Feeling the Fix
The Dalles Artist Chris Pothier moves his hand along the Decision at The Dalles Mural on Federal Street, pointing out damage and topcoat flaking. The Dalles Mural Society has hired Pothier to repair the mural starting in September.
By Tom Peterson
Chris Pothier runs his hands over the western hat sporting a feather.
Flakes of an overcoat fall from the mural that spans some 60 feet on the Msftiz Store wall fronting Federal Street in downtown The Dalles.
The mural “Decision at The Dalles” depicts whether pioneers chose to raft down the Columbia River or take the overland trail via the Barlow Road to reach the Willamette Valley. It has been a fixture since 1992 by artist Don Crook.
At 28, the mural is showing its age.
“It needs a little love,” said Marty Hiser, who chairs The Dalles Mural Society. Hiser, who owns Westwind Frame & Gallery, also sits on the nonprofit board of Fort Dalles Displays, which is funding the maintenance of this mural and others in months to come.
This particular mural is missing edging and screws that hold the plywood panels in place. Some paint has chipped and the title plaque is bowed and faded. Strong summer sun has taken its toll.
But, it's repairable, said Pothier, who intends to start the work in September.
The Mural Society has budgeted $2,500 for the project.
“It could use some love,” Pothier said, noting he and Dylan McManus have tracked down some of the original artists, retrieving essential information about the paints used for the murals downtown.
He said they located artist Gary Kerby, who was a student of Crook. He had information they so desperately needed to do maintenance to the murals.
Kerby painted several of the 15 murals downtown, including “Corp of Discovery: Into the Narrows” just a block south on the Wasco County Veteran’s Services building.
Some of the original artists have passed, noted Pothier.
The Dalles Mural Society undertook the project in the 1990s after Topenish, Wash., did a similar project and several of the mural artists came from that area, Pothier said.
And many are at a point of needing repairs.
Artist Chris Pothier and The Dalles Mural Society Chair Marty Hiser stand in front of “Decision at The Dalles” Mural on Federal Street in downtown The Dalles. Pothier will begin repairs on the mural in September as well as others as some are showing the wear from the elements. Pothier and Dylan McManus undertook an inspection of all 15 murals downtown and ranked them for their need of repair.
Pothier and Dylan McManus undertook an inspection of each mural throughout downtown giving each an assessment on a scale of 1 through 10 - 1 being little to no damage, and 10 being significant damage..
Hiser said the Mural Society is focusing its budget on the murals that are needing the least amount of repair to preserve more at once, spending the money in the most sensible way.
“It’s really tricky,” Pothier said. “You really don’t know how much work it is going to take until you dig into them.”
“It’s like exploratory surgery,” Hiser added.
Locations and photographs of each mural are can be viewed at:
https://www.thedallesmuralsociety.com/
The following is a description of each painting and it’s ranking in regard to repair.
Mural 1:
Decision at The Dalles
Artist: Don Crook (deceased 2019), assisted by Gary Kerby
Substrate: Primed MDO signboard
Date: 1992
Materials: Oil based enamels (per Gary Kerby)
Size/Format: 66’8”W x 10’H
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level/Damage Ranking: 5
Mural 2:
Lewis and Clark at Rock Fort
Artist: Robert Thomas (deceased 2004)
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 1993 Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history) Size/Format: 32’8”W x 24’9”H
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level/ damage ranking: 9
Mural 3:
The Dalles, Northwest Trading Center for 10,000 Years
Artist: Roger Cooke (deceased 2012)
Substrate: Primed plywood Date: 1993/4
Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history)
Size/Format: 68’6”W x 10’
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage ranking: 4
Mural 4:
Celilo/Wyam - The Great Falls on the Columbia
Artist: Robert Thomas (deceased 2004)
Substrate: Primed brick Date: 1994 Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history)
Size/Format: 62’5”W x 11’7”
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage ranking: 2
Mural 5:
Where Wheat is King
Artist: Robert Thomas (deceased 2004) Substrate:
Primed concrete block
Date: 1995
Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history)
Size/Format: 60’4”W x 14’H
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 10
Mural 6:
Hudson Bay Company
Artist: Roger Cooke (deceased 2012)
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 1995 Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history) Size/Format: 49’3”W x 14”
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 6
Mural 7:
Peace Treaty of 1855 No longer in existence
Mural 8:
Umatilla House: 1857 - 1930
Artist: Robert Thomas (deceased 2004) and Debbi Lunz
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 1997 Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history)
Size/Format: 67’6”W x Entire Building Height
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level :3 to 4
Mural 9:
Old Wasco County: 1854 - 1859
Artist: Don Prechtel and R.E. Pierce
Substrate: Primed MDO plywood
Date: Probably 1998
Materials: Oil based enamels (our assumption based on looks and history) and vinyl Size/Format: 59’8” x 12”
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 10
Mural 10:
Rock of Ages
Artist: Hulan Fleming
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 1999
Materials: Oil based enamels (per Hulan Fleming)
Size/Format 41’1”W x 20’ (estimated heighted)
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 5
Mural 11:
Sahaptin Medicine Man
Artist: Gary Kerby
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 2003
Materials: Nova Color Acrylics (per Gary Kerby)
Size/Format: 30’4”W x 12’
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 1
Mural 12:
Corps of Discovery: Into the Narrows
Artist: Gary Kerby
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: 2003 Materials: Nova Color Acrylics (per Gary Kerby)
Size/Format: 28’W x 13’
Topcoat: Yes
Priority level / damage level: 1
Mural 13:
Stern Wheeler Ticket Sales
Artist: ?
Substrate: Primed concrete block
Date: ?
Materials: House Paint?
Topcoat: ?
Priority level / damage level: 3
Mural 14:
Albers Flapjack Flour
Artist: Refurbished by Kenneth Nielsen (deceased 2019) and J. Santana
Substrate: Primed brick
Date: ? Materials: House Paint?
Size/Format 21’7” x 12’
Topcoat: ?
Priority level / damage level: 7
Mural 15:
Coca-Cola
Artist: ?
Substrate: Primed brick
Date: ?
Materials: House Paint?
Topcoat: ?
Priority level / damage level: 8
More about the artists from the McManus/Pothier report
Artists: While researching the various artists who produced these murals, we discovered that four of them are deceased. Don Crook, Robert Thomas, Roger Cooke, and Kenneth Nielsen have all passed on. Three of these artists were responsible for the first six of the murals and a total of eight. The unfortunate part of this discovery, other than the obvious, is that we cannot with 100% accuracy, state the materials these gentlemen used for their paintings. We did manage to speak with two of the living artists: Gary Kerby (responsible for two of the inspected) and Hulan Fleming (responsible for one). Hulan Fleming is in his mid eighties and Gary is in his mid-sixties. Interestingly, Gary Kerby was a student of Don Crook’s and even helped paint the very first mural commissioned: “Decision at The Dalles”. Gary was a wealth of information and spoke to us about the materials many of these men most likely used at the time. Hulan was just as fascinating and spoke of his time painting the mural, “Rock of Ages”. It was dedicated to his minister father. Many of these artists had a deep connection with the Pacific Northwest, and especially, the Yakima Valley town of Toppenish. Toppenish was used as a model for The Dalles Mural Society and it seems that many of the artists were recommended by them or, perhaps, used for their experience gained while working on the murals there.
