Greg Nokes - Breaking Chains

Breaking Chains - Slavery and Jim Crow in Oregon. Author, journalist and historian R. Gregory Nokes returns to Fishtrap to give a talk and multimedia presentation based on his Oregon Book Award nominated work, Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory. Breaking Chains tells the true story of Missouri slaves Robin and Polly Holmes, brought by their owner over the Oregon Trail in 1844. The two expected to be freed, along with their children, in a region closed to slavery, but their owner ignored the law and kept them in bondage. Nokes tells the story of the couple's struggle to free themselves, and the ensuing 15-month court battle to free their children. Gwendolyn Trice, executive director of the Maxville Heritage Center, will join Nokes, sharing her presentation, "Jim Crow & Beyond in Wallowa County," with the evening culminating in conversation examining the confluence of race, law, and labor in Oregon's history. The event takes place at Fishtrap, 400 Grant Street in Enterprise, and is open to the public with a suggested $5 donation.