Submitted photo

RAD members and all Harney County residents come together to honor Martha Anderson by dedicating this Little Free Library at Geno’s Gym.

On Sunday, March 21, the Rural Alliance for Diversity (RAD) dedicated a Little Free Library in honor of Martha Anderson, who was one of the first Black ranchers in Harney County. 

She and her husband, Walter, owned Juniper Ranch on the east side of the Steens. Martha also wrote Black Pioneers of the Northwest. This book is the premier resource on the lives of the Black men and women who came to this region during the westward expansion of the United States. As she wrote such an influential book, it seemed only right to honor her with the establishment of a Little Free Library that bears her name.   

With the generous support of RAD members and organizations such as Oregon Black Pioneers and The Roundhouse Foundation, the library has been furnished with books targeted at a range of audiences: children, teens, and adults, so that people of all ages can enjoy Martha’s legacy. 

The book selection includes books written by Indigenous, Black, Hispanic and authors from other minority groups, as well as texts teaching how to be a better ally to marginalized communities. 

It is RAD’s hope that this library will make diverse perspectives available to Harney County and help us be a more inclusive community. As it states on the Library’s plaque, RAD hopes to inspire people to ‘Find the power in diverse stories.’

The Martha Anderson Little Free Library can be found on the south east side of the Kid’s Club’s new Geno’s Gym at the intersection of East Adams and North Birch. 

Thank you to the Kid’s Club for hosting this Little Free Library so that it can be easily accessed by patrons and passersby alike. Please swing by and borrow a book, just be sure to return it when you are done for others to enjoy. 

If you are interested in Martha’s book, it is available at the Harney County Library in the Western History Section.