NOURISH Flourish and
THE ALLURE OF
CHOCOLATE ECO-FASHION MUSIC: THE LANGUAGE OF EMOTION
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VOLUME 2
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Let the journey begin . . . “They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
~ Hermann Hesse
Herman Hesse (born July 2, 1877, Calw, Germany—died August 9, 1962, Montagnola, Switzerland) was a German novelist and poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. The main theme of his work is the individual’s efforts to break out of the established modes of civilization so as to find an essential spirit and identity.
Ancora imparo. I am still learning.
~ Michelangelo Nancy Suttles, Founder Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Robert H. Witcher Chief Operating Officer Daniel R. George Senior Vice-President Development
k Sarah V. Bell Copy and Content Editor Morgan Rhodes Photographer and Senior Producer John Slemp Contributing Photographer This publication would not be possible without the collaboration of our international contributors and patrons. Editorial inquiries: nancy@veracitymediagroup.com General information: robert@veracitymediagroup.com Published in the United States by Veracity Media Group, LLC. Copyright © 2019 Veracity Media Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved nourishandflourish.site | veracitymediagroup.com Scan code for more information and subscriptions.
© Copyright 2019 by Veracity Media Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including digital, electronic, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Veracity Media Group, LLC. All images and materials are protected by © copyright and all rights are reserved in any medium and any form of reproduction worldwide. Any reproduction or use of these materials without the prior written consent of Veracity Media Group, LLC is strictly prohibited. Other images and/or product names mentioned or depicted herein may be protected by copyright or trademark and are the property of their respective rights holder. Nourish and Flourish / Veracity Media Group LLC has not independently tested any services or products that are featured on these pages herein and has verified no claims made by these companies and or individuals regarding those services or products. All recipes in this publication have been submitted by professional contributors. Veracity Media Group, LLC has received permission and approvals to publish all content in this edition as provide by the contributors. Printed in the USA.
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Welcome! Just as our title suggests, we want your experience to grow beyond the printed word. Throughout this edition we have introduced QR codes that will transport you to expanded content on the web. Never has a special interest publication become a dynamic portal for engagement beyond the page. We open doors to more information than the pages alone can contain. Where the codes take you will change over time–to new recipes, a video, or even a gallery of photos. We are offering you something new and interesting long after the publication hits your coffee table. Our content is evergreen. Pick it up again, read it again, and click the QR codes for new digital adventures between issues and beyond. As always, thank you for joining us, and please share us with friends.
Better Living Through Smarter Choices. Nourish and Flourish is a special interest publication dedicated to creating authentic, informative, and interactive content that inspires learning. Published by Veracity Media Group, LLC, a private, independent media company located in the United States. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 Veracity Media Group, LLC. Copies are available for purchase online:
veracitymediagroup.com • nourishandflourish.site Copies are also available on select newsstands nationwide. Please visit our website for retail locations. Cover photo: Morgan Rhodes | Creative Direction: Nancy Suttles
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
– Stanley Horowitz
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CONTENTS PART ONE: EARTH MATTERS 8 Art of Nature 10 Fantastic Fungi 20 PART TWO: EXPLORATION & DISCOVERY 32 Music: The Language of Emotion 34 Food + Music: A Recipe for Community 38 A Bridge 42 Hall of Fame: Heritage Radio Network 44 PART THREE: BACK TO BASICS 47 Where Has all the Flavor Gone? 48 The Allure of Chocolate 56 The Future of Chocolate 68 Cacao-Trace: A Sustainable Sourcing Program 72 PART FOUR: WITH NATURE IN MIND 77 Resident Dog: Incredible Homes and the Dogs that Live There 78 Piña 86 Eco-Couturier 88 Fibershed 92 A River with Soul: The North Umpqua 98 Stewards of the River 102 Disconnect to Reconnect: The Steamboat Inn 104 RECIPES Wild Mushroom Soup 30 T J’s Prime Rib Roast 41 The Original Toll House Cookie 65 Real Hot Chocolate 67 Pumpkin Apple Dog Treats 85 Chef Adam’s Smoked Chicken Thighs 107 Fig and Orange Preserves 109 Jalapeño Goat Cheese Cornbread 111
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Resident Dog: Incredible Homes and the Dogs that Live There, by Nicole England is featured on page 78. Shown here are Harry and Daisy, half-siblings that look pretty similar and couldn’t be more different. Harry is a boisterous boofhead, while Daisy is reserved and a little judgmental. Surrounded by lush landscaping, this home is full of clean Scandinavian lines, with Japanese and mid-century modern influences. Breed: Cairn terriers Architect: Inarc, Fitzroy, Melbourne Photo Š Nicole England. Courtesy of Thames & Hudson. thamesandhudsonUSA.com.
