In 1940, Earl Nelson (son of the cofounder of Nelscott) and two friends went on a hike around the rocky coves north of the Salmon River and up Cascade Head. Thankfully, Earl took his camera with him and snapped beautiful black and white photographs. These photographs were donated to the museum by renowned local artist and friend of Earl’s, Ruth Grover, in 1998.
In this exhibit, we explore multi-faceted perspectives of Cascade Head through Earl’s photography. These impressions start with the Nechesne (also known as the Salmon River Indians) through the lens of early traders, settlers, and authors. The Nechesne were the southern band of the Tillamook Tribe and lived well off of the land until they were devastated by disease and by their forced removal at the hands of white settlement. You will also find many quotes from the early settlers who farmed on Cascade Head and along the Salmon River.
This exhibit opens on Saturday, May 14th at 1 p.m. with a presentation by Oregon Coast Preserves Steward for The Nature Conservancy, Catherine Dunn. She picks up where the exhibit leaves off and will discuss the evolution in The Nature Conservancy’s conservation efforts at Cascade Head over the last 40-50 years. This includes their intensive cataloguing of the rare coastal meadow species and protected special areas, habitat restoration, and prescribed fires as a management tool. She will also describe their current effort on recreation management/planning, which becomes increasingly important as the hike becomes more popular. Seating for this hour-long presentation is limited to about 35, so come early to get a seat. The North Lincoln County Historical Museum is located in Lincoln City at 4907 SW HWY 101.
