May—definitely a busy month at Hanley Farm! Put Sunday, May 26, 1:00-3:00pm on your calendar for the first event in our Sundays at Hanley Farm summer series, “Growing and Propagating Heirloom Plants.” Learn from the experts—Chris Hardy, of Hardy Seeds, will speak about the importance of growing and saving heirloom, bioregionally-adapted seeds; Brad Smith of Feral Seeds discusses plant propagation; and Botanist Gretchen Vos will talk about the importance of naturalized gardens for monarch butterflies. Plus, be sure to take a docent-led Hanley House tour! Admission is free; Hanley House tours are $5 and $3 for SOHS Members and children 12 and under. Sundays at the Farm continues throughout June and July. Visit the Hanley Farm Facebook page, and stay tuned to Focus on the Farm for more information!

Sunday, May 5 and Sunday, May 19, the Family Nurturing Center’s Farm and Food Program and the Southern Oregon Historical Society co-host Sundays in Spring from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the farm. Plan to stroll the farm’s beautiful gardens and fields, and say hello to the chickens, sheep and baby lambs. Join in family-fun gardening activities from 11:30am to noon and from 1:30-2:00pm. Bring a picnic lunch, or buy a freshly-prepared lunch from the Jefferson Farm Kitchen. There will be live music, tours of the Shakespeare garden, and guided tours through the Hanley farmhouse. Admission is free; Hanley House tours are noon to 3:00pm, $5 for non-Members and $3 for SOHS Members & Children, 12 and under.

Pat Harper, SOHS Webmaster & Historian, is the Society’s guest speaker at the May 7 First Tuesdays Pub Talk, held at the four Daughters Irish Pub in Medford. Pat will speak about the “Survivors of War: Indian Women in Jacksonville.” While most indigenous Rogue Valley Americans were forced onto the Table Rock Reservation in the 1850s, some Indian women remained in Jacksonville and surrounding settlements. Pat will explore who these women were, where they lived, and how they managed to get by. The talks begin at 7:00pm and last about an hour, with ample time for conversation and questions afterwards.