Historical society harvests ‘gold’ grant

Published 10:15 am Friday, October 12, 2018

The Umatilla County Historical Society recently received a grant from the Blue Mountain Community Foundation.

The $3,000 will be used to help with the installation of the exhibit “Umatilla Gold: The History of Wheat in Umatilla County,” which will be housed at Heritage Station Museum in Pendleton. The grant was written with the assistance from Bonnie Day, community development coordinator at Eastern Oregon Business Source.

The exhibit, which is slated to open next year, highlights wheat’s importance in the history, culture, and economy of the county. It traces the path wheat travels around the world, and tracks the different products it’s used in.

Umatilla Gold is designed to change as the wheat industry adapts and evolves. This will keep the exhibit fresh and interesting across its scheduled 10-year run.

Starting in 1984, the Blue Mountain Community Foundation is based on the idea that the area needed a place for donors who cared about the community to make longterm charitable investments. It has received and grown assets to exceed $50 million in 330 charitable funds of various types. For more information, visit www.bluemountainfoundation.org.