A Great Dane helps share Jacksonville's history

JACKSONVILLE, Ore. – In Jacksonville, a 9-year-old Great Dane is becoming somewhat of a celebrity while educating the community on all the interesting historical landmarks and stories the city offers.

Storm Large is a 146-pound Blue Great Dane with a penchant for history.

While on her Wednesday walks, her owners Carolyn and Mike Burrill snap a pic of historic Jacksonville spots while sharing some facts about the historic city on social media.

The tradition began about seven years ago when Carolyn reached out to Historic Jacksonville, Inc. about a collaboration of sorts.

“I said, ‘do you mind if I basically plagiarize your information’ and she was like ‘no it’s great! The more information we get out there, the better it is,'” Storm Large’s owner, Carolyn Burrill said.

“So much of history we learn is names, dates, places, and battles. We memorized it for the test, we spew it out, and promptly forgot it. And that’s not what it is, it’s the people and their stories,” President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc., Carolyn Kingsnorth said.

Coined “Walkabout Wednesdays” on social media, Storm Large has garnered quite the fan base in the community.

“We ran into a little boy who looked specifically for me on a Walkabout Wednesday to let me know they named their dog storm too, so big fans,” Burrill said. “People see her and shout out ‘Storm Large’!”

And if you think the Great Dane’s name sounds familiar, you’re right.

She was named after the singer of the band, Pink Martini.

The two even got to meet in 2014.

While the publicity has been fun, Burrill and Kingsnorth say they are just happy to have an audience to share the area’s fascinating stories.

“There’s so much here to share, I think that’s part of the point. Some of it’s buildings, some of it’s people, some of it’s just little stories,” Kingsnorth said.

If you want to learn more about Jacksonville and enjoy cute dog pics at the same time, give Historic Jacksonville, Inc. a follow on Instagram and Facebook for your Wednesday dose of history.