Just over one hundred years ago, many Oregon cities held public executions with men, women, and children congregating to watch convicted criminals hang from gallows erected in local fields.  Even after it was common for stockades to hide the actual event, thousands watched and waited outside their walls.  In a state known for its peaceful agrarian communities, what caused such events to be accepted and even celebrated?  How is it that the names of many involved in these executions now dot our state's roads, buildings, parks, and history?

Local historian Diane L. Goeres-Gardner will discuss the evolution of punishment and justice in "Justice in Frontier Oregon, 1851-1905."  Lake County Libraries are pleased to host, in Christmas Valley, this Oregon Chautauqua from the Oregon Council for the Humanities.  In this free, public program Goeres-Gardner explores changing attitudes and perceptions-from the 1850 hanging of Native Americans from the Whitman massacre to 1905, when the last execution in Oregon outside of a state penitentiary took place.  By understanding the heritage and burden of this strange history, we are better prepared to consider modern

questions of justice that confront us.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Oregon Council for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.