OREGON EXPERIENCE: Opal Whiteley Premieres March 1 at 8pm

Child prodigy, nature writer, princess or fraud?

Who was Opal Whiteley? In 1920 everyone in Oregon seemed to have an opinion about her. Today, her life and her writing remains a mystery.

Opal grew up in the logging towns around Cottage Grove where she was known for her encyclopedic knowledge of nature. But it was the publication of her childhood diary that gained her international fame and spurred her mysterious legend. Tune in to the stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting on Monday, March 1 at 9pm when the next episode in the OREGON EXPERIENCE series explores the life of the woman some say was a literary genius and others, a fraud.

Was Oregon the home of a kidnapped French princess?

At the turn of the century, Opal Whiteley was a child of Oregon’s logging shantytowns. From an early age she stood out from everyone around her. She seemed to be a child prodigy with an incredible knowledge of nature. She collected and labeled thousands of specimens of plants and insects, and as a young teenager, gave lectures to her classmates and the community. By the time she was 17, this engaging and charismatic young woman was touring the state as a religious leader with the Christian Endeavor.

The University of Oregon was so impressed with her and her knowledge of nature that they admitted her before she finished high school. At the time, the University’s Dean of Geology Warren D. Smith said, “This experience happens to a university but once in a generation. She knows more about geology than do many students that have graduated from my department."

But Opal had trouble fitting in and keeping up with her classes. When her mother died, she dropped out of school and went to California to seek fame as an actress. Success eluded her, so she turned her attention to writing.

She self published a book based on her nature studies called The Fairyland Around Us. Philander P. Claxton, commissioner of education, exclaimed in a letter to Opal, "I have read your book with interest and delight. I should be glad indeed if copies of it could be put in all of the schools of the United States."

In 1920 the Atlantic Monthly published what she said was her childhood diary written when she was about 6 years old and living in the Oregon lumber camps.

"Today the folks are gone away from the house we do live in. They are gone a little way away, to the ranch-house where the grandpa does live. I sit on our steps and I do print. I like it -- this house we do live in being at the edge of the near woods."

The diary was written in an unusual style and described the world around her as a childhood fairyland.

"I went to look for the fairies. I went to the near woods. I hid behind the trees and made little runs to big logs. I walked along the logs and I went among the ferns. I did tiptoe among the ferns. I looked looks about. I did touch fern-friends and I did have feels of their gentle movements. I came to a big root. I hid in it. I so did to wait waits for the fairies that come among the big trees."

The diary quickly became a best seller and was hailed as a work of genius. But some people called it a fraud. The entire diary seemed to be controversial.

It contained clues that Opal had been kidnapped as a child and was really the daughter of a French prince. National media descended on Cottage Grove to track down the facts. Opal became an international celebrity and seemed to drop out of site. She went to Europe, lived under the name of Françoise Marie de Bourbon D'Orléans, and never returned to Oregon.

Today the diary has been rediscovered and is in print all over the world. But the mystery of Opal remains unsolved.

Oregon Public Broadcasting producer Kami Horton examines the mystery and mystic of Opal Whiteley, her life and writings in OREGON EXPERIENCE: Opal Whiteley.

Watch the complete program online anytime after March 1 at opb.org/oregonexperience or at watch.opb.org.

About OREGON EXPERIENCE
OREGON EXPERIENCE is an exciting history series on OPB TV that brings to life fascinating stories that help us understand who we are and that reinforce our shared identity as Oregonians. The series, co-produced by the Oregon Historical Society and Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), takes advantage of the extensive film, video and stills from the archives of OHS and OPB, and draws upon the expertise of OHS researchers and historians. Each half-hour show features captivating characters -- both familiar and forgotten -- who have played key roles in building our state into the unique place we call home.

Award-Winning Producer Joins OPB

Oregon Public Broadcasting is pleased to welcome award-winning producer and writer Jule Gilfillan to its local production team. Gilfillan will produce shows for OREGON ART BEAT and OREGON FIELD GUIDE.

A native Oregonian, Gilfillan's production credits include programs for NBC, MSNBC, HBO, Sundance, MTV, A&E, Discovery, Lifetime and others. Her awards include a Cine Eagle Award and Regional Student Academy Award. She was also on the Emmy-Award winning team of the NBC series "Starting Over." Giffillan received her undergraduate degree in Asian Studies and lived in China for six years before returning to the U.S. where she received her MFA from USC in film and TV production. Before joining OPB Gilfillan worked as an independent producer in Los Angeles.

