Gilliam Co. Historical Society holds 50th Annual Meeting

The Gilliam County Historical Society celebrated its 50th annual meeting and dinner at the Hotel Condon last Saturday. At an overflow capacity, the event was well attended.

Board president Eileen Potter welcomed members and guests of the Historical Society. Potter informed those in attendance that this would be her final year as the board's president, as she was spending more time with her new grandson Bodie in Walla Walla. Potter will remain on the board, and outlined a number of initiatives that the board is o working on.

To start, the Gilliam County Historical Society is working to make new historical markers in Gilliam County.

Many of the aging markers are in bad shape. There are more than 120 historical markers in Gilliam County. The Historical Society began placing markers in the 1980s, and starting in 2018, many of the signs needed to be repainted or repaired. Now, the historical society is looking to have new signs made and will work with Rage Graphics in The Dalles to create laminate printed and UV protective signs. Director Brooklynn Griffith provided an update at the annual meeting, saying that the new signs will last longer and will require less maintenance. The existing wooden posts will also be replaced with metal posts.

To help offset costs of creating new markers and posts, the Gilliam County Historical Society is asking for sponsors. For $200, sponsors can help create new markers – for details contact the Gilliam County Historical Society at (541) 384-4233 or by email at [email protected].

Griffith also said that the Gilliam County Historical Society is working to create a Sanborn map fabricated from metal. The map will be placed in the small park below the Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District on Main Street. The Sanborn Map Company created Sanborn maps in the 19th and 20th centuries, the first of their kind to map cities in detail.

The Sanborn Map of Condon dates from 1910. The historical society plans to have the metal map installed by June of 2025.

Next, director Daryl Potter presented an outstanding volunteer award to Kevin Potter, who rebuilt an old shed at the Gilliam County Historical Museum Complex. Kevin was surprised by the award. At last year's meeting, Kevin Potter gave a presentation on the project. Locals and viistors are encouraged to visit the Gilliam County Historical Museum in Condon to learn more.

After Victoria Ackerman and Katherine Conboy served a delicious meal of fettuccini alfredo, the featured speakers of the evening gave a presentation about hobo graffiti.

Father and son duo Mike and Charlie Wray gave a fascinating presentation on monikers, heralds, and hieroglyphics created by hobos from post-Civil War through the Great Depression and afterward.

Mike and Charlie came to Condon several years ago and, while at the Museum Complex, saw signs of hobo graffiti on the old Condon City Hall and Jail, which were moved to the museum grounds in 2003. The building had sat behind Jamieson and Marshall's for many decades and was donated to the historical society by Jamieson and Marshall's.

Many of those in attendance were surprised by the amount of graffiti etched into the wood on the building.

The Wrays said that when the railroad arrived in 1905 – tramps, hobos, and bums began to venture into the area. A common activity for hobos in those times was to look for signs of old friends or acquaintances from riding the rails. Hobos would often write their nickname, or moniker, an a wall, and the direction that they were travelling. Should anyone come looking for them, they would know which direction the were headed.

Etchings of Sunberry Bill are clearly visible on the old Condon City Hall and Jail, with the sign of an anchor below them. The Wrays could not find more information about Sunberry Bill, or other places where his graffiti could be found.

The Wrays also could not find evidence of some of the most prolific hobos of the early 20th Century in Condon. Those hobos included A-No. 1, who painted, etched, and drew his symbol across the country before, during, and after the Great Depression. The Wrays also talked about Tex King of Tramps (Tex K.T.), who also found thousands of walls, water tanks, depot platforms, and other surfaces to write his moniker.

However, using the Condon Globe from 1894, the Wrays did find documentation of a black hobo that was travelling with a white hobo. Black hobos at the time were extremely rare. The two hobos were in Arlington in 1894 and were arrested for robbery.

It was a fascinating presentation.

Mike and Charlie Wray live in Washington State and have a website for the Historic Graffiti Society. To learn more, visit thehistoricgraffitisociety.bigcartel.com.