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Riley reveals the history behind the library mural.
The Library Mural
By Riley Barta
There are many things left in the background, little decorations that go unnoticed. With students spending four years at Grants Pass High School, one could expect them to know everything about the campus-- from the surface-level sports to the more obscure campus cat. It seems as though there are no mysteries left to be solved on campus, except for something in the library. A giant mural spans across the back wall. The only clue giving any knowledge about the painting is a small newspaper clipping hung beneath it. How did that painting get there? Who painted it? Everything has a story waiting to be revealed.
The mural located in the library weighs approximately two tons. It was painted by E. John Robinson. In his senior year, he created a series of murals all over the school. One of which, being hung up in the library. It depicts Spalding Mill. The rest of the murals were destroyed along with the old school. The painting serves as a reminder of the old high school that once existed. However, there is a deeper story to the old mural.
The Grants Pass High School mural, taken by Riley Barta
E. John Robinson, the artist of the painting, was born Apr. 14, 1932, in Grants Pass, Oregon. He graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1950. Grants Pass High School, the one that currently stands, is not the same one he attended. The old high school was located “in a wooden building located at Fourth and C Street,” according to the Grants Pass High School history page. At said high school, he completed a series of murals directly on the walls. A majority of these murals were either painted over or destroyed due to the rebuilding of the high school in the '90s. The only reminder that these murals existed is the one in the library. A newspaper clipping hung beneath the mural in the library states, “The mural weighs several tons, and the huge frame surrounding it hides the wall from the old high school…” The article is titled “The library mural was painted by a student some 60 years ago” and was written by Barbie Hatch and Christina Armstrong. The mural serves as a daily reminder of the old high school, and the students who once attended it. It also shows how Oregon used to look.
At the time the mural was painted, which one could only estimate due to lack of dates, mills were still very prevalent in Oregon. The milling business was threatened in 1938. In the 1950s this threat only became clearer. According to The Oregon History Project, “The war years were hard on the industry because of the pressure to cut despite the lack of skilled loggers.” Three mills in Klamath Falls closed from 1940 to the 1950s. Two more closed in the following years, both of which were located in Bend. Mills were the primary source of income for many adults in Southern Oregon. With the rapid closing of mills that followed after WWII, a sense of economic tension arose. The mural depicts an old version of Spalding Mills. Spalding Mills, located in Grants Pass, shut down in 1998. A Mail Tribune article titled “Grants Pass's only lumber mill set to close; 160 workers will lose their jobs” states, “...the company attributed the planned closure to a shortage of raw logs due to the lack of federal timber, as well as poor market conditions.” The mural reminds viewers of the old high school, and what Oregon used to look like. Since the closing of the mills, Oregon’s economic environment has greatly diversified. However, at the time the painting was made, Oregon’s main profit came from lumber mills.
Sawmill in McMinnville, Oregon from jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net
Ocean mural donated to St. Anthony's Catholic Church by E. John Robinson from St. Anthony's Catholic Church
Robinson went on from high school to the California College of Arts. Robinson was quickly told that his dreams of being an artist were unrealistic. Thus, he moved on to education. He earned his BA degree in education, during his stay at the California College of Arts. Afterward, he moved on to San Francisco State College and earned his Master’s degree. Robinson worked in the education field for 12 years. Eventually, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a full-time artist. According to Mendocino Beacon the artist “painted over 4,000 seascapes and had his work featured on four Reader's Digest covers." Robinson spent 40 years in Mendocino, California. He was also a part of the Mendocino Rotary club. Robinson was charitable, even giving away one of his paintings to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Robinson’s family consists of his wife, June Robinson, and two daughters: Kathy McDonald and Karen Wilson. His later years were spent writing short stories and gardening. Finally, he passed away on Nov. 18, 2008.
The mural in the library has a big history. Serving as a token from the old high school, and more importantly a token of old Oregon, it has hung proudly for many years. E. John Robinson had a giving life that followed a cycle. During his education he found painting, and after the time he educated, he painted. A journalist searching for a good story from the school, finds themself enthralled by the story of both the artist and the painting. A story that covers the former high school, former Oregon, a well-educated man that taught many lessons, and a resulting ripple effect created by him.
Sources:
https://www.mendocinobeacon.com/2008/12/04/e-john-robinson/
https://gphs.grantspass.k12.or.us/our-school/about
"The library mural was painted by a student some 60 years ago” by Barbie Hatch and Christina Armstrong
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