Voices From a Distant Past

From ODOT-  Fourteen large stones engraved with words from the Kalapuya language lie along paths in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park, a greenway on the north bank of the Willamette River in Eugene and Springfield.  Quarried from a basalt deposit in historic Kalapuya territory, the "talking stones", 11 of which were installed in 2002, serve as educational and cultural reference points as well as beautiful art objects.



As part of the restoration work for the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge replacement project, ODOT contributed four more talking stones to the park in 2009.  Three have already been placed, with the fourth to be added at the end of the project.



The original talking stones were the result of discussions between Kalapuya Elder Esther Stutzman of the Kommema Cultural Protection Association and members of the Citizen Planning Committee for the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park.



Before the arrival of Euro-Americans, Kalapuyans were the largest Native American group in what is now western Oregon.  As many as 15,000 Kalapuya lived in their traditional territory, which extended from near Roseburg to Oregon City.  In 2003, an estimated 300 to 400 Kalapuyans remained.  For thousands of years, every object in the local landscape had a Kalapuya name.  Today, only 140 words remain.



The talking stones continue an important tradition of commemorating those who have gone before us and perserving their language.

Employees from subcontractor Dirt and Aggregate Interchange moved the new talking stones to their permanent locations in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park.