History Pub: Oregon Black Pioneers: The Sewells of Canyon City Presented by Zachary Stocks

Columbus Sewell and his family were the first permanent Black settlers east of the Cascades in the 1870s. Join Zachary Stocks of Oregon Black Pioneers as he shares the unique stories of this prominent family from the gold mining community of Canyon City and learn what their experiences can tell us about Black life in Oregon’s high desert during the 19^th century.  

Zachary Stocks is the executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers, a public historian and an interpreter. He previously served as program director of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport and visitor services manager of the Northwest African American Museum. Zachary is a former intern of Colonial Williamsburg and Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a former park ranger at Lewis & Clark National Historical Park. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William & Mary with a certificate in public history from the National Institute for American History and Democracy, and a master’s degree in museology from the University of Washington. Zachary currently lives in Astoria.