The Linfield College Department of Theatre and Communication Arts, the Jereld R. Nicholson Library, the Linfield Center for the Northwest, the Pacific City Arts Association, and the Pacific City Dorymen's Association have joined forces to engage in a collaborative college and community venture focused on the historical and contemporary role of dorymen and dories in the life of the coastal village of Pacific City, Oregon. The project involves collecting oral histories from individuals associated with the Pacific City Dory Fleet. The results of the research will culminate in an original multimedia theatrical script and production, digital archives, scholarly papers and poster sessions, a traveling exhibit, and a visual art exhibit. Beginning in the summer of 2011, the project will continue through the spring of 2013, with the digital collection updated on a regular basis.
Pacific City fishermen and women have launched dory boats through the surf at Cape Kiwanda since the early 1900s. Although major commercial fishing from the dories has given way to more recreational activity, the dory fishermen and women remain an integral part of the traditional lore and contemporary life of the community for residents and tourists alike. According to Sally Rissel and Joe Noegel, Cape Kiwanda is "the only place on the West Coast where hundreds of dories are launched through the surf" (69). This project provides a chance for Linfield faculty members and students to document and interpret an important way of life and a cultural treasure unique to the Oregon coast.
Reference: Rissel, Sally, and Joe Noegel. Nestucca River Country: Natives, Settlers & Settlements. Centralia, WA: Gorham Printing, 2009.