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Heroes and rascals...
shipwrecks and lost gold ...

Welcome to Offbeat Oregon History, a public-history resource for the state we love. Here's what you'll find here:

A weekly newspaper column published in about a dozen Oregon community newspapers;
An archive of columns we've published since 2008, with pictures (arranged by date of first publication);
A daily podcast (7 to 12 minutes long) optimized for mobile-device listening via iTunes, Stitcher, or the podcatcher of your choice;
A weekly RSS feed optimized for smartphone newsreader apps like Pulse or Feedly;
An active Facebook page, Twitter feed, Pinterest boards.

Enjoy! And if you have any comments on stories, suggestions for column topics or other feedback — or if you're coming by the OSU campus and have time for a cup of coffee with a fellow history dork — drop me a note at fj-@-offbeatoregon-dot-com any time!

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— 1966, LANE COUNTY — COLUMN N° 529 — JANUARY 6, 2019 —

Filming of “worst Western” was an unforgettable spectacle

— 1900, CROOK COUNTY — COLUMN N° 530 — JANUARY 13, 2019 —

Sheepman’s disappearance may be Oregon’s oldest cold case

— 1852, LINN COUNTY — COLUMN N° 531 — JANUARY 20, 2019 —

“Uncle Joab” Powell was West’s most famous pioneer preacher

— 1859, MARION COUNTY — COLUMN N° 532 — JANUARY 27, 2019 —

Plain-talking “Uncle Joab” too blunt for Legislature’s comfort

— 1874, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 533 — FEBRUARY 3, 2019 —

Portland’s “Temperance War of 1874”: The backstory

— 1874, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 534 — FEBRUARY 10, 2019 —

Stubborn saloonkeeper wouldn't play nice with crusading ladies

— 1874, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 535 — FEBRUARY 17, 2019 —

Riot at saloon led to charges … but not against the rioters

— 1874, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 536 — FEBRUARY 23, 2019 —

“Temperance Crusade” failed when leaders got too preachy

— 1920s, TILLAMOOK COUNTY — COLUMN N° 537 — MARCH 3, 2019 —

Old-time country doctors led colorful and interesting lives

— 1892, CLATSOP COUNTY — COLUMN N° 538 — MARCH 10, 2019 —

Shyster lawyer planned to steal man’s land by shanghaiing him

— 1886, CLATSOP COUNTY — COLUMN N° 539 — MARCH 17, 2019 —

Letter from afar gave man's family a view to a shanghaiing

— 1916, UMATILLA COUNTY — COLUMN N° 540 — MARCH 25, 2019 —

Umatilla mayor’s wife had an ‘election-day surprise’ for him

— 1886, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 541 — MARCH 25, 2019 —

“Prepaid shanghaiing” plot went off the rails — fatally

— 1920s, TILLAMOOK COUNTY — COLUMN N° 542 — APRIL 7, 2019 —

Skunk’s “beautiful pelt” woulda been best admired from afar

— 1930s, TILLAMOOK COUNTY — COLUMN N° 543 — APRIL 14, 2019 —

Old-time loggers, millworkers were tough, stoic characters

— 1924, DESCHUTES COUNTY — COLUMN N° 544 — APRIL 21, 2019 —

Trappers’ disappearance had relative suspecting foul play

— 1924, DESCHUTES COUNTY — COLUMN N° 545 — APRIL 28, 2019 —

Lava Lake murders are still officially unsolved, but …

— 1898, OFF LINCOLN COUNTY — COLUMN N° 546 — MAY 5, 2019 —

Ship captain doubled down on ill-considered wager … and lost

— 1883, COOS COUNTY — COLUMN N° 547 — MAY 12, 2019 —

Life station keeper’s cowardice cost 11 sailors their lives

— 1912, WASHINGTON COUNTY — COLUMN N° 548 — MAY 19, 2019 —

“Diamond Bill” Barrett was “The Heiress Whisperer”

— 1920s, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 549 — MAY 26, 2019 —

Portland’s “Shanghai Tunnels”: Mostly myth, but not entirely

— 1903, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 550 — JUNE 2, 2019 —

Billy Smith: World champion by day, shanghaier by night

— 1904, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 551 — JUNE 9, 2019 —

Oregon tried to regulate crimps with monopoly for worst one

— 1907, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 552 — JUNE 16, 2019 —

Bungling attempt by old crimps marked end of shanghaiing era

— 1897, MARION COUNTY — COLUMN N° 553 — JUNE 23, 2019 —

“Hold-Up Session” of 1896-97 featured a giant house party

— 1860s, MARION COUNTY — COLUMN N° 554 — JUNE 30, 2019 —

Surge of confederate refugees made big changes in Oregon

— 1910, MULTNOMAH COUNTY — COLUMN N° 555 — JULY 7, 2019 —

How a banana peel changed the course of Oregon history

— 1450, HOOD RIVER COUNTY — COLUMN N° 556 — JULY 14, 2019 —

Was the Bridge of the Gods a real thing? Almost certainly

— 1925, TILLAMOOK COUNTY — COLUMN N° 557 — JULY 21, 2019 —

“Lobster trap for bootleggers” was a huge but costly success

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

— 1861, GRANT COUNTY — COLUMN N° 558 — JULY 28, 2019 —

Chasing a rumor, prospectors turned backs on a fortune twice

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

— 1871, DESCHUTES COUNTY — COLUMN N° 559 — AUGUST 4, 2019 —

Mining law answered plan to seize gold mines with military

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

— 1930s, JACKSON COUNTY — COLUMN N° 560 — AUGUST 11, 2019 —

Oregon’s “Miner 29ers” beat Depression with a gold pan

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

— 1860, DESCHUTES COUNTY — COLUMN N° 561 — AUGUST 18, 2019 —

Eugene’s first university died when president started gunfight

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

— 1968, CLATSOP COUNTY — COLUMN N° 562 — AUGUST 25, 2019 —

Haystack Rock was once a target for daredevil climbers

This column will go live on August 2, 2019.

Columns published
in September 2019
will be posted here
when published

Columns published
in October 2019
will be posted here
when published

Columns published
in November 2019
will be posted here
when published

Columns published
in December 2019
will be posted here
when published

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