Gresham Historical Society · Northwest Digital Heritage

Description

Poster on white cardstock with black monochrome printed design. Design consists of photographic portrait of a young woman in profile with her hair in a bun, wearing a pearl necklace and sheer top; below image is text "MISS MAUDE M. ALDRICH | "CITIZENS OF TOMORROW" | "BUILDING A BETTER COMMUNITY" | Time | Place". Simple geometric border around edge. People: Aldrich, Maude M.

Provenance

Maude M. Aldrich was a temperance and women's suffrage advocate who traveled on horseback through the Ozarks to deliver lectures to far-flung communities. She came to know Clarence True Wilson through lobbying work with the Methodist Church and first came to Gresham for a WCTU convention. While staying with a local family, she noticed Walters Hill (Gresham Butte) and told her hostess, Elizabeth Johnson, that she'd like to live there. In 1926, she purchased property at the top of the hill from the Walters family. Her brother's family cared for the property while she continued the lecture circuit. Her political career also included serving on the original board of movie censors with Will Hayes and later maintained her belief that motion pictures "corrupt[ed] people's morals." In 1938, she took over management of the property and became a full-time farmer, raising dairy cows and selling the milk to Meadowland Dairy. She also kept chickens and sheep. Fully self-sufficient, she dug her own 30-foot cesspool and lived by herself in a cabin with no electricity or running water. She remained on the property and working her own farm into her 90s. She died on January 9, 1976 at the age of 93. Utahna and Lerry Kerr, both volunteers with the Gresham Historical Society, bought part of Maude Aldrich's property and looked into options for preserving the aged cabin including moving it to Main City Park. However, Larry demolished the cabin except for its stone chimney, which still stands on the property.

Maude M. Aldrich Poster

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