Photo by Nancy Suttles
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ONE: Earthmatters “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
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Good Read > Fantastic Fungi Introduction by Paul Stamets
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Fantastic Fungi
Mushrooms are mysterious. They come out of nowhere suddenly, with their splendid forms and colors, and just as quickly go away. Mushrooms’ startling appearances and enigmatic disappearances have made them forbidden fruits for thousands of years. Only a few of the cognoscente—the shamans, the witches, the priests, and the wise herbalists—have gained a glimmer of the knowledge mushrooms possess. Why?
Left: This small-to medium-sized saprobic fungus, Flammulina velutipes, fruits in dense clusters during winter on both exotic and indigenous fallen or standing wood. It has a sticky pale yellow to rosyorange brown cap darker in the center, with a distinctively velvety stem that darkens from the base upward, without a ring and having attached, close gills. Believe it or not, the “enoki mushroom” often found in grocery stores and restaurants, also called the “enokitake,” is a cultivated form of Flammulina velutipes. It looks nothing like the wild mushroom, however; it is pale, long-stemmed, and tiny-capped. Photo by Bernard Spragg, New Zealand. Photo by Nancy Suttles
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Fantastic Fungi > Introduction by Paul Stamets
The Magic Beneath Us I
An all-star tean of professional and amateur mycologists, artists, foodies, ecologists, doctors, and explorers joined forces with time-lapse master Louise Schwartzberg to create The Magic Beneath Us, the life-affirming, mind-bending film about mushrooms and their mysterious interwoven rootlike filaments called mycelium. What this team reveals will blow your mind and possibly the planet. This visually compelling companion book, edited by preeminent mycologist Paul Stamets, expands upon the film in every way. Fantastic Fungi is at the forefront of a mushroom revolution. Louie Schwartzberg is a visual artist and master storyteller whose groundbreaking films have inspired millions of viewers to celebrate life by taking them on journeys through time and scale.
t is natural to fear what is powerful, yet unknown. Some mushrooms can kill you. Some can heal you. Many can feed you. A few can send you on a spiritual journey. Their sudden rise and retreat back into the underground of nature make them difficult to study. We have longer periods of contact with animals and plants, and we usually know which ones can help or hurt us. Mushrooms are not like that. They slip into our landscape and exit shortly thereafter. The memory fades quickly, and we wonder what we saw. Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of a nearly invisible network of mycelium, the cellular fabric beneath each footstep we take on the ground. Reach down and move a stick or a log, and you will see a vast array of fuzzy, cobwebby cells emanating everywhere. That’s mycelium, the network of fungal cells that permeates all landscapes. It is the foundation of the food web. It holds all life together. Yet these vast underground networks, which can achieve the largest masses of any organism in the world and can cover thousands of acres, hide in plain sight, silent but sentient and always working tirelessly to create the soils that sustain life. Over thousands of years we have accumulated a large body of knowledge when it comes to edibles. Starvation is a good motivator for finding novel foods. Our ancestors quickly learned that some mushrooms are not only nutritious but delicious. Mushrooms provide protein and vitamins, and they can strengthen our immune systems. They have been critical in our species’ struggle for survival. Many elderly people share joyous memories of going with their parents and grandparents on family trips into the forest to pick mushrooms. They have experienced that eureka moment of discovery and understand the challenges of identifying edibles and the danger of misidentifying toxic species. They know the reward and joy of a delicious meal foraged by their family from the natural world around them. Many mushroom patches are kept as family secrets, shared only with future generations. When each organism reaches the end of its life, it returns to the soil and continues replenishing the cycle.
Excerpted with permission for Earth Aware, Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness & Save the Planet, Edited and introduction by Paul Stamets. It is the companion book to Fantastic Fungi, The Magic Beneath Us film by Louie Schwartzberg. mandalaearth.com
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Above: Lion’s mane mushrooms, Hericium erinaceus, are white, globe-shaped fungi that have long, shaggy spines. People can eat them or take them in the form of supplements. Research suggests that they may offer a range of health benefits, including reduced inflammation and improved cognitive and heart health. They can be found growing wild in the Pacific Northwest and New England. Their flavor and texture are similar to crab or lobster meat: a sweet savory flavor and meaty, stringy texture.
