The Linfield College Archives just returned from our first Southern Oregon research trip. We were given a grant by the Oregon Wine Board to go down to Southern Oregon in order to collect documents and oral histories from the pioneers of the Oregon wine industry in the South. The grant allows us to go on two trips, one to Roseburg (from which we just returned) and a second to Ashland at the end of July. 

The pictures above are from our field work in Roseburg. From top: Scott Henry showing archivist Rachael Woody his trellis system for training vines, interview with John Bradley outside of his tasting room, a friendly cow outside of Bonded Winery No. 7, our tour of the Doerner property in front of Winery No. 7, and finally me scanning images onsite from the back of our van. These are only a few of the many adventures we went on to collect information for the Oregon Wine History Archive. We were very lucky in that the weather was amazing the whole week and all the people we met were extremely welcoming and ready to share their stories with us (on camera no less!)

We are so grateful to be able to aid in recording the history of the wine industry in Oregon. Our trip to Ashland is six weeks away (in the middle of the fantastic Shakespeare Festival) and we are anticipating it will be equally successful and rewarding! 

Mitra Haeri ‘14, Linfield College Archives Technician

This project is made possible by a grant from the Oregon Wine Board. 

Hello,

Here is our postcard for the Latinos and wine exhibit. As you can tell by this and some of our posts, we are attempting to make this a bilingual exhibit!

We also had our fourth interview yesterday. Lydia, Kathie, Rachael, Rich, Jeff and I went to WillaKenzie Estates and interviewed Ronni Lactoute. It was great to meet her and listen to her stories.

—Julian Adoff

Freshman, Mass Communication Major; History and Political Science Minors

—This project is supported by grants from Yamhill County Cultural Coalition and Community Engaged Research to the Classroom in coalition with the Linfield Center for the Northwest.

One of the signs used by marketing firm, The Delkin Co. in Portland, Oregon to promote the Oregon Wine Industry.  Photo of wine tasters is ca. 1980’s.

Kathie Byers - Business Management Major - Class of 2014

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities.

MY TO DO LIST ****This is the last week of school for Students here at Linfield College and the end of the Spring Term.  This term I have been working almost exclusively on the Oregon Wine History Archives.  I have enjoyed learning about the many different brave, humble and intelligent people who blazed the trail for the Oregon Wine Industry.  The summer internship here at the archives will bring a new range of projects for me.  I will be taking over some of Teran’s projects since he will be doing an internship on the east coast as a Kemper Scholar.  This means I get to delve into the Linfield Photo Collection and make those photos available in digital format.  I will also be working on the Oregon Wine Board Collection.

Kathie Byers - Business Management Major - Class of 2014

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities.

Hello!

This is my first blog post as a part of the Linfield Archives! Yesterday and today, Julian and I, as well as some other students involved with the Linfield Archives, met with Nancy Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards and Susan Sokol-Blosser of Sokol-Blosser Winery.  Both women were involved in the formation of a healthcare system for Latino workers in the wine industry called Salud, and agreed on how important it was that such a system existed, because with out the Latino population, the industry would not be the same. It was interesting to learn about the role the workers play and the impact they have on the day to day workings of the wineries as well as the personal connections that they make with the owners.

Hola!

Esto es mi primera vez escribiendo en tumblr para los archivos de Linfield! Hoy y ayer, Julian y yo, con algunos estudiantes que trabajan en los archivos tambien, nos reunimos con Nancy Ponzi de Ponzi Vineros y con Susan Sokol-Blosser de Sokol-Blosser Bodega.  Esas mujeres estuvieron incluidos en el inicio de una sistema de asistencia medica para trabajadores latinos en la industria de vino en Oregon, se llama Salud. Las dos estuvieron de acuerdas que esta sistema es muy importante porque sin los trabajadores latinos, la industria supiera muy diferente. Fue interesante para aprender los papeles de Latinos en el horario diario y de las relaciones personales que crecieron entre los trabajadores y los duenos!

- Lydia Heins

History major, Spanish minor

—This project is supported by grants from Yamhill County Cultural Coalition and Community Engaged Research to the Classroom in coalition with the Linfield Center for the Northwest.

