‘Straight Grain’ paper topic of museum talk

Meagan Huff, an assistant curator at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, will discuss an early-20th-century local newspaper written by and for soldiers on July 12 at the Clark County Historical Museum, 1511 Main St., Vancouver.

The 7 p.m. presentation will highlight a little known aspect of life at the Vancouver Barracks — The Straight Grain, the official newspaper of the Army post during the World War I era. Newspapers from the Fort Vancouver archives will illustrate the everyday lives of soldiers here.

In the fall of 1918, thousands of soldiers operated the Spruce Production Division’s massive spruce mill. They cut up lumber from Pacific Northwest forests to be sent to Allied aircraft manufacturers.

The Straight Grain didn’t just report the news — it was also a place where soldiers could submit their stories, jokes, poetry, artwork, cartoons and opinions.

Huff works in the national park’s cultural resources division, which manages a museum collection of 2.8 million historic and archaeological artifacts.

Admission: adults, $5; seniors and students, $4; children under 18, $3; free with membership.

Doors open at 5 p.m.; seating is first-come, first-served.

For information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or by email at events@cchmuseum.org.