Welcome to the Oregon Encyclopedia.
Explore Oregon's history and culture — from Athapaskan Indians to Zigzag Ranger Station
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November: National Native American Heritage Month
Learn about Indigenous cultures, histories, and traditions.
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![Athapaskan Indians]()
Athapaskan Indians
According to Tolowa oral histories, the Athapaskan people of southern Oregon and northern Californi…
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![Celilo Falls]()
Celilo Falls
Celilo Falls (also known as Horseshoe Falls) was located on the mid-Columbia River about twelve mil…
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![Chemawa Indian School]()
Chemawa Indian School
Chemawa Indian School, located in the mid-Willamette Valley north of Salem, is one of four remainin…
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![David Sohappy (1925-1991)]()
David Sohappy (1925-1991)
Born and raised on the Yakama reservation in south-central Washington, David Sohappy began catching…
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![Edison Chiloquin (1923-2003)]()
Edison Chiloquin (1923-2003)
Edison Chiloquin earned international attention in 1974 when he refused to accept a $273,000 paymen…
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![George W. Aguilar, Sr. (1930-)]()
George W. Aguilar, Sr. (1930-)
George W. Aguilar, Sr., is a Wasco elder and life-long resident of the Warm Springs Reservation who…
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![Hanis Coos (Kowes)]()
Hanis Coos (Kowes)
The Hanis (hanıs) people lived in villages along Coos Bay, Coos River, and Tenmile Lake on the Oreg…
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![Heinmot Tooyalakekt (Chief Joseph) (1840-1904)]()
Heinmot Tooyalakekt (Chief Joseph) (1840-1904)
Heinmot Tooyalakekt (Thunder Rising to Loftier Mountain Heights), also known as Chief Joseph, was a…
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![Kalapuyan peoples]()
Kalapuyan peoples
The name Kalapuya (kǎlə poo´ yu), also appearing in the modern geographic spellings Calapooia (for …
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![Kalliah Tumulth (Indian Mary) (1854-1906)]()
Kalliah Tumulth (Indian Mary) (1854-1906)
Kalliah Tumulth, also called Indian Mary, was a Cascade (Watlala) Chinook born in October 1854 to a…
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![Kintpuash (Captain Jack) (c. 1837-1873)]()
Kintpuash (Captain Jack) (c. 1837-1873)
Kintpuash (Strikes the Water Brashly), also known as Captain Jack and Kientpoos, was a principal…
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![Lillian Pitt (1944-)]()
Lillian Pitt (1944-)
Lillian Pitt (Warm Springs, Wasco, and Yakama) was born on the Warm Springs Reservation in 1944 and…
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![Miluk]()
Miluk
Miluk was one of two related languages spoken by people known collectively as Coos. Miluk speakers …
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![Molalla Peoples]()
Molalla Peoples
The name Molalla ([moˈlɑlə, ˈmolɑlə], usually spelled Molala by anthropologists; also Molale, Molel…
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![Sarah Winnemucca (1844?-1891)]()
Sarah Winnemucca (1844?-1891)
Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute, had a clear purpose in life: “I mean to fight for my down-trodden race …
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![Tommy Thompson (1864?–1959)]()
Tommy Thompson (1864?–1959)
Tommy Kuni Thompson served as the headman of Wyam (an Ichiskiin Sinwit word that translates as "ech…
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![Tualatin peoples]()
Tualatin peoples
Tualatin (properly pronounced 'twälə.tun in English) was the name of a collection of related but in…
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![Urban Indians in Oregon]()
Urban Indians in Oregon
The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of Native peoples. These include those o…
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![Victoria (Wishikin) Wacheno Howard (c. 1865-1930)]()
Victoria (Wishikin) Wacheno Howard (c. 1865-1930)
Victoria (Wishikin) Wacheno Howard was the teller of Clackamas Chinook narratives and traditions tr…
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![Wapato (Wappato) Valley Indians]()
Wapato (Wappato) Valley Indians
Lewis and Clark called them the "Wappato Indians," the people who inhabited the villages that lined…
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![Western Oregon Klikatats (Klickitats)]()
Western Oregon Klikatats (Klickitats)
Between the 1810s and 1850s, a sizable segment of the Klikatat Tribe of present-day south-central W…
Feeling adventurous? How Oregonian of you.
Or may we suggest…
Explore OHS Digital History Projects
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Wayfinder
An interactive map of notable places, people, and events in Oregon history.
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Oregon History Project
The Research Library at the Oregon Historical Society provides direct access to digitized and digital materials as well as narratives from Pacific Northwest historians.
The Corner Gallery
Chinese History in Oregon
Chinese immigrants were among the first non-Native settlers in Oregon Country.
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![Ah Hee Diggings (Chinese Walls)]()
Ah Hee Diggings (Chinese Walls)
The Ah Hee Diggings, also called the Chinese Walls, are sixty acres of …
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![Baker City Chinatown]()
Baker City Chinatown
For over seven decades, Baker City had an area referred to as Chinatown…
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![Chinese Americans in Oregon]()
Chinese Americans in Oregon
The Pioneer Period, 1850-1860 The Cantonese-Chinese were the first Chi…
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![Chinese Massacre at Deep Creek]()
Chinese Massacre at Deep Creek
Of the many crimes and injustices committed against early Chinese immig…
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![Chinese mining in Oregon]()
Chinese mining in Oregon
The city of Guangzhou (formerly known to Westerners as Canton) is the c…
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![Expulsion of Chinese from Oregon City, 1886]()
Expulsion of Chinese from Oregon City, 1886
On February 22, 1886, approximately forty men gathered in Oregon City a…
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![Hazel Ying Lee (1912-1944)]()
Hazel Ying Lee (1912-1944)
Hazel Ying Lee, who was born and educated in Oregon, was the first Chin…
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![Ing Hay ("Doc Hay") (1862-1952)]()
Ing Hay ("Doc Hay") (1862-1952)
Ing Hay (Wu Yunian), also known as Doc Hay, was a partner of Kam Wah Ch…
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![Kam Wah Chung and Co.]()
Kam Wah Chung and Co.
The Kam Wah Chung and Company (Jin huachang ‘Golden Flower of Prosperit…
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![Lan Su Chinese Garden]()
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Poetically named Garden of Awakening Orchids, Lan Su Yuan, the Portland…
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![Lung On (1863-1940)]()
Lung On (1863-1940)
Lung On (Liang Guanying, also known as Leon) was a partner with Ing Hay…
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![Seid Back (1851–1916)]()
Seid Back (1851–1916)
Seid Back was a Chinese immigrant, merchant, and labor broker whose rep…
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![The Myth of Chinese Tunnels in Pendleton]()
The Myth of Chinese Tunnels in Pendleton
Pendleton is one of several Oregon communities rumored to have undergro…
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![Two Dragon mining camp]()
Two Dragon mining camp
Two Dragon Camp was an isolated, 2.5-acre placer mining camp in the Cam…
The OE is Green!
Our editorial process is completely paperless — 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.
Additional Funding
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This project has been funded in part by the Oregon Heritage Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust
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LSTA Libraries as Community Resources Meetings is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Project Partners
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