Hello all,

I have now been working in the archives for almost two semesters. It has been so much fun. I have learned a lot and gotten to know some amazing people. As you know from my previous posts, I will be here this summer working on a summer research project. This will culminate with an exhibit at the International Pinot Noir Celebration July 26-28.

In the next week, we will begin conducting some oral histories for the project.

—Julian Adoff

Freshman, Mass Communication Major; History and Political Science Minors

—This project is supported by grants from Yamhill County Cultural Coalition and Community Engaged Research to the Classroom in coalition with the Linfield Center for the Northwest.

I am so excited to announce that our archivist, Rachael Woody, and I are leaving for our first trip to Southern Oregon in just two weeks! On this first trip we will be going down to Roseburg, Oregon and staying there for a week visiting various individuals related to the wine industry in Southern Oregon. We are so excited and hope to learn so much about the Oregon wine industry outside of the Yamhill Valley.

Mitra Haeri, Class of 2014

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities.

I have spent the last year working in the archives and the last few months working on our Salud! collection. I have gone through the material scanning and sorting various papers, pictures and items. It was so interesting to go through and it allowed me to learn about what a small group of individuals are capable of accomplishing. This is something that I have continued to learn throughout my experience working with the collections that come to us from the various wineries and wine related organizations in Oregon. I am so grateful that I get to learn from the experience of these dedicated individuals who have helped shape the agricultural atmosphere of my home. 

Mitra Haeri, Class of 2014 

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities. 

The first International Pinot Noir Celebration took place in August, 1987, on the Linfield College Campus in McMinnville, Oregon.  The IPNC was organized as a festival to show case Pinot Noir - - a wine that Oregon has become famous for.  The 27th annual IPNC will take place July 26-28th.  Linfield College continues to be a strong partner with the Oregon Wine Industry and continues to host the annual celebration.

Kathie Byers - Busniess Management Major - Class of 2014

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities.

I have been thinking a lot about the challenges the wine pioneers* faced before they moved to Oregon to plant a grape vine that “would never grow this far north.” In a 1984 article by Gerald Asher of Gourmet Magazine, David Lett recounted that a Professor of Enology at the University of California, Davis, went so far as to say, “You’ll be frosted out every spring, rained out every fall, and get athlete’s foot up to your knees.” In spite of these warnings and doubts, David and Diana Lett and others such as Dick Erath, Charles Coury, Gary Fuqua, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol-Blosser, Dick and Nancy Ponzi (just to name a few), said, “we’ll take that chance.” Maybe the professor was right, maybe they would fail, but they had to find out for themselves. They were willing to take the leap of faith. They believed in their vision and they had confidence in their knowledge and abilities to make their vision a reality. Vision and confidence helped them to blaze a new trail that others were curious about, but lacked the courage to take the risk. The early members of the Oregon Wine community did face many challenges, but they banded together with anyone who caught the vision and they worked steadily toward their goal. Today, something that never should have happened is a 2.7 billion dollar industry for the state of Oregon.

The reason I have been thinking about those early wine pioneers is because I too have a vision that some will tell me is impossible. Besides going to Linfield College fulltime to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management, I am also the director of a small nonprofit in my community which focuses on positive youth development. Once I am able to focus all my efforts on the nonprofit organization, I know that I will be facing many of the same challenges and doubts that the wine pioneers faced. I have been inspired by their perseverance and by the camaraderie among the first members of the wine industry. When I am feeling discouraged and uncertain, as I begin to blaze my own uncharted path, I will remember the courage and the confidence of the wine pioneers. I will find others who have the same vision I have for my community and, in spite of the challenges, we will build a lasting legacy that will make our community healthier and stronger for generations to come. Thank you wine pioneers for taking a leap of faith. You have left a wonderful legacy for the state of Oregon and for others who have been inspired to take that same “leap of faith” in order to bring change and prosperity to our communities.

*I know that many of the founding members of the Oregon Wine Industry humbly resist the term “pioneer’ but I find it to be a highly fitting and complimentary term for these brave, intelligent, and talented group of people.

Kathie Byers - Busniess Management Major - Class of 2014

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust: Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities.