The Harriet Tubman Middle School Protests | Black United Front vs. the Portland School Board

PSU History Department March 26, 2017 No comments

By Evan Smiley :: In 1982, The Black United Front along with other members and leaders of the black community protested the Portland School Board’s decision to place Harriet Tubman Middle School at the Boise Elementary School site. The Tubman location decision clearly exemplified institutional racism, and the demonstrations following the decisionContinue Reading The Harriet Tubman Middle School Protests | Black United Front vs. the Portland School Board

The 1910 St. Johns Riot

PSU History Department March 19, 2017 No comments

By Alecia Giombolini :: On March 21, 1910, a violent riot took place in the heart of St. Johns, during which two hundred local residents, including prominent members of the community, attacked the town’s East-Indian population. By the end of the day, the majority of the town’s East Indian population were forcibly placed on trainsContinue Reading The 1910 St. Johns Riot

“Big Jim” Elkins | Gangsters, Unions and Pinball

PSU History Department March 12, 2017 No comments

By Jeffrey Stone :: This week marks the birthday of one of Portland’s most notorious gangsters: James Butler “Big Jim” Elkins. Born in Texas on March 13, 1901, Jim Elkins spent the first 30 years of his life as a bootlegger and drug smuggler. In the late 1930s he moved to Oregon. FromContinue Reading “Big Jim” Elkins | Gangsters, Unions and Pinball

Returning the California Condor to the Pacific Northwest

PSU History Department March 5, 2017 No comments

By Taylor Bailey :: On March 11, 1967, the California condor was placed on the Endangered Species List. The largest flying land bird in the North America was determined to be “threatened with extinction” in the first report of its kind compiled in accordance with the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. At the time,Continue Reading Returning the California Condor to the Pacific Northwest

And the Academy Award Goes To . . . Hattie McDaniel

PSU History Department February 26, 2017 No comments

By Jazmine Kelley :: On February 29, 1940 the doors of segregated Hollywood were kicked open for a night as Hattie McDaniel accepted an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was an historical landmark because it preceded the Civil Rights movement and sparked heated debate over what roles an African American should play in Hollywood.Continue Reading And the Academy Award Goes To . . . Hattie McDaniel

“An object of public interest” | Women, Labor, and Muller v. Oregon

PSU History Department February 19, 2017 No comments

By Tanya Monthey :: An Oregon businessman made it to the United States Supreme Court in 1908 challenging the state’s maximum hour law for women. This case came before the Court at a time when progressive legislation was repeatedly struck down, in alignment with their economic ideology of laissez-faire capitalism. The Lochner Era, is named forContinue Reading “An object of public interest” | Women, Labor, and Muller v. Oregon

James C. Hawthorne | An Asylum and a Boulevard

PSU History Department February 12, 2017 No comments

By Mike Mata :: February 15th marks the anniversary of the death of an early mental health pioneer and namesake of the perennially weird Portland street, Dr. James C. Hawthorne. Hawthorne, a native of Pennsylvania, was purported to have completed his medical schooling at the Medical University in Louisville, Kentucky, although archives from theContinue Reading James C. Hawthorne | An Asylum and a Boulevard

The Birth of Packy the Elephant

PSU History Department February 9, 2017 No comments

By Taylor Bailey :: On April 14, 1962, ‘Packy’ the elephant was born at the Portland Zoological Gardens. He was the first elephant born in the United States in 44 years, and that was a big deal. American animal dealers and zoos had struggled to get Asian elephants to breed in captivity, and even ifContinue Reading The Birth of Packy the Elephant

Portland Incorporated as a City

PSU History Department February 5, 2017 No comments

By Will Schneider :: The city of Portland, Oregon was incorporated on February 8th, 1851. While the date is significant and signaled a new point in the history of settlements along the Willamette River, hard dates can also be misleading. Beginning a history of Portland at its incorporation obscures all that came before, covering overContinue Reading Portland Incorporated as a City

Portland’s Newspaper Wars | How The Oregonian became a Monopoly

PSU History Department January 29, 2017 No comments

By Jeannette Butts :: In 1950, Samuel Newhouse, a multi-millionaire from New York, purchased The Oregonian. This didn’t raise too many eyebrows as he was actively buying large publications. What did start to cause concern, though, was the fate of the Oregon Journal, Portland’s only other daily newspaper. Philip Jackson, the founder of the OregonContinue Reading Portland’s Newspaper Wars | How The Oregonian became a Monopoly

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