By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Sandra Crittenden’s foray into Harney County history started with A.H. Robie, an ambitious pioneer whose adventurous nature had an irresistible pull.
She was reading through the oral histories at the Harney County Library and one day, stumbled across Robie’s name. She found out that he came west in 1853 and started several saw mills. In fact, he set up the first sawmill at Camp Harney in 1867. “That’s what introduced me to the Western history books,” Crittenden said.

She went on to become the curator for the Claire McGill Luce Western History Room at the library, helping to elevate the special collection out of storage and into a true showcase of Western life. The Western History Room officially opened to the public in 2006 and was paid for by donations and grant money.

Library Director Jolyn Wynn said much of the credit for the creation of the Western History Room goes to Crittenden. “If it hadn’t been for Sandy, I’m not sure we’d have gotten the Western History Room off the ground,” Wynn said. “She has a real bent for history.”

For the last eight years, Crittenden has helped locals and visitors alike with their research into Harney County history, whether it be for family genealogy or background research for books. While the Western History Room has been Crittenden’s focus for the last eight years, she is now retiring to pursue other interests.

All things Western

A visit to Crittenden’s house, where she lives with her husband Jim, reveals just how deep her passion runs for all things Western. Their home is a tribute to a bygone era. Step into their back yard and you are instantly transported to an old Western town. A small winding path takes you to wooden buildings with signs that read “Sage Hotel” and “Outlaw Camp.” Particularly impressive is Jim’s collection of Western antiques.

Sitting in front of the house is the Tumbleweed Wagon, a replica of a vehicle pulled by horses that used to transport prisoners to the state penitentiary.
A poker table set up in their living room features the kind of gun Western legend Wild Bill Hickok used as his weapon of choice along with the poker hand (a pair of eights and a pair of aces) he was holding when Jack McCall shot him in the back in Deadwood, S.D.

The Crittendens not only love reading about Western history, they live it. From specializing in dutch oven cooking to hosting the local Cub Scout troop for a Western Day cook out, the Crittendens revel in the Western lifestyle. This is why they love living in Harney County.

They moved here 10 years ago from the west side of the state. “There’s a lot of history here, and you can still reach out and touch it,” Crittenden said. “You can look out there and see what the buckaroos saw. I really think this area is a gem. Maybe we don’t want to let out the news that it’s so great over here.”

Capturing history

Crittenden realizes there are still many stories in Harney County that need to be documented for the historical record and while she is retiring from her post as curator, she hopes locals will continue to utilize all the special research materials the library has to offer. The Western History Room, in addition to housing the rare book collections of Walter McEwen and Edward Gray, holds local family and oral histories as well as old photographs and newspaper articles.

She hopes that people realize how special the Western History Room truly is. The books are so rare that they cannot leave the library. Some are worth quite a bit of money. “This is material that you can find right here in our library. This is stuff you’d normally have to order,” she said.

Over the years, Crittenden has heard many personal accounts of historical happenings in Harney County. “That’s probably what I’ll miss the most — the stories that would come in,” Crittenden said.

She still encourages people to add to the family history files. “There are all kinds of ranching stories that haven’t been correlated at all,” she said.
Crittenden said that while the Harney County Historical Museum is a great place to display antiques, the museum really isn’t set up to store paper documents. That is where the Western History Room comes into play. She hopes people realize that they can continue to use the Western History Room as a depository for family histories and historical documents.

Crittenden also hopes the new curator carries on her work. “Since the books couldn’t leave, I tried to build a comfy place that people felt they could be at home in,” she said. She encourages locals to dig into the past and unearth historical figures such as A.H. Robie, who originally inspired her. “This was a man who was going to fall through the cracks of time,” she said of Robie.

Some day she hopes to organize all her research on Robie and submit it to a historical society. Crittenden said that reading about these pioneers from the past can truly transport one to a another time. “It was just like getting to travel with one of these old codgers without having to ride a mule,” she said with a smile.

Library Director Wynn, who is retiring herself in June, said she’ll miss Crittenden’s enthusiasm for the Western History collection. “Sandy was the right person for the Western History Room — the right person at the right time,” she said. “Anybody who has a passion for what they’re doing can bring it alive for others, and Sandy did that for the library and the Western History Room.”