Welcome to the Oregon Encyclopedia.
Explore Oregon's history and culture — from Athapaskan Indians to Zigzag Ranger Station
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September & October: Hispanic Heritage Month
Learn about some of Oregon's significant Latino people, events, and institutions.
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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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![Buckaroos]()
Buckaroos
For over a century-and-a-half, buckaroos have done the work on the ranches and rangeland of southea…
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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 …
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![Colegio César Chávez]()
Colegio César Chávez
Colegio César Chávez, located in Mt. Angel in the lower Willamette Valley, was t…
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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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![Valley Migrant League]()
Valley Migrant League
From 1965 until 1974, the Valley Migrant League (VML) helped Oregon migrant farm workers and former…
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
Indigenous Peoples' Day
"On this land we are all motion. We age. Society changes. New people arrive. Old people leave. Memory stays." Elizabeth Woody, Oregon Poet Laureate. From "Recognition of the Maker," 2000
No.
3
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![Apserkahar (Chief Joe)]()
Apserkahar (Chief Joe)
In the 1850s, Apserkahar, also known as Chief Joe, led one of the two p…
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![Coyote (legend)]()
Coyote (legend)
The figure of Coyote is prominent in Native American traditional narrat…
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![David Sohappy (1925-1991)]()
David Sohappy (1925-1991)
Born and raised on the Yakama reservation in south-central Washington, …
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![Edison Chiloquin (1923-2003)]()
Edison Chiloquin (1923-2003)
Edison Chiloquin earned international attention in 1974 when he refused…
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![Elizabeth Woody (1959-)]()
Elizabeth Woody (1959-)
Poet and artist Elizabeth Woody was named Oregon Poet Laureate in 2016,…
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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 …
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![Gloria Bird (1951-)]()
Gloria Bird (1951-)
Through both her creative and academic work, Gloria Bird helped establi…
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![Halito (Chief Halo) (?-1892)]()
Halito (Chief Halo) (?-1892)
Chief Halito, commonly shortened to Chief Halo (meaning “having l…
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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 …
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![Henry Yelkus (c. 1843–1913)]()
Henry Yelkus (c. 1843–1913)
Henry Yelkus (also spelled Yalkus, Yelkes, Yelkis, Yal-kus, and Yelcus)…
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![Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (1805-1866)]()
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (1805-1866)
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau is remembered primarily as the son of Sacagaw…
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![Jim Pepper (1941-1992)]()
Jim Pepper (1941-1992)
Tenor saxophonist Jim Pepper was an internationally recognized and infl…
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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) Chino…
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![Kathryn Harrison (1924- )]()
Kathryn Harrison (1924- )
Kathryn Jones Harrison of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is one…
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![Kiesno (Chief Cassino) (1779?-1848)]()
Kiesno (Chief Cassino) (1779?-1848)
Chief Kiesno (his name has also been spelled Keasno, Casino, Kiyasnu, Q…
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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 Ja…
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![Lillian Pitt (1944-)]()
Lillian Pitt (1944-)
Lillian Pitt (Warm Springs, Wasco, and Yakama) was born on the Warm Spr…
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![Marie Dorion (1790?–1850)]()
Marie Dorion (1790?–1850)
A woman of Sioux and, more particularly, Iowa descent, Marie Dorion, by…
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![Peter Kenoyer (c. 1835–1886) and Louis Kenoyer (1868–1937)]()
Peter Kenoyer (c. 1835–1886) and Louis Kenoyer (1868–1937)
It is to Peter Kenoyer (Kinai [kʼiˈnɑ:i]) and his son Louis Kenoyer (Ba…
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![Reuben C. Sanders (1876-1957)]()
Reuben C. Sanders (1876-1957)
Reuben “Reub” C. Sanders was one of Oregon’s greatest…
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![Sacagawea]()
Sacagawea
Sacagawea was a member of the Agaideka (Lemhi) Shoshone, who lived in t…
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![Sarah Winnemucca (1844?-1891)]()
Sarah Winnemucca (1844?-1891)
Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute, had a clear purpose in life: “I mean …
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![Silas Bryant Smith (1839-1902)]()
Silas Bryant Smith (1839-1902)
Silas Bryant Smith played a key role in recording the traditions, relig…
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![Tecumtum (?-1864)]()
Tecumtum (?-1864)
Tecumtum, whose name means Elk Killer, was the principal chief of the E…
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![Urban Indians in Oregon]()
Urban Indians in Oregon
The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of Native pe…
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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 …
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![Winona LaDuke (1959-)]()
Winona LaDuke (1959-)
Winona LaDuke (Mississippi Band of Anishinaabe Indians) is an internati…
The OE is Green!
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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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