loving art, science and creative kids

 Ancient Rock Formations      a  3-D picture by Marilynne 

 On Earth from Outer Space

When I accepted my job in Portland, moving expenses were part of the package.  As I was discussing the process with a board member I remember him jokingly saying, “You are not bringing rocks, are you?”  My husband and I gave each other one of those knowing looks that means, “Of course we are bringing our collection.”  Wherever we traveled we picked up rocks for our garden that were as large as we could carry in our car.  They had to be beautiful, unusual and a reminder of the terrain we were exploring. We have some magnificent specimens both in and out of the house that I never tire of examining. I love my connection to millions of years of our changing planet.

Learning how to “see” is an art form. It is easy to walk in the woods and not realize that the ground is alive with life and history. Insects turn organic rot into soil, rocks underfoot may have split from large boulders deposited during the ice age and sea fossils found 400 miles from the ocean edge tell a history of ever changing climate and land formation.

Examining the earth, both past and present, is like being a forensic scientist on a quest to solve a crime. The study of volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes leads contractors to design communities that will not expose people to such disastrous occasions. Using knowledge of rock formations and fossil deposits helps geologists locate and develop energy and mineral resources. 

There are four earth sciences, Geology which is the science of the earth, meteorology, of the atmosphere, Oceanography, of the oceans, and Astronomy, of the universe.  In the  science museum I was exposed to them all. 

One interesting experience I had during my presidency at OMSI had to do with the Willamette Meteorite, the largest found in North America. It was discovered in an open field in Oregon before being given to the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1906.   This 10 ft by 6.5 ft hunk of nickel and iron weighs about 32,000 pounds. The Meteorite was know and venerated by Native Americans but when settler Ellis Hughes found it on land owned by the Oregon Iron and Steel Company he realized its value and tried to claim ownership, moving it secretly over a period of 90 days to his own land. What he was doing was discovered, initiating a lawsuit that Hughes lost. The Iron and Steel Company was given the right to sell it to a Mrs. William Dodge for $26,000. She put it on display at the Lewis and Clark centennial before sending to the natural history museum in New York. Scientists now believe that the meteorite originally landed in Canada or Montana and was brought on the flow to the Willamette Valley at the end of the last Ice Age, 13,000 years ago. It has been seen by well over 40 million people and is one of the most famous meteorites known.

Now back to my tale . . . one day in the early 1990’s I received a visit from a school teacher asking me if her class could get the meteorite back to Oregon, would  the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry be willing to house it. Thinking that was going to be pretty near impossible I responded, “Of course.” The teacher and her class were on a quest — big time!  She was using this challenge as a learning experience for her elementary students. She had her class write letters to the media, to wealthy donors, and to congress. The children also got the public to write letters which flooded the American Museum of Natural History Museum located in New York City with requests to send the meteorite back to Oregon. The class received an invitation to make a presentation before congress and several students did so.  Shortly afterwards,  I received an angry phone call from the president of the natural history museum. He told me  that what I was encouraging was quite unethical.

In the end, the children did not get the meteorite back, but they had an impressive learning experience. I thought that the teacher was brilliant.  In defense of the natural history museum, New York does seem to be an appropriate location for the rock. That institution is known for its meteorite collection which attracts public and scientists from around the world.

A few years later another group tried the get the meteorite returned to Oregon. For generations, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde had been using the meteorite, which they call Tommanowos, in ceremonies and in 1999 they demanded that it be returned to their native land. This time the American Museum of Natural History filed a lawsuit against the tribe in 2000. Eventually an agreement with the Museum was reached which gave the meteorite a resting home in the museum with tribal members able to conduct a private ceremony around the meteorite once a year.  If the Museum ever has a reason to cease to display it then the meteorite will be given back to the tribe.

In 1997 a 28 pound crown section of the Willamette Meteorite was traded for a Martian meteorite from the private Macovech Collection.  The crown piece was scheduled for auction in 2007 which cause another outrage by the Grand Ronde Tribes. An editorial in the Oregonian Newspaper put an end to that sale though a 4.5 ounce piece was eventually sold to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon.

Once more in 2007 a group of students convinced Representative John Linn to introduce a resolution demanding the meteorite’s return to Oregon. The tribes had not been consulted and they did not support the resolution, saying they were content with the present arrangements so the proposal went nowhere. 

My guess is that the museum has not seen the end of requests to return the meteorite to Oregon.  It is interesting to see how important a piece of space rock is to the public and how possessive ownership can be. The Willamette Meteorite is amazing to view and I do hope you will make the effort if you are ever in New York. Image a meteorite that size hurling through space and earth’s atmosphere to land in your back yard.

Around the world museums display a great many artifacts that were taken or purchased during private archeological digs. Do you think that these valuables should be returned to their place of origin or do you believe that the artifacts should be shared internationally to be viewed by a maximum number of people?  This subject raises complex ethical questions and is worthy of its own discussion.  Yes, earth science can certainly be fascinating.

Do let me know  your thoughts on the matter by responding below.

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