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Fantastic Fungi > Fungi as Food and Medicine for Plants (and us) by Eugenia Bone Eugenia Bone is a nationally known nature and food writer. She is the author of six books, including Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms and her latest Microbia: A Journey Into the Unseen World Around You. This recipe is from her chapter in Fantastic Fungi. A few words about buying, storing, and cooking mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi, and as such, they should be purchased and stored much the same way as you would flowers or fruit. When buying mushrooms, look for the elasticity of youth in the texture and a lovely earthy smell. Like berries, do not wash them until you are ready to prepare them. Some species can be eaten raw, but not all–morels, for example, they will make you sick. When in doubt, cook mushrooms.
Wild Mushroom Soup Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup onion, minced (about ½ large onion) 1 pound wild mushrooms―for example, porcini, chanterelles, hedgehogs, or maitake―sliced ¼ cup sweet Marsala or Madeira 1 tablespoon flour 4 cups chicken (or mushroom or vegetable) stock 2 sprigs fresh thyme 4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (or heavy cream) Chopped fresh thyme for garnish Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Melt the butter in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them until they are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté them until they give up their liquid, about 15 minutes. Add the Marsala wine, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove the cover and allow the wine to cook out, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the flour into the mushroom mixture. Add the stock and thyme sprigs. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld. Remove the thyme sprigs. Remove about half the mushrooms and grind them in a food processor. Return the ground mushrooms to the soup and combine. The soup should be about the consistency of corn chowder. If it seems too thick, add some more stock or warm water. To serve, swirl a tablespoon of mascarpone into each bowl of soup and garnish with chopped thyme. Serves 4
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Music: The Language of Emotion Sound is capable of producing very powerful reactions and emotions—whether it’s sudden anxiety caused by a snake’s warning hiss or the uncontrollable grin as a favorite song comes on the radio. Scholars have been fascinated by the relationship between sound and emotional states forever, and modern neuroscience has led to some fascinating advances in our understanding of why our ears and emotions have such a strong bond. For thousands of years we have been telling stories with our voices to preserve information and cultural identity from one generation to another. Today, our voices still play an active role in our creative life, whether we intend them to or not. In addition to our voices, music is capable of producing some of the strongest emotional reactions in humans, whether it’s joy, sadness, fear, or nostalgia. The powerful connections between sound, music, emotion, and memory are driven by each individual’s personal experiences and preferences. It’s interesting to note that people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds will often agree on whether a piece of music sounds happy or sad. For this reason, music is often considered the universal “language of emotions.” The idea of music as language is more accurate than it might first seem. When we hear music, our brains are imposing structure and order on a number of distinct sounds so that we experience them as a whole. It’s a perceptual illusion that changes what we hear, much as we don’t “hear” spoken language as a series of vocalizations. Instead, we hear the meaning of the words. However, music is much more rooted in primitive brain structures than language, structures connected with motivation, reward, and primal emotions. There’s no strong scientific agreement on why music has such a powerful ability to conjure up the same images and feelings, even among different people with different memories. The appreciation of music involves a complex combination of the brain’s memory, language, auditory, and emotional centers all working together. Perhaps it’s simply this satisfying, harmonious brain exercise that gives us the pleasure response.
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All images © 2019 Blaine Scinta.
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“In the night the cabbages catch at the moon, the leaves drip silver, the rows of cabbages are a series of little silver waterfalls in the moon.”
- Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on January 6, 1878. His parents, August and Clara Johnson, had emigrated to America from the north of Sweden. “Trying to write briefly about Carl Sandburg,” said a friend of the poet, “is like trying to picture the Grand Canyon in one black and white snapshot.” His range of interests was enumerated by his close friend Harry Golden, who, in his study of the poet, called Sandburg “the one American writer who distinguished himself in five fields: poetry, history, biography, fiction, and music.” Sandburg composed his poetry primarily in free verse. A self-styled hobo, Sandburg was the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, had six high schools and five elementary schools named for him, and held news conferences with presidents at the White House. “My father couldn’t sign his name,” wrote Sandburg; “[he] made his ‘mark’ on the CB&Q payroll sheet. My mother was able to read the Scriptures in her native language, but she could not write, and I wrote of Abraham Lincoln whose own mother could not read or write! I guess that somewhere along in this you’ll find a story of America.” Source: www.poetryfoundation.org
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Story by Ray Lyn Hixon
The Allure of Chocolate
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The first people to grow cacao trees were the Maya, one of the oldest civilizations on the American continent. They used the cocoa beans as a barter currency to exchange for food or clothes as well as for preparing a bitter drink known as Xocoatl, which was nothing like the hot chocolate that we drink today. This beverage was made of roasted and ground cocoa beans mixed with water and spices. The chocolate-flavored drink was reserved for the nobility and for warriors. The spread of the cacao tree started during the age of Colonialism, as did the spread of cacao beans and of chocolate itself. Christopher Columbus was the first European to come in contact with cacao. On August 15, 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the Americas, Columbus and his crew encountered a large dugout canoe near an island off the coast of what is now Honduras. The canoe was the largest native vessel the Spaniards had seen. It was “as long as a galley” and was filled with local goods for trade—including cacao beans. Columbus had his crew seize the vessel, its goods, and its skipper as his guide. As one of the men with Columbus observed, “They seemed to hold these almonds [referring to the cacao beans] at a great price; for when they were brought on board ship together with their goods, I observed that when any of these almonds fell, they all stooped to pick it up, as if an eye had fallen.” What Ferdinand and the other members of Columbus’ crew didn’t know at the time was that cocoa beans were the local currency. In fact, in some parts of Central America, cacao beans were used as currency as recently as the last century. While it is likely that Columbus brought the cacao beans he seized back to Europe, their potential value was initially overlooked by the Spanish king and his court. Twenty years later, however, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez is said to have brought back three chests full of cacao beans. This time the beans were recognized as one treasure among the many stolen from the conquered Aztecs. An officer serving with Cortez observed Motecuhzoma, the ruler of the Aztecs, drinking fifty flagons of chocolate a day. The frothy beverage, which was sometimes made with water and sometimes with wine, could be seasoned with vanilla, pimiento, and chili pepper. It was thought to cure diarrhea and dysentery and was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Cortez is said to have tried the beverage, but found it too bitter. He did, however, write to King Carlos I of Spain, calling “xocoatl” a “drink that builds up resistance and fights fatigue.” Soon chocolate would make its way across the Atlantic—first to Spain and then to the rest of Europe. The first official shipment was made in 1585 from Veracruz to Seville. When the Spanish first brought chocolate back to Europe, it was still being served as a beverage, but soon went through an evolution where the chili pepper was replaced by sugar. The newly sweetened chocolate
beverage was a luxury few could afford, but by the 17th century the drink was common among European nobility. During the 17th century, when Belgium was still ruled by the Spanish, explorers brought cocoa beans from South America and introduced them to the Belgian community. At the time, cacoa beans were mostly used to make “hot chocolate” for nobility or to impress new visitors. Henri Escher, the mayor of Zurich, was served a cup of this delicious drink when visiting the Grand Palace of Brussels in 1697. He immediately fell in love with it, took the recipe home with him, and introduced his own country to chocolate. Switzerland is now considered Belgium’s biggest competitor regarding the production and distribution of chocolate. During the 18th century, Dutch merchants controlled virtually the entire trade in cocoa beans. Amsterdam developed into the most important cocoa port in the world and thereby stimulated a local cocoa industry. As cacao became more commonly available, people began experimenting with new ways of using it. Chocolate began to appear in cakes, pastries, and sorbets. But it wasn’t until 1828 that the “modern era” of chocolate making and production began. Coenraad Van Houten, a Dutch chemist, invented and patented a hydraulic press removing most of the cocoa butter from the processed beans, leaving a powdered chocolate. To improve the powder’s ability to mix with liquid, Van Houten treated it with alkaline salts, a process which became known as “Dutching.” The introduction of cocoa powder made creating chocolate drinks much easier; cocoa powder also made it possible to combine chocolate with sugar and then remix it with cocoa butter to create a solid. Others began to build on Van Houten’s success, experimenting to make new chocolate products. In 1849, English chocolate maker and Quaker Joseph Storrs Fry produced what was arguably the world’s first eating chocolate. The greatest innovation came when they devised a means of mixing cocoa powder with sugar and cocoa fat into a paste which could be molded into a bar. This was the first chocolate bar in Britain. It transformed chocolate from a drink into a portable snack. In 1866 they produced their famous cream bar and also the first pure cocoa powder called Chocolate Essence.
