In Oregon, Roseburg embarked on a downtown historical mural project in 1991 with the purpose of attracting visitors. Funded by the City Visitors and Convention Commission's hotel-motel tax, more than a dozen murals were painted in seven years. Ralf Starritt's mule and miner have become an icon in Yreka. Faced with concerns about money and maintenance, the VCB and City decided to look to other ways to beautify the downtown and attract visitors. Eileen Paul, Director of the Umpqua Valley Arts Center in Roseburg, agrees that the murals are an asset, and as decisions are made to beautify the downtown, she hopes to see more community involvement.
Art provides people with creative directions and creates conversation and ideas.
Visuals are very important to our daily lives. Mr. Starritt expresses a similar view. They want to be involved in the process and to get the pieces out there. Everyone wants to see some identifying characteristic. Historical murals, like those in Roseburg, and to the south in Shasta Lake City, Anderson and Redding depict the lore of timber, ranching, fishing and other cultures of the Northwest.