The last time the Willamette Meteorite was on display in Oregon, the Victrola was considered innovative technology.
In 1905, Elizabeth Dodge bought the 16-ton iron-nickel meteorite—the largest ever found in the U.S. and the sixth-largest in the world—for $26,000 from the Oregon Iron and Steel Company (declared the rightful owners because the meteorite had been found on company land in West Linn in 1902).
And in 1906, Dodge donated the artifact to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Now, more than 100 years later, state Rep. John Lim (R-Gresham) wants that meteorite back in Oregon. Lim is the sponsor of House Joint Resolution 30, which would "demand" that the museum return the meteorite to "its home, the State of Oregon."
"This will bring millions and millions of dollars to our state," says Lim, citing cultural and economic benefits. "It's also of religious value to the Grand Ronde people."
As if Lim's tourism guesstimates weren't questionable enough, his resolution with no force of law is also generating a good deal of concern from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
The tribes—which consider the meteorite a sacred artifact and call it "Tomanowos," or "Heavenly Visitor"—reached an agreement with the American Museum of Natural History in 2000. The agreement recognizes the tribes as the meteorite's rightful owner, requires the museum to mention the tribal relationship with the 32,000-pound rock as part of the permanent display, and obligates the exhibit to close down once a year to allow the Grand Ronde to perform a private ceremony with the meteorite.
"We're very, very happy with the agreement," says Justin Martin, a lobbyist representing the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. "We're not supportive of [the resolution] here in Oregon, and we're not supportive of it in terms of how it would affect our relationship with the museum."
The tribes, which donated more than $100,000 in the last election cycle to 60-plus legislative candidates, are not a voice to be ignored in Salem. When the resolution came to the House floor last Monday, a party-line vote of 30 (29 of them Democrats) to 24 (all Republicans) sent it back to committee.
Asked why a meteorite became a partisan issue, House Majority Leader Dave Hunt (D-Gladstone) said, "It was extremely bizarre. The tribes should have been consulted in the first place. They were not, but the House Republicans decided that they wanted to stand by the bill anyway."
"It's just a poorly thought-out resolution as it was drafted," Hunt says. "It's not an appropriate role for the Legislature to demand that a museum return a meteorite to Oregon without even consulting the owner of that meteorite."
Lim says he found the lack of support for his resolution somewhat unexpected. While he respects the 2000 agreement between the museum and the Grand Ronde tribes, he says, "That's their deal. Legally, they don't own the meteorite."
Martin sees things differently. Under the 2000 agreement, he says, the meteorite will be returned to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde if it is ever not on display at the American Museum of Natural History. But, he says, this is all pure speculation because "there's no teeth in a joint resolution." And Hunt says he doesn't expect the resolution to reach the House floor again now that the tribe has raised its opposition.
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The reason that you are hearing from me regarding the Willamette Meteorite is that the House Workforce and Economic Development Committee has now seen three bills related to the Willamette Meteorite. HJM 6 by Rep. Bruun "Urging Congress to support establishment of Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail" (Willamette Meteorite is mentioned in the amended bill as an artifact of the Ice Age Floods), HB2449 by Rep. Dallum "Relating to the Oregon Ice Age Museum at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in the Dalles" (This bill has pending amendments regarding the inclusion of the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City as an Oregon Ice Age Museum in the Willamette Valley).
The Lower Columbia Floods Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute has been developing interpretation of the Willamette Meteorite beyond its intrinsic value for the past three years. We have broadened public appeal by widely promoting the hypothesis that the Willamette Meteorite is a glacial erratic that floated to West Linn in an iceberg during the Ice Age Floods. We have compiled hundreds of documents and historical photos relating to the traditional Meteorite stories: connection to the Clackamas Indians; public court battle between Ellis Hughes and Oregon Iron and Steel for possession; as well as H.E.W.M.A.C. (Help End Willamette Meteorite Absence Committee), the 3rd grade class cited above.
While we applaud Rep. Lim for his willingness to bring the Willamette Meteorite home to Oregon and his desire to lighten the mood in Salem, the Willamette Meteorite and its related stories are one of Oregon's greatest treasures. The fact that Congress is on the verge of establishing an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail across OR, WA, ID and MT and that the Willamette Meteorite is a central character in the story, offers much to gain with or without actual possession of the famed Meteorite. It may be to our benefit to leave the rock at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where over 4 million annual visitors come to see it. If we begin to treat the American Museum of Natural History as the rightful owner of the Meteorite, perhaps we can persuade them to mention the Willamette Meteorite interpretive trail (currently being developed in West Linn) and the Willamette Valley Ice Age Museum (Museum of the Oregon Territory - pending HB2449) and we can convert visitors to New York into visitors of Oregon and the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. I find it ironic that adjacent to where the Meteorite is displayed in the New York Museum are Geology exhibits.
Back to the issue of getting the Meteorite back. Our group has plans to develop a full-size replica of the Willamette Meteorite. A New York artist has created a 1:5 scale replica wich has been digitally scanned for bronze reproduction in multiple sizes including full-size. The Maiden Foundry in Sandy is currently casting a 1:5 scale bronze replica for the interpretive trail in the West Linn park. The final product will be 99% accurate in both physiographic features and color. We have the same team that brought "Portlandia" to the Portland Building working with us on fundraising (selling 1:10 limited edition bronze replicas). I am certain that the students that have been working ardently for the return of the Willamette Meteorite would be thrilled by the completion of this replica. As for HJR30, I am glad to see that the humor of our legislative assembly is still intact.