One of my least favorite subjects in school was history. On occasion, random names, places, events and dates flow through my head: Constantinople, the Silk Road, and 1066 — something important must have happened that year.

Magellan sailed around one of the capes, there are 21 California missions and I think I can name the 13 original colonies.

With apologies to my social studies teachers, further details are scant.

So to my great shock, I was instantly fascinated by Grant County history the moment I moved here 17 years ago. Maybe it seemed less overwhelming to learn about a small slice of the planet. Or maybe it was just more personally meaningful as I yearned to get acquainted with my new home community.

Thankfully, information came quickly from locals who referenced fairly obscure places as “so-and-so’s ranch” and “Halls Hill.”

However, much credit goes to the excellent museums and historical services in Grant County, which I frequented especially often in my early days here.

Five fabulous establishments offer various facets of local history — the DeWitt Museum in Prairie City; Kam Wah Chung, and the Ranch and Rodeo Museum, both in John Day; the Grant County Historical Museum in Canyon City; and the John Day Fossil Beds’ Thomas Condon Paleontology Center near Dayville.

Two additional groups offer historical services. The Grant County Genealogical Society assists with genealogy information and family research, and the Long Creek Historical Society strives to preserve the history of the northern part of the county. The latter has established a site for a future museum, Fort Townsend, honoring pioneer William Townsend who virtually saved Long Creek during local wartime in 1878.

I’ve learned several tidbits: There used to be a rodeo grounds where the Prairie City High School football field is today, Long Creek once boasted a sizeable marching band and Seneca had a talented jump rope team that traveled to Washington, D.C.

Both the DeWitt and Grant County museums were born from personal collections — specifically and respectively, Peacha and Gail DeWitt, and Charley Brown.

And once upon a time, there was even a business in Picture Gorge west of Dayville. Scotty Dryden’s service station and store clung onto the tiny patch of land against the John Day River at the corner of highways 19 and 26.

Every time I drive through there, I shake my head trying to visualize it.

You, too, might be a latent history buff! The good news is that each day adds a notch to history’s timeline, so there’s always something new to learn.