In 1864 my third great grandparents were sent the land deed for their Oregon property. All 640 acres, officially divided between Chloe Clark Willson and William Holden Willson at today's Salem's State Street. William died in 1856, and never saw the official document signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Although I've written about this here and … Continue reading Land Ownership: From Land Claims to High Water Marks
Maybe there’s a pattern or maybe it’s happenstance. After I published my first memoir, I felt for the first time in adulthood that I could write a novel. Allowing myself to tell my own story in My Music Man, fed by memories of my past and stories lived by others, invited my brain to be … Continue reading A Map of Her Own: Navigating Dual Timelines in Fiction
I never thought I'd make a special trip out to the Portland International Airport just to have lunch. Once or twice I'd headed out to Port of Portland offices at the airport in years past for work, but never for a meal. And of course, dozens of times over the years to fly elsewhere. But … Continue reading Why PDX Is the Must-Visit Airport in 2025
Watercolor sketch of the ship Lausanne painted by missionary Hamilton Campbell during his journey by ship from New York to Oregon in 1839. Oregon Historical Society Archives. East Coast travels fills me with a profound awareness of the newness of the state and region I come from. That is, from the standpoint of non-Indigenous peoples. … Continue reading The Gift of Discovery: Reflections on Travel and History
Dede's Books and blog 