Welcome to the Oregon Encyclopedia.
Explore Oregon's history and culture — from Athapaskan Indians to Zigzag Ranger Station
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June: LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Explore LGBTQ+ History in Oregon.
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![Alan Hart (1890-1962)]()
Alan Hart (1890-1962)
Alan L. Hart was an Oregon physician, researcher, and writer and one of the first female-to-male tr…
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![Basic Rights Oregon]()
Basic Rights Oregon
Established in 1996, Basic Rights Oregon is a statewide political organization in Oregon that works…
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![Daniel Rives Kistler (1949–)]()
Daniel Rives Kistler (1949–)
Rives Kistler served on the Oregon Supreme Court for fifteen years, from 2003 to 2018. His work on …
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![Gay and lesbian rights movement]()
Gay and lesbian rights movement
Before Stonewall Before New York’s Stonewall Riots in 1969, the history of gay rights in Oregon, a…
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![Gus Van Sant (1952-)]()
Gus Van Sant (1952-)
Gus Van Sant, Oregon’s most celebrated filmmaker, has lived and worked in Portland for more than th…
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![Johnnie Ray (1927-1990)]()
Johnnie Ray (1927-1990)
Johnnie Ray was completely different from anything that went before him. . . . I consider Johnnie R…
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![Marie Equi (1872-1952)]()
Marie Equi (1872-1952)
Dr. Marie Equi was a fiercely independent Oregon physician who was engaged in the political turmoil…
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![Minor White (1908-1976)]()
Minor White (1908-1976)
Minor White was an American photographer, teacher, and writer whose career began in Oregon during t…
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![Oregon Queer History Collective (Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest)]()
Oregon Queer History Collective (Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest)
The Oregon Queer History Collective, formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific N…
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![Otto Frederick "Fred" Eckhardt (1926–2015)]()
Otto Frederick "Fred" Eckhardt (1926–2015)
Friends and fans called Fred Eckhardt a muse, an icon, a founding father, and the “cosmic giggle of…
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![Portland Gay Men's Chorus]()
Portland Gay Men's Chorus
The Portland Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) was founded in April 1980 to perform a concert as part of that…
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![Stu Rasmussen (1948-2021)]()
Stu Rasmussen (1948-2021)
In a state heralded for its tolerance, Stu Rasmussen stood out. The charismatic city council member…
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![Walter Cole (Darcelle) (1930-2023)]()
Walter Cole (Darcelle) (1930-2023)
When Walter Cole was discharged from the military in the late 1950s, he had little idea that his al…
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
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![Carol Menken-Schaudt (1957–)]()
Carol Menken-Schaudt (1957–)
Carol Menken came to Oregon State University to study broadcasting, gra…
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![Charles Cutter, aka Chief Eagle Horse (1878–1938)]()
Charles Cutter, aka Chief Eagle Horse (1878–1938)
Charles Cutter, whose Tlingit name was Dockh-hoh-kharckh, was an actor …
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![Christmas Valley (community)]()
Christmas Valley (community)
The unincorporated town of Christmas Valley (population approximately 1…
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![Cleveland Rockwell (1837-1907)]()
Cleveland Rockwell (1837-1907)
Cleveland Rockwell was a topographical engineer, cartographer, and arti…
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![Jim Hibbard (1936–2022)]()
Jim Hibbard (1936–2022)
Jim Hibbard was a principal founder of Blackfish Gallery, the first coo…
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![Joaquin "Chino" Berdugo (1850-1931)]()
Joaquin "Chino" Berdugo (1850-1931)
Joaquin “Chino” Berdugo was a prominent vaquero leader and stockman in …
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![Linnton Plywood Mill]()
Linnton Plywood Mill
The Linnton Plywood Association (LPA) was a cooperative worker-owned mi…
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![Lisa Malinowski Steinman (1950–)]()
Lisa Malinowski Steinman (1950–)
Lisa M. Steinman writes “to make sense of myself and the world,” she to…
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![Margaret Comstock Snell (1843–1923)]()
Margaret Comstock Snell (1843–1923)
Margaret Comstock Snell was a pioneering domestic scientist who in 1889…
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![Marion Sayle Taylor (1889–1942)]()
Marion Sayle Taylor (1889–1942)
Marion Sayle Taylor was the Voice of Experience, a radio personality wh…
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![Modoc Tribe]()
Modoc Tribe
The Modoc are a thriving Indigenous people who live predominantly in no…
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![Obukan Judo Dojo]()
Obukan Judo Dojo
Obukan Judo, the oldest dōjō in Oregon, has had a presence in Portland …
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![Richard Steiner (1901–1975)]()
Richard Steiner (1901–1975)
Richard Steiner was the senior minister of the First Unitarian Church i…
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![Rocky Butte]()
Rocky Butte
Rocky Butte is a 612-foot-high extinct cinder cone volcano in Portland,…
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![Santiago Ventura Morales Exoneration Case]()
Santiago Ventura Morales Exoneration Case
In 1986, Mixtec farmworker Santiago Ventura Morales was wrongfully conv…
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![Seneca]()
Seneca
Seneca is a small town in Bear Valley near the Blue Mountains and the M…
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![Skidmore Fountain]()
Skidmore Fountain
The Skidmore Fountain, dedicated on September 22, 1888, is the oldest p…
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![Walter Alan Curtis (1941–2023)]()
Walter Alan Curtis (1941–2023)
Walt Curtis was an Oregon writer, painter, and literary activist and—in…
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![William "Bill" Bradbury (1949-2023)]()
William "Bill" Bradbury (1949-2023)
William “Bill” Chapman Bradbury III served in Oregon politics and publi…
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/]()
