Gwen Trice

Founder/Executive Director, Maxville Heritage Interpretive Cente

Maxville, OR

September 17th – September 20th, 2025

Jumping out of the cars after a bumpy ride on a dusty gravel road, we were greeted warmly with a big smile by Gwen Trice, the Founder and Executive Director of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, sitting on 240 acres of land in Wallowa County, Oregon. Of the 240 acres, 96 of them housed the original town of Maxville, an old logging town that operated for a decade during the 1920s and 30s until the Depression hit. However, Maxville was no ordinary logging town, as it was segregated between the white residents and the almost 50 African American families that lived and worked there.

Gwen, daughter of Lucky Trice, one of the black loggers recruited to work at Maxville, shared with us her personal story of transformation, from knowing little about her and her family’s past to becoming the keeper of it. In a display of vulnerability, she recounted growing up being the only black student in school. She described feeling a lack of connection to those around her. However, she went on to find connection through salsa dancing and acting and changed that hurt into a drive to heal.

Gwen’s mission is to build a historical narrative that is inclusive of her voice and the voices of others often erased. She works directly with the Nez Perce tribe in order to practice sustainable forestry and encourage traditional use of the land by the people who were once ejected from it. Gwen also works with local elders and archeologists to tell the complex story of Maxville.

Throughout our time in with Gwen, we were led through several exercises in reflection and community building that helped reshape our own community to be more inclusive of all voices, just as Gwen hopes for the rest of the world. With lots of laughs, tears and hugs, we departed from Maxville with a greater appreciation of how community is built.

by Katherine Finger