She is the daughter of Warren Gilfillan who created the Oregon Outdoor School. Gilfillan said she is pleased to return to Portland full time and work at what she describes as her "ideal job" at OPB.

OPB Partners with Non-Profits to Address Employment Crisis in Rural Oregon

Small Business Rural Resource Network Initiative to Launch

At nearly 11 percent, Oregon's unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation. Rural counties have been hit especially hard, with some areas exceeding a jobless rate of 18 percent. The individuals and small businesses in these rural and underserved areas are the focus of a new initiative launching this month.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) has joined forces with Rural Development Initiatives (RDI), Sustainable Northwest (SNW) and The Oregon Consortium/Oregon Workforce Alliance (TOC/OWA) to form The Small Business Rural Resources Network Initiative.

The initiative is focused on connecting businesses, workers and unemployed residents with critical resources while bringing increased visibility through radio and online programming. Individuals interested in blogging opportunities may contact the project coordinator at cwieden@opb.org.

"Each of our partners brings a unique background and connection to communities all over the state," said Morgan Holm, vice president of news and public affairs at OPB. "And we're excited about the plan we're developing to improve lives and the state's economy."

The initiative is made possible through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and in-kind and matching funds, and involves producing radio, television and online content that raises awareness of the rural unemployment crisis and offers resources and information to help workers develop entrepreneurial skills and find jobs or start businesses.

Cassie Wieden has just been hired as coordinator of the project. "We are fortunate to have someone with her experience in organization and outreach who can come in and make an immediate impact," said Holm, who spearheaded the grant process. Wieden co-founded Caldera and continues to work for the advancement of sustainable communities through innovative programs and partnerships.

“With her leadership and our partners’ extensive on-the-ground experience operating in rural communities, we'll be able to reach a wide range of rural residents," said Holm. "And through collaborations with state and private agencies, that reach and awareness will be greatly expanded."

OPB's news department has already produced several series and online features focused on Oregonians coping with unemployment. "This grant will allow us to do more in-depth coverage and focus greater attention on the small business sector that dominates the state's workforce," said OPB's Holm.

"RDI's aim is to connect networks of leaders with compelling stories about what is working, what is being done to weather this economic storm and how communities can improve their economy," said Craig Smith, executive director. "We'll share these stories and best practices in audio and visual format on the RDI RIPPLE Web site and on OPB. This will help rural Oregon as well as build the bridge between rural and urban -- for neither can survive without the other," said Smith.

Sustainable Northwest has been working with many outstanding rural communities and entrepreneurs who have adapted to very difficult times -- even before the recent economic downturn, said Martin Goebel, president of SNW.

"Working with OPB on this initiative, we can help connect rural entrepreneurs to each other and to their urban counterparts with whom they increasingly share a common future," said Martin Goebel, president. "This will strengthen the growing trend among consumers to seek local products and services that are in line with their awareness that buying local can help everyone and the environment."

Rural Development Initiatives, Inc.
RDI is an Oregon-based nonprofit dedicated to building leadership networks and rural communities. RDI has helped inspire rural community vitality for more than 18 years through convening, facilitating and training rural people and organizations, surfacing and connecting community assets, sharing best practices and resources and developing leaders to determine and take action to make their communities better places to live, work and play. http://rdiinc.org

Sustainable Northwest
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Sustainable Northwest is distinguished by its ability to bring multiple -- often-opposing -- sides of an issue together to craft and promote solutions to land management challenges. Entrepreneurial and committed to finding solutions that promote rural sustainability, the organization recently launched Sustainable Northwest Wood, a social enterprise that connects builders in the Seattle and Portland markets with locally sourced, eco-friendly wood products. http://sustainablenorthwest.org

The Oregon Consortium & Oregon Workforce Alliance
TOC/OWA is a public/private partnership formed on behalf of 24 rural Oregon counties. Its mission is to "Help Rural Oregon Work" by providing vision and guidance to rural workforce development systems and partners. The TOC was established in 1981 as a consortium of counties to administer and deliver employment and training services in Oregon's most-rural counties. tocowa.org