Category: From The President

Letter from the President – 2025

Posted on | by Friends of Kam Wah Chung | Leave a Comment on Letter from the President – 2025

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your interest in the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum! Our Friends group is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to supporting the preservation and protection of the Kam Wah Chung & Company Museum and we strive to educate and inform the public about the importance of this site. We accomplish these goals through financial support, promotion and advocacy, as well as supporting programs and events that exemplify our mission.

When you visit the museum, please consider visiting the Friends store at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, located two blocks down on Main Street. We carry many popular items including stickers, hats, hoodies, and t-shirts! You can also find copies of the 2021 Oregon Chinese Diaspora thematic issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly in two locations in the area: the Chamber as well as the Grant County Historical Museum in nearby Canyon City. This publication includes peer-reviewed, published research from Grant County and Oregon! Profits from our Friends store support outreach and education events and contribute to our overall fundraising efforts.

A highlight of 2025 was participating in outreach events, including the Archaeology Roadshow, a visit from students and staff of the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM), sponsoring a silent auction basket for a Grant County Chamber of Commerce fundraising event, and hosting a trivia night with 1188 Brewing with Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) and the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project (OCDP). Our partners from SOULA will return again in July 2026 to continue research into the lives of Chinese cowboys at local ranches. We look forward to co-hosting additional outreach events with them this summer including special Fourth of July celebrations to coincide with America250!

In 2025, Oregon State Parks also hired a new museum curator, Marin Aurand! We are thrilled to welcome her to the community and we look forward to collaborating with her during the 2026 season! She can be contacted at 541-575-2800 or marin.aurand@oprd.oregon.gov. The Kam Wah Chung SHS will also open 7 days a week again, May 1st – October 31st.

Friends have likely heard the unfortunate news regarding the paused Go Bond funded construction of a new interpretative center. However, OPRD continues to plan updates for interpretive materials, tours, and interior planning designs. A major goal for our group over the next few years is to secure funds to support updated interpretive panels for the new center. These panels will incorporate new research and scholarship and replace the current panels, which were designed and installed in the mid 2000s. We plan to meet this goal by increasing our fundraising efforts and applying for relevant grants.

Please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum, by using our Membership Card or via PayPal located on our website. This year our membership drive looks a bit different, as we mailed post cards to Friends with a QR code linked to our website. Yearly membership payments and additional generosity from donations help fund our multiple projects, the Friends store, and help us meet our other goals.

Again, thank you for your support and we hope to see you at the museum soon!

Sincerely,

Katee Withee

President, Friends of Kam Wah Chung & Company Museum

Letter from the President – 2022

Posted on | by Friends of Kam Wah Chung | 1 Comment on Letter from the President – 2022

March 8, 2022

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your interest in the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum! Our Friends group consists of amazing volunteers, supporters, and members who contribute to the success and increased interest in the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.

The Friends of the Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization committed to supporting the preservation and protection of the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum. We are committed to educating and informing the public about the importance of the Chinese individuals who helped define the culture and history of the American West.

We are excited to announce that the museum and interpretive center will be open to the public this season, May 1stthrough October 31st. Our tours now include a virtual option that can be viewed at the interpretive center and an upcoming Virtual Reality tour that will be hosted on our website (www.friendsofkamwahchung.com). The VR project will include a tour that takes visitors “behind the scenes” of the museum, into spaces typically not shared during in-person tours and interactive elements that encourage visitors to engage with items seldom seen.

Additionally, we have several projects planned in 2022, including the creation of a Friends logo and related media and branding materials. Read more about this project on our website (https://friendsofkamwahchung.com/blog/). We are also currently recruiting volunteers for multiple positions, including Oregon State Parks hosts, visitor information hosts, Museum store clerks, and more! Please contact us at friendsofkwc@gmail.com or our curator, Don Merritt, at donald.merritt@oprd.oregon.gov or 541-575-2800 if you are interested in volunteering.

We are also excited to share that the Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site was selected to receive bond funds obligated by SB 5506, passed by the Oregon Legislature. This bond will be used to acquire the nearby city park and fund the construction of a new interpretive center and collections building. The Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site will receive an estimated $3-5 million for this project. A stakeholder letter has been included with this update, which provides more information about this exciting process! Our Friends members have an opportunity to participate in and comment on the design and concept options being considered for the interpretive center. We encourage all of our Friends to review the materials and comment! More information on this project can be found here (https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PCB/Pages/PCB-GO-Bond-Kam-Wah-Chung.aspx).

In addition to our yearly Friends membership letter, we also provide updates and share interesting information about the Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site on Facebook at “Friends of Kam Wah Chung & Co Museum” and on Instagram as @friendsofkamwahchung. Please like and follow us to see our amazing museum and some of the work our Friends group does!

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum, please donate using our Membership Card enclosed herein with this letter, via PayPal located on our website (or via the provided QR code below), or even when you purchase from Amazon by identifying us as your preferred organization using AmazonSmile. If you plan on donating via PayPal, please indicate that it is a membership payment using the notes option.

Again, thank you for your support and we hope to see you at the Museum soon!

Sincerely,

Katee Withee

President, Friends of Kam Wah Chung Museum

Letter From the President – 2021

Posted on | by Don Merritt | Leave a Comment on Letter From the President – 2021

March 25, 2021

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your interest in the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum! Our Friends group consists of amazing volunteers, supporters, and members who contribute to the success and increased interest in the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.

The Friends of the Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization committed to supporting the preservation and protection of the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum. We are committed to educating and informing the public about the importance of the Chinese individuals who helped define the culture and history of the American West.

Like many other cultural intuitions and businesses, we spent the majority of 2020 closed to the public. Despite the challenges, we have continued to work to enhance our visitor’s experiences and to find new, creative ways to engage! The completion of our new website (www.friendsofkamwahchung.com) allows flexibility and a virtual format to continue to share our incredible historical site. We have several projects planned in 2021, including a virtual reality (VR) filming project and participation in the virtual Archaeology Roadshow (https://www.pdx.edu/anthropology/archaeology-roadshow). The VR project will include a tour that takes visitors “behind the scenes” of the museum, into spaces typically not shared during in-person tours and interactive elements that encourage visitors to engage with items seldom seen.

We also provide updates and share interesting information about the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site on Facebook at “Friends of Kam Wah Chung & Co Museum” and on Instagram as @friendsofkamwahchung. Please like and follow us to see our amazing museum and some of the work our Friends group does!

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum please donate using our Membership Card enclosed herein with this letter, via PayPal located on our website, or even when you purchase from Amazon by identifying us as your preferred organization using AmazonSmile.

Again, thank you for your support and we hope to see you at the Museum soon!

Sincerely,

Katee Withee

President, Friends of Kam Wah Chung Museum