Founders Day Series

Estacada Founders Day Collages

Collages 20 x 20 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Copies of historic photos used with permission from Philip Foster Farm, Estacada Museum Collection. Recipes and Journal entries from Estacada Historical Trunk, Estacada City Hall. News articles from https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/

Collages are a powerful visual tool for presenting Estacada’s story, effectively weaving together its beginnings and ongoing challenges. By combining images, new articles, and journals, collages create a rich narrative that illustrates the town’s historical context and the issues that have persisted over time. 

Many of Estacada’s early challenges resonate with contemporary concerns, such as how to best educate the youth, secure funding for new educational facilities, and manage community growth amidst transformation. Hopefully these collages will prompt reflection on these enduring questions, fostering a deeper understanding of our town’s journey. 

They serve as a reminder of the resilience and determination of the community in overcoming obstacles, encouraging current and future generations to find innovative solutions to similar challenges. By showcasing the past, collages connect people to their heritage and inspire a collective commitment to shaping the future of Estacada.

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1905 Estacada: This collage highlights the foundational moments of Estacada’s City Charter, featuring news copy accounts, images of city officials, and key landmarks. It reflects the excitement and determination of the community as they established governance, laying the groundwork for growth and development in the early 20th century.

1905 Estacada Beauty: This collage celebrates the stunning landscapes that define Estacada, showcasing the flowing river, majestic mountains, and picturesque streams. Images of outdoor activities like fishing and hiking illustrate the region’s abundant natural resources and recreational opportunities, capturing the essence of life in harmony with nature.

1905 Estacada Home Sweet Home: This collage offers a glimpse into early 1905 home life in Estacada, featuring vintage photographs of families, traditional household items, and handwritten recipes. It evokes a sense of nostalgia, highlighting daily routines, family gatherings, and the shared joys of cooking and community, reflecting the warmth and simplicity of life during this era.

1905 Challenges With Growth: This collage addresses the challenges faced by Estacada due to rapid growth, showcasing images of the school, students, and news articles covering this opportunity. It also features the town’s budding baseball team, highlighting how residents rallied together to foster sports and education, emphasizing the community’s resilience and commitment to progress amid evolving demands.

Destination Estacada

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 16 x 20 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

The watercolor depicts a lively scene of early Estacada, featuring vintage trolleys bustling through the streets. The trolleys are filled with passengers, showcasing a diverse group of people eager to enjoy the beauty this close-knit community surrounded by the rural landscape.  People would board the trolleys in Oaks Parks just to enjoy this wonderful destination and often would conclude their trip by having delicious dinner at the Estacada Hotel. 

Our Town  

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 16 x 20 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

News articles from https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/

The watercolor showcases a detailed 1905 map of Estacada, elegantly surrounded by towering trees and rolling hills that reflect the region’s natural beauty. The map highlights a bustling, thriving community with depicted streets, landmarks, and various buildings, illustrating the town’s growth and vibrancy. The lush greenery and majestic hills in the background create a picturesque setting, conveying a sense of harmony between the town and its landscape. The News articles are part of the painting telling the story of growth. 

Trees, Trestle, Tram     

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 12 x 9 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

The watercolor vividly portrays a 1905 logging trestle, featuring a 62-degree logging tram that captures the industrious spirit of Estacada’s early days. The trestle, supported by sturdy wooden beams, demonstrates the engineering ingenuity of the time, facilitating the transport of timber from the surrounding lush forests. The backdrop showcases thick stands of evergreen trees, emphasizing the region’s rich natural resources that laid the foundation for Estacada’s growth. The forests and logging were pivotal in shaping the town’s history and character.

Breaking New Ground

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 9 x 12 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

The watercolor painting captures a poignant scene of rural life in 1905 Estacada, depicting a farmer and his horse team earnestly plowing and breaking new ground. The rich, earthy tones illustrate the freshly turned soil, symbolizing the labor and determination required to cultivate the land. In the background, gentle hills and a clear sky frame the hardworking team, emphasizing the serene yet demanding nature of agricultural life. While an acre of land cost only about $25, the true value lay in the priceless effort and dedication involved in clearing and nurturing it, reflecting the essence of perseverance that characterized the era.

Dance In The Park

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 20 x 16 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

The watercolor painting depicts a lively 1905 dance in the park, capturing the joyous spirit of community gatherings held every weekend. Couples and groups are seen swirling and twirling in the park pavilion spilling out on a grassy area, with elegantly dressed men and women enjoying the festivities. A regional dance orchestra, positioned nearby, provides enchanting music that fills the air, creating an atmosphere of celebration and connection. The scene emphasizes the importance of this shared time for social interaction and camaraderie. A notable highlight of the season was Estacada’s annual Rags and Hard Times Dance, where participants don creative costumes, adding an extra layer of fun to these cherished community events.

Snow-Covered Heritage

2025 Watercolor and Ink, 12 x 9 inches

Part of Estacada Founders Day Series

Taken from historic photo and used with permission from Philip Foster Farm,  Estacada Museum Collection. 

The watercolor painting depicts a stunning winter scene of the 1905 Estacada City Hall and Fire watch tower, along with a public outhouse, viewed from the fir-covered “Incline” overlooking downtown. The Estacada City Hall was the birthplace of our foundations –  setting a collaborative course in the midst of unprecedented growth challenges.