By Kim Andrews :: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was a spiritual teacher who developed a substantial international following in Pune, India, and decided in 1981 to relocate to the United States. By June 1981, Bhagwan and his followers, called Rajneeshees, decided to relocate to the United States and purchased Wasco County’s Muddy Ranch, a locationContinue Reading The People vs the Cult | Rajneeshees in Wasco County
By Taylor Bailey:: Water is a constant theme in Western history. Environmental historian Donald Worster, in his classic book Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West, has written that history of the American West is marked by how Westerners dammed and diverted waterways for human use in aContinue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Halts the Construction of the High Mountain Sheep Dam
By Jeffrey Stone :: This week we look back on a tragic and controversial event in Oregon history: the 1948 flood that washed away Vanport, Oregon. During World War II, the United States industrial sector was working overtime to keep up with military demand. Kaiser shipyards was in desperate need of employees, but a housingContinue Reading Vanport | Tragedy and Conspiracy in Postwar Oregon
By Jazmine Kelly :: On May 24th, 1958 the Morrison Bridge, Portland’s understated landmark opened. But this wasn’t the first construction of the bridge—it was actually the third time the bridge had been revised. The Morrison bridge has witnessed Portland’s growth over the last century. Interestingly enough, every time the bridge was rebuilt thereContinue Reading Morrison Bridge | A Bridge to Portland’s Growth
By Alecia Giombolini :: On May 16, 1882, former Portland mayor and prominent local physician, James A. Chapman signed an illicit agreement with the powerful Republican politician, Lucerne Besser. In this contract Besser promised to nominate Chapman for the office of Mayor and then provide the money needed to secure Chapman’s election. If elected,Continue Reading The 1882 Portland Mayoral Election Scandal
By Mike Mata :: For more than a century and a half, Oregonians have debated the legacy of the state’s first convicted female murderer, Charity Lamb. Charity murdered her husband, Nathaniel, on May 13, 1854. After being arrested for the murder along with her eldest daughter, Mary Ann, Charity stood trial on September 11th ofContinue Reading Oregon’s Lizzie Borden | Unfaithful, axe-wielding killer, or mentally unstable and abused wife?
By Will Schneider :: Arbor day, the national tree planting celebration, is not often associated with outer space. Trees grow on earth and scientists to date have not found any alien life in the galaxy, let alone extraterrestrial trees. But on April 30th, 1976, as part of Arbor day and in observance ofContinue Reading Salem Moon Tree
By Kim Andrews :: To describe Julia as a survivor does not do justice to her legacy. Julia Ruuttila survived economic depression, crushing psychological depression, domestic violence, and botched abortions—all while tirelessly advocating for the underprivileged in Portland and her other communities. Julia was born April 26, 1907 to a family with strong roots inContinue Reading Who is Julia Ruuttila?
By Will Schneider :: On April 22, 1867, two young African American sisters of Sacramento, California stood upon the stage and gave their first professional concert. At only nine and eleven years old, Emma Louise Hyers and Anna Madah Hyers, filled San Francisco’s Metropolitan Theater with 800 listeners. Their beautiful soprano and contralto voices wonContinue Reading The Hyers Sisters Concert Debut
By Jeannette Butts :: On April 4, 1906, a conference about women’s suffrage was held in Portland with speakers from around the state which featured suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway. Duniway is considered the “Mother of Equal Suffrage” and “the pioneer Woman Suffragist of the great Northwest.” In 1850, an act passed in Oregon which allowedContinue Reading Marching to Victory! The Briefest History of Women’s Suffrage in Oregon