Call-out source: National Bank of Belgium Museum, www.nbbmuseum.be
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After four years, the mature cacao tree produces fruit in the form of elongated pods; it may yield up to 70 such fruits annually. The pods, or cherelles, range in color from bright yellow to deep purple. They ripen in less than six months. Each pod has numerous ridges running along its length and holds 20 to 60 seeds or cocoa beans arranged around the long axis of the pod.
Photo by Nancy Suttles
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Photos courtesy of Puratos Group
It all starts with the farmers...
The focus on superior-tasting chocolate contributes directly to better living conditions for the farmers and their communities. The farmers pictured are part of a network of 7,800+ farmers supported by Cacao-Trace. Puratos helps them create more income thanks to higher quality beans, and Puratos collects 10 cents per kilo of chocolate sold on their behalf. The farmers benefit from individual coaching to grow higher quality cocoa and receive guidance to run their farms in a more professional way. Once the farmers have collected the fresh cacao beans, the beans taken to a Cacao-Trace post-harvest fermentation center, giving farmers extra time to spend on other crops on the farm. Thanks to the high quality of beans, they get an additional quality premium. In addition, the farmer receives an extra Chocolate Bonus every year. This amount can add up to an additional 1 or 2 months of salary.
Scan here to learn more.
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FOUR: With Nature in Mind The esoteric qualities of nature have become a living dream filled with subtleties that only she can provide, a lesson so long in the learning, a vision just now being seen. When I look into this setting , I see the realization of nature and humanity becoming one.
~ Ryan Gainey
Left: Shot on location at the late Ryan Gainey’s home in Decatur, Georgia by Nancy Suttles in 2015. “He was my friend and collaborator,” says Nancy. “I miss his phone calls and wicked sense of humor.” He was one of the most celebrated American garden designers of the past three decades. He grew up in rural South Carolina, where he developed a deep love of plants from his relatives and neighbors. After coming to Atlanta in the 70s and opening three beloved garden shops, he began to design gardens around the city and eventually around the the world. He died in July 2016 in Lexington, Georgia. Scan code to learn more. Source: www.wellplacedweed.com
Good Read > Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy by Rebecca Burgess (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2019) and is reprinted with permission from the publisher. Photos by Paige Green.
In the world of fiber production, there is a new concept being discussed. Rebecca Burgess calls it the “soil to soil” framework. Burgess is the founder and executive director of Fibershed, an organization devoted to public education on the environmental, economic, and social benefits of bringing the textile supply chain home to local communities in the United States and other places around the world. She encourages people to think about fiber production as starting with farmers producing organic, fully recyclable fibers like cotton, wool, alpaca, flax, and hemp on farms where the soil is sustainably managed. Natural dye plants like indigo, madder, and many others can also be grown in this way. Structures could be created to harvest, clean, move, mill, and manufacture the materials in the same region, further creating income and work for the local economy. All these structures used to exist in the United States. Eventually, at the end of the textile or garment’s useable life, it could be recycled or safely composted and returned to the soil without polluting or damaging the environment.
Source: The Center for Regenerative Agriculture, California State University
Different breeds of wool take up plant dye in subtle and different ways. Here handpspun Corriedale cross and machine-spun Merino yarns are dyed with black walnut. Photo by Paige Green.
Click hear to the “Fib ersh ed intro duct ” ion.
