In one of the more engaging stories of the year, the iconic View-Master’s Oregon roots will now be documented on a new interpretive historical marker at the Oregon Caves Chateau. The dedication is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the Chateau, which is located 20 miles off of Hwy 199 in Cave Junction, at 2000 Caves Hwy. Oregon Travel Experience (OTE) worked with the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization and the National Parks Service to bring this 20th century historic story to light, and to educate Oregonians on the role of the Oregon Caves as a meeting point for two Oregon inventors: William B. Gruber and Harold J. Graves. “It’s wonderful that the community of Cave Junction and the Oregon Caves are sharing this story with a larger audience,” said OTE’s Oregon Historical Marker Program Administrator Annie von Domitz. “The story of the View-Master’s Oregon origins is a prime example of how our agency helps connect motorists with Oregon attractions that might otherwise be missed.” “The work performed by OTE’s Historical Marker Program volunteers helps create important connections between travelers and Oregon history. Without historical markers many Oregon stores like the birthplace of the View-Master could remain hidden, even to native Oregonians,” said von Domitz. “OTE is extremely thankful to the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization and the National Parks Service in bringing this story to a larger audience,” added von Domitz. “I encourage all those who loved the View-Master as children to participate in the many weekend activities at this free public event.” The unveiling of the new marker will be presided over by Oregon Travel Information Council Chair Gwenn Baldwin. An Oregon inventor, William B. Gruber visited the Oregon Caves in 1938. He brought his own unique version of a stereo camera to capture the cavern’s dramatic interior. Gruber’s invention used two Kodak Bantam Specials mounted together on a tripod. His device transcended the Victorian period’s stereoscope and involved machinery that mounted tiny pieces of 16mm Kodachrome color-transparency film onto thick paper reels. Oregon’s postcard publishing czar, Harold J. Graves, happened to be visiting the caves at the same time as Gruber, and was curious about the inventor’s double camera. That evening over dinner at the Oregon Caves Chateau, the new friends discussed Gruber’s prototype for a 3D reel viewer. From their synchronistic encounter, plans for the View-Master were devised. The device was introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The View-Master was intended as an alternative to scenic postcards and was sold in photography shops, stationary stores, and scenic attraction gift-shops. Produced by Oregon publishing house Sawyer’s Inc., the View-Master was purchased by Mattel Inc. after several decades of Sawyer production.
