The legacy of James A. Bushnell and his family’s arduous and lengthy journey from the Western Reserve (now Ohio), then to Missouri, then on to the Willamette Valley is well-documented in his copious journals and letters to family. Thanks to alumnus Jim Pomajevich ’64, we now have a visible reminder of his pioneering legacy on campus.
Returning to his family farm in the Flathead Valley of Montana in the 1990’s not only brought Jim back to his ranching roots, but birthed in him a passion to restore and maintain the legacy of the pioneer West.
His collection began with a few John Deere tractors and a ragtag pile of wagon parts and axles abandoned around the property. As he began gathering and restoring these cast-offs, the effort grew in earnest. Soon Jim found himself collecting and restoring a cross-section of every kind of buggy and wagon, from the fanciest surreys and carriages, to functional postal and chuck wagons and everything in between. His collection contains nearly every vehicle necessary required for the building of the United States west of the Mississippi River.
Along with the ever-increasing inventory in his collection, Jim’s passion, interest, and expertise also grew. His treasures come from across the continent, with some traveling to Montana from as far as upstate New York and Canada. He became an active member of the National Stagecoach and Freightwagon Association, and he boasts one of the largest privately-held collections in the country. His inventory of over 100 different historical artifacts now includes: farm wagons that crossed the frontier, a variety of winter sleds and sleighs, Abbott & Downing stage coaches, army escort and ambulance wagons, racing and doctors’ buggies, baggage carts and grain/beet wagons, postal and water wagons, and even precursors to the Sears automobile. He stores and displays his decades-long project on his Montana ranch property with hopes of someday building a museum or donating them to an existing museum for others to enjoy.
When the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the University to honor the spirit of our namesake, James A. Bushnell, Jim offered to help tell the Bushnell family’s pioneer story in a unique and three-dimensional way. He began to restore an 1843 farm wagon which would have been the type of wagon used specifically by pioneers coming along the Oregon Trail. Prairie schooners and Conestoga wagons would have been too heavy to come over the steepest mountain passes or to be hoisted down river canyons, so simpler and lighter farm wagons were used. Jim was able to replicate the 1852 gear (axles and wheels) and then chose historically authentic stain colors to match the most common versions of these wagons.
With help from Bushnell Vice President Gene De Young, Jim and his son Jason worked to complete the “Bushnell Wagon” in time for installation in October of 2024, just as the University celebrated the completion of the Venture Forward capital campaign. In order to complement the wagon vignette, a group of talented artists from the Pacific Rim Art Guild painted a geographically and environmentally accurate mural of the terrain and scenery of the section of the Oregon Trail that James Bushnell traveled on his way towards the Willamette Valley. The beautiful tribute to the pioneering vision and faith of James Bushnell lives on permanently in the lobby outside the Ross Evans Memorial Chapel for all campus visitors to see.
Jim’s late wife, Donna (Racine) Pomajevich ’63, shared in Jim’s love for his collection. Donna’s favorite vehicle was the Brunswick Surrey (pictured below), a beautifully restored blue and gold carriage decorated with fringe and ornate upholstery. Restoration was initially begun by the late Doug Thamert, but Jim acquired it upon Thamert’s passing. To Donna’s delight, Jim and his son Jason painstakingly restored it with countless hours of sanding and painting.
