Welcome to the Oregon Encyclopedia.
Explore Oregon's history and culture — from Athapaskan Indians to Zigzag Ranger Station
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September & October: National Hispanic Heritage Month
Learn about significant Hispanic people, places, and institutions in Oregon.
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![Bracero Program]()
Bracero Program
The Mexican Farm Labor Program, also known as the Bracero Program, was the result of a series of ag…
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![Centro Cultural de Washington County]()
Centro Cultural de Washington County
Centro Cultural de Washington County is an educational and cultural center in Cornelius that offers…
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![Charrería]()
Charrería
Charrería is a Mexican sport that involves skillful roping, talented horsemanship, and working with…
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![Colegio César Chávez]()
Colegio César Chávez
Colegio César Chávez, located in Mt. Angel in the lower Willamette Valley, was the first four-year …
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![Eva Castellanoz (1939- )]()
Eva Castellanoz (1939- )
Eva Castellanoz—traditional artist, curandera (healer), activist, and teacher—is a lead…
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![Latinos in Oregon]()
Latinos in Oregon
The arrival of Latinos in Oregon began with Spanish explorations in the sixteenth century. In 1542-…
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![Milagro Theatre]()
Milagro Theatre
The Miracle Theatre Group, known as Milagro, is a premier Latino arts and culture organization in P…
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![Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)]()
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)
Founded in April 1985, the Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (the Northwest Tree-Planters an…
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![Susan Castillo (1951-)]()
Susan Castillo (1951-)
Susan Castillo was the first Latina elected to the Oregon State Legislature and the first to hold s…
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![Valley Migrant League]()
Valley Migrant League
From 1965 until 1974, the Valley Migrant League (VML) helped Oregon migrant farm workers and former…
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![Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center]()
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
The Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center was established in 1975 to provide treatment for Spanish…
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.
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Oregon TimeWeb
An interactive timeline of archival materials and historical scholarship on the history of Oregon.
This Just In
New Entries
"We could see the top of one hill and think that was the last. But when we gained that, others kept rising before us. To look back, in retreat, seemed utterly out of the question. To look forward was to look directly upwards, as the ascent seemed almost perpendicular." Harriet Hitchcock, 13, 1865, Oregon Trail
No. 7
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![Ava Milam Clark (1884–1976)]()
Ava Milam Clark (1884–1976)
Ava Milam Clark, dean of the School of Home Economics at Oregon State U…
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![Caralyn B. Shelton (1876–1936)]()
Caralyn B. Shelton (1876–1936)
Oregon Governor Caralyn B. Shelton is recognized as the first woman act…
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![Eunice Lulu Parsons (1916–)]()
Eunice Lulu Parsons (1916–)
“Edges are the story of my life,” artist Eunice Parsons told an intervi…
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![Hells Canyon]()
Hells Canyon
As the country’s deepest canyon, at 7,993 feet, Hells Canyon is a place…
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![Jacob Tanzer (1935–2018)]()
Jacob Tanzer (1935–2018)
Jake Tanzer was a legal giant who spent most of his legal career workin…
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![James Timothy Hardin (1941–1980)]()
James Timothy Hardin (1941–1980)
Tim Hardin was a folk, blues, and jazz singer and songwriter during the…
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![Nancy Boggs Mullery (1833–1905)]()
Nancy Boggs Mullery (1833–1905)
From the mid-1870s through the 1890s, as Portland grew into the largest…
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![Nancy Neighbor Russell (1932–2008)]()
Nancy Neighbor Russell (1932–2008)
Nancy Neighbor Russell was instrumental in rescuing one of the Northwes…
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![Oregon High School Model Presidential Nominating Convention]()
Oregon High School Model Presidential Nominating Convention
Every four years from 1964 to 2004, high school students from Oregon an…
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![Portland Open Space Sequence (Lovejoy Plaza, Pettygrove Park, Ira Keller Fountain)]()
Portland Open Space Sequence (Lovejoy Plaza, Pettygrove Park, Ira Keller Fountain)
Portland Center, a district within the South Portland Urban Renewal Pro…
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![Rainier]()
Rainier
On a clear day, residents of Rainer, Oregon, have a view of the town's …
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![Redmond]()
Redmond
Located about forty miles from the geographical center of Oregon, Redmo…
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![Vern Rutsala (1934–2014)]()
Vern Rutsala (1934–2014)
Vern Rutsala’s poetry is an expression of Oregon and the West. His peop…
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![Vernei E. "Chris" Jeppsen (1919–2016)]()
Vernei E. "Chris" Jeppsen (1919–2016)
For more than forty years, Chris Jeppsen worked as an architect in Corv…
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![William Brown (1828?–1889)]()
William Brown (1828?–1889)
William Brown was a respected and influential citizen in Portland's ear…
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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This project has been funded in part by an American Rescue Plan Act Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.
Project Partners
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![https://www.pdx.edu/]()
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![https://oregoncouncilofteachersofenglish.wildapricot.org/]()
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![https://willamette.edu/]()
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![https://wou.edu/]()
