Welcome to the Oregon Encyclopedia.
Explore Oregon's history and culture — from Athapaskan Indians to Zigzag Ranger Station
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December : The Season of Choir Voices
Oregon has an array of performing choirs. Learn about some of them on The OE.
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![Bach Cantata Choir]()
Bach Cantata Choir
Few choirs dedicate themselves to a specific performance achievement goal around one composer, but …
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![Cappella Romana]()
Cappella Romana
Cappella Romana is a Portland-based elite choral ensemble that performs and interprets early music …
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![Festival Chorale Oregon]()
Festival Chorale Oregon
Formed in 1979, Festival Chorale Oregon began in Stayton, Oregon, as an a cappella choir with eight…
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![Oregon Bach Festival]()
Oregon Bach Festival
In the summer of 1970, two young choral conductors—one from Stuttgart, Germany, the other fro…
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![Oregon Repertory Singers]()
Oregon Repertory Singers
Since 1974, no other choral organization has brought more recognition or varied programs …
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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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![Portland Symphonic Choir]()
Portland Symphonic Choir
Struck by Portland's lack of a civic chorus, C. Robert Zimmerman decided to start one at the end of…
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![Roger O. Doyle (1939–2012)]()
Roger O. Doyle (1939–2012)
Roger O. Doyle contributed both to higher education and the musical culture of Oregon for nearly fo…
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![The Grotto]()
The Grotto
The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, also known as The Grotto, is a sixty-two-acre Roman…
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![William Byrd Festival]()
William Byrd Festival
The William Byrd Festival began as the brainchild of two men: Dean Applegate, founder and director …
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
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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…
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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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