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Klondike Kate To Be Honored By Rock Sculpture

BEND, OR -- One of Central Oregon’s most famous homesteaders will soon be commemorated in a sculpture at the Deschutes Historical Museum.

 

Executive Director Kelly Cannon-Miller says Kate Rockwell, better known as “Klondike Kate,” will be honored in the piece, which will also recognize the contributions made by other early women settlers. "A tremendous amount of single women utilized the Homestead Act. And, they weren’t necessarily young women, either; you had women who were in that second phase of life, like Kate. Or, you had a huge number of widows, post-civil war, who that provided them with an opportunity. So, it’ll really give us a chance to talk about a lot of different things through this one piece of art." She says Rockwell was was a polarizing character of her time, who contributed to the pioneering spirit of early Bend. "The other person that this memorial is recognizing is Charlene Blahnik," says Cannon-Miller. "She is from the Rastovich family, who is another pioneer family. In fact, Rastovich Farms, in 2019, they’ll be eligible to be the first ‘century farm’ in Deschutes County, as a farm that’s been continuously run by one family for a hundred years. And, Charlene had a career as a very modern, contemporary artist."

 
Kate Rockwell was also well-known for her rock collection, which she cleared from her original homestead and used in several community sculptures, including at Bend's original hospital (right). Some of her rocks were salvaged from her home on Franklin Avenue after it was torn down (above), and will be used in the new sculpture commissioned by the museum. Cannon-Miller tells KBND News, "We have always wanted to kind of merge the idea of art and history, and where can we take that? So, we put out a call to artists seeking proposals for how to do a memorial sculpture incorporating – it doesn’t have to be entirely from the rock collection – but, incorporating the rock collection into the piece of work." She says 22 artists answered the call; seven will present their ideas to a panel, which will whittle the list down to three to create models for the public to vote on in February or March. The winning model will then be turned in to a full-size sculpture to be included in the museum's permanent collection. 
 
To hear more about "Klondike Kate" and the museum's planned artwork, visit our Podcast Page or click HERE

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