Recently the Oregon Trail Historical Society decided to up their game and promote their little hometown museum on social media. Recipes for Pioneer Sourdough Bread and one small sample of sourdough starter were promised. The TikTok video was such a hit that it soon went viral. This new type of advertising campaign to boost their tourism was a surprise to many of the old-timers. While they wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities to spread the word of their unique offering from their pioneer history using social media, most of the organization’s membership had no idea the impact would make on their budget. Citing that they had been used to a yearly count of close to 100 or so requests, they have been swamped by 1000s of orders recently. They have so many requests that they are now requesting that people wait a few weeks to place their orders.
This development definitely demonstrated the importance of social media to small local businesses. It also illustrates the pervasiveness of that old Wild West myth. Using ingredients to hand and making do was the survival skill passed on.
Originally it was reported that most members envisioned a low-key mailing and promotional campaign, as it has always been a Western tradition to pass on the family’s bread-making recipe.
Here in the White River Valley, families and church members continue to pass their starter mix down the generations, as well as gifting a neighbor or two. While the seasoned bread makers may ask if you would like to share the family “sponge,” it would be helpful to know that this is a local reference to the recipe passed down from generation to generation.
Most native-born westerners have been eating home-baked sourdough bread. Baking good bread each week remains a Western tradition, so it was not a surprise to see that examples of the best sourdough bread are being posted regularly on social media. Years ago I was given a recipe for “one of the best in the White River Valley” during a newspaper interview. I had no idea if it was actually the best or not, as I had never tasted sourdough previously. It was a few years later that someone tried to share their pioneer family’s original starter with me and I realized what a valuable gift I had been offered. I didn’t take advantage of it even though I was baking weekly loaves of bread myself.
In the age of increasing multidimensional interactive history experiences, it has not been a surprise to see more Western museums offering introductory classes in campfire cooking, quilting, and blacksmithing. While the recipes are always a big hit, unless there is a business plan in place for each organization, they may be rolling out the dough at record rates rather than rolling in the dough and filling local coffers.
By Dolly Viscardi
