Among the most striking spectacles ever staged in Klamath County, Oregon, was the construction of a massive frame for hanging deer harvested at the beginning of deer season 85 years ago on Sept. 22, 1940. Local leaders called on hunters to bring in their harvested deer when they learned Wendell Wilkie, Republican candidate for president, would be making a brief campaign stop at the Klamath Falls train station. The goal was to gather as many as 200 deer, in the hope that reporters would spread the news about the abundant game and good hunting to be found in the Klamath Basin.

A crowd estimated at more than 5,000 gathered to welcome the northbound train carrying Wilkie on a Sunday morning. Hunters managed to provide 73 deer, but the exhibition did not have its intended effect. When the train came to a stop, the rear platform was some distance down the line from the deer display, which was located about 80 yards south of the passenger depot.

Wilkie apparently did not notice the show. When Oregon Gov. Charles Sprague brought it to his attention, Wilkie oddly remarked to the crowd, “I see your governor doesn’t let you down.” Wilkie was presented with a wooden crate full of potatoes, and a box of wild plum preserves canned by Mrs. Twyla Ferguson and Mrs. Ed Geary. A few reporters took photos of the deer display, and one picture was printed in the Oregonian newspaper in Portland. Wilkie continued his campaign swing through Oregon, but he was not destined to keep Franklin D. Roosevelt from winning a third term in office.

Text courtesy of Klamath County Museum.