Two Oregon Naturals Make A Team
Joni Harms and Pendleton Woolen Mills.
By: Ann Terry Hill 05/01/2009
Traditional Country and Western singer Joni Harms and Pendleton Woolen Mills share many traits in common.
Both trace their Oregon heritage back at least 100 years. Both are known world-wide. Both have strong bonds with American Indians. And both strive for ultimate quality in their work while maintaining the honesty and tradition of their roots. It is no surprise, then, that these two Oregon naturals should join forces, often working together to accomplish their individual aspirations. Both continue to garner the spotlight in their respective fields.
From his humble beginnings when he founded the Harms farm outside Canby in the 1870s, Joni’s great-great grandfather couldn’t have known one of his descendants would become an award-winning entertainer; one who writes most of her own songs. Many of the lyrics are based on her life on the Harms Century Farm and the core values she acquired growing up and now bringing up her family there. She and her husband Jeff have two children, 13-year-old Olivia and 10-year-old Luke, who are fifth generation on the farm. Reflecting on the choice to live in Oregon, Joni says, “I can’t give up what I’ve got here. It’s a great place to raise a family, and I can get anyplace I need to be within 24 hours.”
Several years ago, Joni renovated and enlarged the old homestead. The improvements were pretty much her own design, with the help of Tom Stevens, S&L Remodeling, in Aurora. Built on the site of the original, the 6,000-square-foot pine log replacement holds many tributes to the earlier home. The renovation was done in two stages: the kitchen area was completed about 13 years ago, while the living room area was finished four years ago. The main living room is built directly on the site of the old homestead, with picture windows that frame Mount Hood (on a clear day) to the east, and some of the Harms family cattle herd and Christmas trees they grow in constant view on the other sides. It is a peaceful, bucolic setting. A small log cabin guest house also sits on the property and continues the warm, Western ambiance one experiences in the main house.
The 20-foot beamed ceiling in the living room gives an openness to the area. Cherokee Ironworks in Mineral Wells, Texas, created the two custom chandeliers with Western-themed cut outs, a tepee shade and bronze feathers linking it to the ceiling. This reflects Joni’s theme of the West and its Indians, seen throughout the house. In one corner of the living room, an Indian headdress is displayed.
Joni’s property was once the land of the Molalla Indians. She’s in the process of developing her “museum” room in the house, which will pay tribute to the historic tribe. This room will also include a family clock, a wedding present to her great-great grandparents, a spinning wheel and an antique sewing machine. On one wall, she plans to hang the original deed to the property, signed by President Chester A. Arthur on April 10, 1872.
Joni’s office is also centered by another chandelier by Cherokee Ironworks, featuring cut-outs of her brand, a horseshoe encircling the number 13. It is called the Lucky 13, since her dad was released from the military on November 13, he arrived home at Dock 13; Her daughter was born on June 13, in room 13, at 1313. As Joni says, “That’s my lucky number.”
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