All eyes are upon you the moment you round the bend and enter their town. They continue to watch you as you go from place to place traveling their quiet streets. Who are these people and what stories lie behind their watchful eyes?
Assembled in larger-than-life murals, the observant eyes belong to a cast of characters who settled the Vale, Oregon area. They are the area’s first inhabitants – the Indians, the missionaries, the fur traders, the Chinese, the pioneers. Don Grey who painted the mural in 1998 on the side of Logan’s Food Town market at the east entrance into town and aptly named “Born & Raised On The Oregon Trail” captures them in life-like reality. This mural along with 30 other vivid murals, grace the buildings in Vale, which lies just an hour west of Boise.
In 1992, a group of business owners and other interested folks met to explore opportunities for economic development and tourism. They were able to bring Karl Schutz, the founder of Chemanis, B.C. Canada’s successful mural project to Vale to provide input and direction into starting their own outdoor gallery.
1993 was an important year for the mural society as the year represented the 150-year celebration of the Oregon Trail. Don Gray of Union, Oregon, an enthusiast of Oregon Trail history, was chosen to paint the first mural, “The New Arrivals.” Thus began a fitting tribute to those who first walked the actual Oregon Trail which today is Vale’s Main Street.
Visitors will appreciate the fine attention to detail that professional artists used in creating the numerous murals. Some of the heritage reflections include Native Americans on the North Fork of the Malheur River; mountain men camped along the banks of the river trading their furs; to a young man trying to teach four young ladies how to fish.
To learn more about the murals, the Vale Heritage Reflections Mural Society has an excellent website which provides color photos of each of the murals along with a description, information about the artist and photos about the making of each mural. www.valeoregonmurals.com
Visitors will want to obtain a brochure from any of the several businesses in Vale as it features a map showing the locations of all the murals. I got mine from the very knowledgeable teenage girl behind the counter at Dairy Queen. Visitors can either walk the downtown area or drive to view the outdoor gallery.
To get to Vale, visitors can either travel I-84 toward Ontario and then make their way to Highway 20 West or travel the country back roads through the towns of Notus and Parma to the Highway 20 West junction.
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