A Tribute to our Founder, Michael P. Jones
They say we all have a story. Our plots are tangled with tragedy, triumphs, love and transformation. We move through our days often oblivious of the chapters we write ~ unaware that someone, someday might actually read it. Michael P. Jones spent his days breathing life into the stories that needed a voice ~ the ones that had been stuffed on a shelf with little chance of being opened. On March 29, 2020, Michael’s last chapter was written and, little did he know, his story is a best seller.
Michael entered our world on June 11, 1951 in Southeast Portland. He was the first son of his Italian mother, Anna, and father Lawrence and little brother to Rita, Suzi (Gerald) and Doris. When Michael was a little boy, he gained a brother when his family welcomed foster brother Tommy into the home. Tommy’s father, Dewey Kirkpatrick, unwittingly paved a path of passion that Michael followed all of his life, which was learning about the Underground sections and tunnels in Portland; Michael explored them from childhood on, gathering abandoned items and eventually learning the historical culture of the Old North End/Old Town through dozens of oral interviews with street people, Portland old-timers, police officers, and descendants of those impacted by the nefarious activities of early Portland. Eventually, Michael shared many of the stories, sections of the Underground, and hundreds of artifacts of the era at the Museum of the Shanghai Tunnels in today’s Old Town.
At a young age, Michael’s appreciation for people was spotlighted when he befriended the cranky next-door neighbor. While others avoided her, Michael respected and learned from her diversity. At John Marshall High School, Michael not only developed self-discipline in cross-country, football and wrestling, but also recognized that with the support of his mother and father by his side, win or lose, he could persevere through even the toughest times. It was then that he began to understand that he could empower others.
Upon graduation from high school, Michael attended Portland State University, living near the school and continuing his pursuit of the history of old Portland.Following graduation from P.S.U., Michael’s passions paved a new path that led him to settle in a rustic cabin nestled in the woods of Rhododendron, Oregon, alone and content. There, he embraced his love of wild animals, advocating for their rights and providing them food and safety. As he learned more about those lands, he began to understand and respect the stories that emerged - Native Americans, the Oregon Trail and homesteads of historical figures, and more
In 1979, Michael founded the non-profit Cascade Geographic Society in order to document the cultural, historical and natural resources of the Cascade Mountain Range. Michael began developing exhibits and educational materials to protect these heritage resources. From that point, the chapters that unfold include Michael as part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Citizen Advisory Council, which led to the founding of the Citizens for a Suitable Highway in 1985 to work on safety issues associated with East U.S. Highway 26. This work resulted in the Highway 26 Widening Agreement of 1987.
In the 1990’s, Michael and a team of Native Americans founded The Mount Hood Sacred Lands Preservation Alliance, which monitored heritage areas where traditional religious and cultural activities took place.Through his ventures, Michael formed invaluable relationships with members of the Yakama Indian Nation and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. For twenty-five years, Michael shared his vast knowledge and perspectives with students of Portland State University through the Continuing Education Department, impacting the lives of hundreds of teachers (and their students) through on-site history classes.
Those of us who know Michael P. Jones know the impact of his existence on our Earth. Those of us who know Michael P. Jones know that his efforts and accomplishments were not what mattered most to him. Those of us who know Michael P. Jones know that the day he met the love of his life, Nita Jo Kreuzer, is the day he began living. Mike and Nita met in 1992 and married on July 10, 1999. While they enjoyed time at home together caring for their many pets, they also spent countless hours hosting the Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival, the Salmon & Mushroom Festival, the Heritage Quilt Show, Christmas along The Oregon Trail and leading tours in Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels.
Michael also threw himself, for twenty-five years, into restoring an old logging camp in Rhododendron (which has come to be known as the Oregon Country Settlement) and hosting school and community groups to teach hands-on pioneer-era skills. He was also a wonderful storyteller, and absolutely loved utilizing the Storytelling Lodge as a platform for sharing Native American and pioneer tales.
As well, Michael and Nita teamed up for the last fifteen years of Nita’s teaching career by founding Project Discovery, a program that took their fourth and fifth grade students on a multitude of field study trips, from the coast of Washington to Mount Hood and everywhere in between. Michael’s nat
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ural talent for teaching changed the lives of many of those young students.
Michael’s immense love of music, particularly NorthWest Rock ’n’ Roll, led him to critique and write reviews, for more than twenty-five years, for ‘Positively Entertainment & Dining’ magazine; recently, he was focused on the amazing history of the song ‘Louie Louie’, and delved head-long into writing a three-part series about that epic tune — an interesting departure from writing about local musicians.
Michael loved his black (chocolate, and yellow) Labradors, and a year ago Nita surprised him with two precious Labrador puppies, Freedom-the-Fifth and Betsy Diane. After long days at work at the sites of his various passions, Michael so enjoyed coming home to his pups, as well as his precious cats Shadow Bear and Little Bandit.
His father, Lawrence, and sister, Rita, preceded Michael in death. He will be profoundly missed by his wife Nita, their four-leggeds, his mother Anna, sisters Suzi (Gerald) and Doris, brother Tommy, nieces Michele (Brad), Kathy (Jarren), Kristi (David), nephew Brian (Kimberly) and countless friends and colleagues. Although the last chapter of Michael’s book ended on March 29, the epilogue is yet to be written.