ECO-FRIENDLY DESTINATION > North Umpqua River, Southern Oregon By Jenny DuVander and Danny Palmerlee
A River with Soul
Western Rivers Conservancy helps keep the North Umpqua River wild, healthy, and open to all
O
regon’s North Umpqua River is a river with soul. It’s a stream where every rock and pool has a story, where the steelhead are famed but impossible to catch, and where ancient forests tower overhead like a living cathedral, beckoning those who know this stream again and again. The North Umpqua’s emerald water, which rushes across a riverbed of polished basalt, flows not from the Coast Range, like most rivers on the Oregon Coast, but from stores of snow and ice high in the Cascade Mountains. This anomaly gives the river its signature clear, green water and keeps it cold year round, just the way fish need it. It’s also what makes the river one of the most important strongholds for salmon and steelhead on the West Coast. All told, the North Umpqua’s superb water quality supports some of the healthiest wild fish runs in the Northwest, including steelhead, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and rainbow and cutthroat trout. Anglers make annual pilgrimages to the North Umpqua’s legendary 33-mile fly-fishing-only water, which promises hard-fighting fish in an unmatched setting. Equally devoted are mountain bikers, hikers, and backpackers who enjoy the world class North Umpqua Trail, which follows the river for 79 miles. There’s a reason that the North Umpqua has remained one of the finest rivers in the West: dedicated people. For more than a century, a community of river guardians—anglers, conservationists, and others—have defended the river they love. They have worked to preserve this great stream to keep its forests standing, its waters clean for fish, and its trails open to explore. It’s a task that continues. In 2015, a former county park, Swiftwater Park, went up for sale at the entrance to the North Umpqua Trail and the start of the “fly water.” Instead of allowing it to be sold and potentially logged, the nonprofit Western Rivers Conservancy stepped in to purchase the land and protect it forever. The Portland-based organization has a 31-year track record of creating healthy river sanctuaries across the western states. Its motto? “Sometimes to save a river, you have to buy it.” A fly-fisherman casts for the elusive steelhead trout of Oregon’s North Umpqua River. Photo by Tyler Roemer.
Radiocarbon dating places prehistoric occupation of
the North Umpqua River as
early as 6,300 years ago, and the presence of the time-
sensitive artifacts indicates
the occupation may go as far back as 8,000 years.
Visitors were initially drawn
to the Steamboat area within the North Umpqua River corridor because of the
excellent fishing. The first
known fish camp constructed on the river in the 1920s was located in this vicinity.
ECO-FRIENDLY DESTINATION > STEAMBOAT INN, SOUTHERN OREGON
Disconnect to Reconnect We love the history of Steamboat; that’s one of the reasons we bought it.
~ Melinda and Travis Woodward, Owners, Steamboat Inn
Above: Melinda and Travis Woodward are just the fourth set of owners in its 80-year history. The Steamboat Inn has always been a family-friendly place, owned by families who truly care about conservation and preservation of the area. Photo by Justin Bailey. Right page: In addition to the world class fly-fishing, the success of the Steamboat Inn has been its legacy for good, locally sourced fresh foods from farmlands, rivers, and the ocean. The Woodwards will continue to host a series of winemake dinners along with other family friendly events.
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The Steamboat Inn, located approximately two hours from Eugene, Oregon in Idleyld Park, is truly a magical place. The area is home to spectacular landscapes and the North Umpqua River where fly-fishing has an international reputation. This truly distinctive canyon landscape is characterized by a combination of jade green rushing water, vertical rock cliffs within a mosaic of mountain meadows, and hemlock forests. With three properties nestled along the North Umpqua River and Steamboat Creek, Steamboat Inn has been a popular destination for fly-fishers, hikers, and visitors of nearby attractions like the numerous waterfall trails and Crater Lake National Park. This is a perfect place to disconnect to reconnect as there are no Wi-Fi, telephones, or television. In the Spring of 2017, Sharon and Jim Van Loan passed their 40-year ownership of the Steamboat Inn to Melinda and Travis Woodward, two native Oregonians. “The business is the perfect fit with our skills. I understand the food and beverage side, and he can fix anything and keep up with the grounds,” says Melinda Woodward. “We love the history of Steamboat, and we love that it already has a huge following and has many loyal guests.” “We both love fishing, so the fishing lodge just fit perfectly, and the venue itself is perfect for weddings and other events; my wife was experienced in presenting those at the country club,” says Travis. He said fly-fishing was one of the major draws for them to purchase the Steamboat Inn. Travis commented, “We knew this was it as soon as we walked through the door.” The Woodwards are just the fourth set of owners in its 80-year history. In 1952, Frank and Jeanne Moore bought the North Umpqua Lodge previously owned by Clarence Gordon. They owned and operated the Inn until 1975 when they sold it to Jim and Sharon Van Loan. From 1975 until 2017, the Van Loans owned and operated the Inn along with Manager Patricia Lee, a great cook and respected fishing guide. During this time, the country inn movement was gaining strength in the United States. The Steamboat Inn, along with a number of other Northwest inns, established a network to aid travelers who wanted an alternative to the highway motels and hotels. This was the beginning of a new era for the Inn. The Steamboat Inn has always been a family-friendly place, owned by families who truly care about conservation and preservation of the area. In addition to the world class fly-fishing, the success of the Steamboat Inn has been its legacy for good, locally sourced fresh foods
JD Elegance (Jaime Rider)
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