Each month McMenamins Old St. Francis School hosts its History Pub, free presentations on the history of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest (and usually fairly local). The Deschutes Historical Museum co-sponsors the monthly event, and announced the kick off to its 2020 series taking place Tuesday, January 25, featuring “Frontier Newspapering to the Digital Age: One Oregon Family’s Odyssey.” If you’re interested in the background behind EO Media, the group that recently bought The Bulletin, then you’ll want to check this one out.

Here’s the release:

The Deschutes Historical Museum opens the 2020 History Pub series on January 28 at McMenamins Old St Francis. Since 2009, History Pub takes place the last Tuesday of the month, January through November. Held in the Father Luke Room, talks are free to the public. Doors open at 6 pm, presentations at 7 pm.

The series begins with “From Frontier Newspapering to the Digital Age: One Oregon Family’s Odyssey” presented by William Willingham. Taken from his book about the family, Grit and Ink published by OSU Press, Mr. Willingham introduces Central Oregon audiences to the newspapers of the Aldrich-Forrester-Bedford-Brown family that include Astoria, Pendleton, John Day, and, in 2019, expanded to Bend’s The Bulletin. Shining a light on the importance of local journalism, which becomes a record for future historians, the talk explores how rather than shrinking or disappearing in the digital age, this publishing family of local papers continues to grow.

History Pub is a joint presentation by the Deschutes Historical Museum, McMenamins History, and the Oregon Encyclopedia.

Call 541-389-1813 for information or visit www.deschuteshistory.org.

Here’s the McMenamins page for the event; the doors will open at 6:00 for a 7:00pm event, and it’s free to attend, but bear in mind it’s first-come, first-served, so get there early if possible if you want to secure a seat.