Slightly off the main drag in Ontario, Oregon, is a place dedicated to the cultures that make up the Northwestern portion of the United States. Well, if truth be told, echoes the whole of the North American continent.
Last week my editor and I took the hour-plus drive from Boise, Idaho, to visit the culture center/museum. It had been over two decades for me. Upon our arrival, I was amazed by the rooms dedicated not only to depicting what life was like but also to the artistry of the varying groups that make up that section of the Northwest.
After watching a brief overview of the many people and their contributions, we strolled through the museum, starting with a very realistic diorama of a Northern Paiute village. From there we wandered through other dioramas highlighting the Europeans bringing cattle and sheep to the region. Then the influx of Japanese and Latino groups. All of them made important contributions to the region.
World War II saw important contributions from Japanese Americans and Mexicans. After the Japanese Americans were put in internment camps, they contributed greatly to the war effort. Some volunteered to fight on the European war front, while others worked in the fields to raise food for those at home and abroad. After World War II, the farming and ranching industries lacked sufficient workers; workers from Mexico filled the gap.
In the last section (still in progress) of our walkthrough, there was a tribute to the Middle Eastern and African groups that have immigrated in the last few decades.
Granted, nobody treated any of these people with the respect they deserved at the time; we should give it to them today.
The takeaway from our visit is the appreciation for those people who made a life-changing sacrifice for what we have today. In a time of harsh division, we should stop and thank those who are a large part of what we are today.
I strongly recommend that sometime in the near future you visit the Four Rivers Culture Center. At the very least, check out their website to 4RCC.com.
