lot to admire.
One interesting thing was the intervention of local activists to get the park preserved. The developer had no idea that he was building on a historic site, but that connection preserved a focal point of our local history.
Then, students from my junior high worked to plant additional trees, just a few years before I was there, and long enough ago that there has been significant growth.
Five Oaks Museum is good at finding and making these connections. I had recently seen a search for a drip torch in one of their newsletters, to go with part of an exhibition. I was tickled to see this.
Their enthusiasm for the history, the ecology, the individuals, and even other museums in the area was contagious.
The museum is on Portland Community College's Rock Creek Campus. Coordinates for the landmark are R2090323, Hillsboro, OR 97124. If you find that unnerving, the closest businesses are PSK Tech America and Pump Dynamics.
It was still easier to find than the new Sacajawea statue in Charbonneau.
It was easy to find articles about the statue, and how it was appropriate because the Charbonneau community was named for Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau. What was impossible to find was an address.
The closest it came was saying that the statue was in front of the Charbonneau commercial center, without specifying anything about that.
Honestly, when the planned community starts with townhomes and a 9-hole golf course, and then that expands to a 27-hole golf course running through the neighborhood, that may set certain expectations.
So, it is near the Lux Sucre Bakery and Cafe at 31840 SW Charbonneau Dr # A, Wilsonville, OR 97070. It is a really beautiful statue, but the two Five Oaks places want you more.
COVID: The statue and the marker are both outdoors. The museum is indoors. Masks are not required but they are a good idea.
Accessibility: Again, I am not sure Charbonneau wants you there (but we made it anyway). That is completely different with Five Oaks.
At the site, the interpretive panel is in Spanish and English, with helpful illustrations.
At the museum there is good navigation from a mobility point of view, but there is also helpful, enthusiastic staff and well-labeled all user restrooms.
There were even complimentary tissues and hygiene products, and admission is up to you.
They want you there. Once you are there, you will find good things.
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