[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8069]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE 125TH STEVENS FAMILY REUNION

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I would like to recognize and honor 
an exemplary Oregonian family who will soon gather for their 125th 
family reunion. Family reunions are difficult to organize and even 
harder to make longlasting traditions. Nonetheless, since 1891 the 
children of Hanson and Lavina Stevens have managed to hold yearly 
family reunions, with the exception of one missed reunion during the 
First World War--truly an amazing feat.
  In many ways, the history of the Stevens family is the history of the 
State of Oregon. In 1852, the Stevens family decided to take advantage 
of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, which encouraged settlement of 
the Oregon Territory. Hanson and Lavina Stevens, their eight children 
and a wagon loaded with vital supplies traveled the treacherous Oregon 
Trail.
  Twenty-two other wagons traveled alongside the Stevens family and 
undertook the Oregon Trail's most dangerous migration year ever 
recorded. While all of the other families decided to stop near Fort 
Bridger, WY, in search of gold, Hanson Stevens concluded that mining 
camps were not suitable for raising his family. Instead, the Stevens, 
like thousands of other pioneers, chose to settle in Oregon. They chose 
the ``Promised Land.'' Ever since, the Stevens and their descendants 
have contributed to the territory and then the State of Oregon.
  In June of 1891, the entire family gathered for the birthday of the 
family patriarch at the time, Isaac Stevens. That tradition continued 
on each year, and eventually turned from a birthday party into a more 
formal family reunion.
  Today the Stevens decedents are six clans strong, and they rotate the 
responsibility for hosting their memorable reunions. This year the 
Ringo Clan will be hosting the 125th reunion on July 19, 2015 at 
Champoeg Park in St. Paul, OR.
  The family tells me that each year the various clans all give a 
report to the family, and the details are recorded in a leather-bound 
journal. As you can imagine, this journal traces not just the history 
of the Stevens family but also provides a view into the history of 
Oregon and the United States.
  And that is part of what makes family reunions so wonderful. They 
don't just connect us to the aunts, uncles and cousins we don't see 
very often; they also connect us to our past, our heritage. Family 
reunions are a place to share family lore, shared values, and 
traditions.
  I am thrilled to recognize the Stevens family 125th annual reunion. I 
hope to see the Stevens family tradition continue for many, many years 
to come.

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