2016 Western Region Conference

Come to Dorris Ranch and the ALHFAM Western Regional Conference

Dorris Ranch is recognized as the first commercial filbert orchard in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oregon's history with filberts started in 1892 when George Dorris and his wife Lulu bought 250 acres of fertile land along the Willamette River and dedicated their lives to farming. After experimenting with a variety of crops, George established the first commercial filbert nut orchard in the United States. Over the next 50 years the Dorris family planted 9,200 trees at the ranch and harvested more than 50 tons of nuts each year.

Now, more than 100 years later, Dorris Ranch continues to make history as a fully-productive commercial filbert orchard. More than half of all the commercial filbert trees now growing in the U.S. originated from Dorris Ranch nursery stock.

Owned by the Willamalane Park and Recreation District, this 250-acre farm operates as a nonprofit organization.

On behalf of Dorris Ranch, we are delighted to invite you to Springfield for the 2016 Association for Living History, Farms, and Agricultural Museum’s Western Regional Conference. In an age where the answer to any question can be found by the click of a mouse or the tap of a button, what obligations do we, as historians have to the public? As gatekeepers of past ways of life how do we not only incorporate technology into our programs but use it to our advantage without compromising our core mission? In this four day conference we will explore these ideas while taking in some of the magnificent historical sites of western Oregon. This conference will bring together directors, curators, interpreters, researchers and educators from around the region who are engaged in the commemoration, education and preservation of our past for our future generations.

The staff of Dorris Ranch Living History Village, Springfield Museum, Camas Country Mill, and Travel Lane County welcome you to the 2016 ALHFAM Regional Conference.

Conference Program

Register Today

We are HIGHLY recommending booking your hotel stay early, as there other events happening during this weekend as well.