Some time after we moved to Douglas County in 2006, Celia ran into Lois Eagleton at the Oakland Post Office. Lois was the founder and chair person of the Friends of Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park, a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and protection of the park in accordance with the Will of Mildred Kanipe. When Celia came home she informed me of her talk with Lois and said she had been recruited as a member to the board of directors for the Friends of the park.
Soon we were both attending monthly board meetings with a very energetic group of people. Over the years Celia was involved with editing grants to restore the English Settlement Schoolhouse, researching the history of the orchard, worked on the Nature Trail, participated in the adopt a highway cleanup of Elkhead Road and we operated the outback water station during the annual Fun Run event to raise money for the park.
Celia and other board members helped organize fund raising events to raise $60,000 for the construction of the campground, in lieu of the County clear cutting 20 acres of the park to pay for it. The County told us we had 6 months to raise the money or they would offer the 20 acres in a timber sale. The community came together and raised the money in 3 months.
We financed the video about Mildred Kanipe and her ranch, produced by Seth Ring and Amy Burke that is on the park web site: mildredkanipepark.org
One of Celia's favorite events was helping to organize the Oregon 150 celebration at the park in 2009. This picture is Celia and I dressed as pioneers at this event.
🙂 those were wonderful times
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ReplyDeleteThanks for all your efforts for parks protection, wise management & stewardship in Douglas County. I need to dig out my copy of Lois Eagleton's 2008 book entitled "For Love of the Land: The Legacy of Mildred Kanipe," an interesting and informative read, esp. since I know Lois Eagleton through Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Assn. I think about the strong-willed, pistol-packing Mildred Kanipe every time I'm up at the park hiking around, enjoying the scenery, fresh air and wildlife. The video you and Celia financed is also nicely done and very enjoyable.
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