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A new traveling exhibit from The Letitia Carson Legacy Project and Oregon Black Pioneers honoring the life of one of Oregon’s first African American pioneers opened on Friday at the Douglas County Museum of History and Natural History.

The new exhibit, which is on loan to the Douglas County Museum, includes photographs, historic maps, newspaper articles, published works, and other documentary evidence about Letitia Carson, her family and the Letitia Carson Legacy Project. It will be on display at the museum through January 2023.

“It is our honor to be the first museum to unveil this amazing exhibit and celebrate the life and legacy of Oregon pioneer Letitia Carson. We are equally honored that Letitia chose to call Douglas County her home over one hundred and sixty years ago,” Commissioner Tom Kress said in a press release. He is the liaison Commissioner to the Douglas County Museum.

Letitia Carson was a Black Oregon homesteader, farmer and matriarch living in the time of Oregon's exclusion laws. She came to Oregon in 1845 with a white man, David Carson, with whom she would have two children. They originally settled in what is now Benton County. After David’s death in 1852, the Carson land, cattle and belongings were sold by a neighbor who claimed she could not own land because of the whites-only provision of the 1850 Oregon Donation Land Claim Act. In two unprecedented court cases (1855 and 1856), Letitia successfully sued for compensation. A short time after settlement of the lawsuits, Letitia and her children moved to Douglas County. For several years she reportedly lived in the upper Cow Creek Valley with the Hardy Elliff family, for whom she worked. She also served as a midwife for the community. 

On June 17, 1863, Letitia submitted a land claim for 160 acres along South Myrtle Creek, roughly 13 miles northeast of Myrtle Creek. On October 1, 1869, Letitia's land claim near Myrtle Creek was certified by President Grant, making her the first black woman in Oregon to successfully secure a land claim. Letitia’s ranch included a two-story house, barn, smokehouse, cattle, pigs, and an orchard of over 100 fruit trees. The 1870 census lists her real estate worth $1,000, and personal property as $625. In 1888, she was laid to rest in The Stephens Cemetery, just a few miles from her homestead property.

“We are so proud to make available this new traveling exhibit about Letitia Carson. Communities around Oregon will be inspired by her story and her legacy,” said Zachary Stocks, Executive Director Oregon Black Pioneers. “We especially thank Oregon State University’s Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems and The Ford Family Foundation for sponsoring this important exhibit and opening event.”

Oregon Black Pioneers is Oregon’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide. Since 1993, the organization has illuminated the seldom- told history of people of African descent in Oregon. Inspired by the tenacity of Black Oregonians who have faced discrimination and hardship to make a life for themselves here over the past 400 years, Oregon Black Pioneers honors their sacrifices by remembering their stories and by sharing them with the public. Oregon Black Pioneers’ vision is to become the preeminent resource for the study of Oregon’s African American history and culture. Special thanks to OSU Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems and The Ford Family Foundation for sponsoring this exhibit. The Letitia Carson Legacy Project is a collaboration between Oregon State University, Oregon Black Pioneers, Black Oregon Land Trust, and Linn-Benton Branch NAACP and Museum. For more information about Oregon Black Pioneers log onto https://oregonblackpioneers.org/

The exhibit can be viewed at 123 Museum Drive in Roseburg for a small fee for non-members from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from between Tuesday and Saturday. The exhibit will start at the Douglas County Museum and travel to other museums in the state.

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Photo from the Douglas County Museum of History and Natural History Website.

First Black Oregon Landowner Honored at Douglas County Museum

The City of Roseburg is taking applications to fill a vacancy on City Council after Councilor Alison Eggers resigned Monday, April 11, a vacancy on the planning commission, and the new, limited-duration City Charter Review Committee.

There are online applications for all three positions. Application forms also can be printed and turned in at City Hall, 900 SE Douglas Ave., or downloaded and emailed to info@cityofroseburg.org. 

Online applications for the councilor position are due by 5 p.m. Friday, April 29. The Council will set up interviews that will be held during a public City Council meeting on May 9, 2022 and appoint a replacement to serve until Dec. 31, when Eggers’ term was set to expire. The seat will be up for election in November.

The City Charter Review Committee deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Friday, April 29. Councilors Cotterell, Moothart and Zielinski will review the citizen member applications and make recommendations to the City Council, which is expected to appoint the three citizen members on Monday, May 9.
 
The committee will work to help update the current City Charter. The special limited-duration committee is expected to meet for about six months starting Wednesday, May 25. The six-member committee will work with City staff and the City attorney to review and propose amendments to language or sections of the charter. Candidates must live in Roseburg. The City needs to fill three vacancies for citizen committee members. The committee will meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month, unless the committee needs to skip a month or add any extra meetings.

The Planning Commission vacancy must be filled by someone who lives within the city. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, May 13. The planning commission meets on the first Monday of the month unless there is nothing to discuss.

All of the applications can be found on the city website or picked up at City Hall during business hours.

City Seeking Members for Council, Planning Commission, Charter Review Committee

The City of Roseburg Park Division includes 20 developed parks comprising 428 acres of passive and active recreation sites. Parks range in size from the 263 acre Stewart Park to small neighborhood parks. The City provides recreational facilities for adult and youth organized baseball, softball, and soccer programs.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=19xN6o2v46x9HPdz3Y6gd0u0jducrQ3we&ll=43.21606371259731%2C-123.33139854999996&z=13

Ryan Finlay

Moses Finlay

Josh Gaunt

Roseburg City Park Map

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=12pW_qBd3RNkEUKpE5DG0ZAdHeiGr20DL&ll=43.221007321116716%2C-123.35896185000001&z=15

City of Roseburg Bike Trails Map

Information coverage from Roseburg Tracker