An Authoritative and Free Resource on All Things Oregon

The OE History Nights

A collaboration of The Oregon Encyclopedia, McMenamins Pubs, the Des Chutes Historical Society, and the Northwest Examiner. All events are free and open to minors (with adult).

Old St. Francis School (Bend): Jan. 31, 6pm. "Amerikanuak! Basques of the High Desert," with Bob Boyd

Mission (Portland): Feb. 13, 7pm. "Abraham Lincoln and the American West in the Civil War Era," with Richard Etulain

Edgefield (Troutdale): Feb. 28, 6:30pm. "A Woman Alone: Mona Bell, Sam Hill, and the Mansion on Bonneville Rock," with John Harrison

Basques"Amerikanuak! Basques in the High Desert"
Presented by Bob Boyd

Tuesday, January 31
McMenamins Old St. Francis School

700 NW Bond St., Bend

6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.

Beginning in the late 19th century the Basques, an ancient people from the fishing villages on the Bay of Biscay and the farms and villages in the rich green country of the Pyrenees Mountains, came to the High Desert. Most came as sheepherders. Some persevered and became prosperous sheepmen. Others opened boarding houses and small businesses and became buckaroos or ranchers. Over the course of a century, Basque-Americans became an integral part of the region’s diverse and distinctive culture, its economy and political leadership.

In 1995 Bob Boyd, Curator of Western History at the High Desert Museum and History teacher in the Bend-La Pine School District, produced the exhibition Amerikanuak! Basques in the High Desert. His presentation will revisit the story of these hardy immigrants to the High Desert West with historic images, artifacts of their life and work, and color photography of landscapes and historic sites from the region’s Basque History.

Donate

Keep Oregon Green!

The Encyclopedia’s editorial process is completely paperless— our authors and editors use a one-of-a-kind online workshop developed by Portland State University. We’ve published hundreds of authoritative entries on Oregon history and culture without hurting a single Douglas-fir. Donate your green to The OE and keep us—and the trees— growing.

  • New at the OE

    calendar

    The OE
    Calendar


    ________

    AASLH logoaasla logo


    The Oregon Encyclopedia has received a Leadership in History award from the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH)
    . "The Leadership in History Awards is AASLH's highest distinction and the winners represent the best in the field," said Terry Davis, AASLH President & CEO. "This year, we are pleased to distinguish each recipient's commitment and innovation to the interpretation of history, as well as their leadership for the future of state and local history."

    This year, AASLH conferred fifty-nine national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, books, and organizations. The OE will receive its official award at a special banquet during the 2011 AASLH Annual Meeting in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday, September 16, 2011.

    ________

    basquesBasques
    by Richard Etulain

    The first Basques to Oregon arrived in the late 1880s. These Euskaldunak, or newcomers, usually migrated north and east from Nevada and California, often as sheepherders, and settled in the southeast corner of the state. The number of Basques continued to expand in eastern Oregon into the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the Jordan Valley, Steens Mountain, and Ontario areas, but after 1940 the influx of immigrant Basques rapidly declined. READ MORE

    ________

    LSTA logo
    LSTA Libraries as Community Resources Meetings,
    made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to The Oregon Encyclopedia
    ________

    coos county map

    The Oregon County Series
    Coos County

    Read about the Athapaskan Indians, the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, William B. Smullin, North Bend, and more. 

    The OE Twitter Feed

    Oregon Encyclopedia - Oregon History and Culture

    Copyright © 2008-2012 Portland State University