The Oregon Encyclopedia

An Authoritative and Free Resource on All Things Oregon

Alberto Salazar (1958 - )

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Alberto Salazar (1958 - )

A charismatic distance runner who set one world and six United States records during his career, Alberto Salazar has remained active in the sport as a coach with the Nike Oregon Project ...

Bracero Program

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Bracero Program

The Mexican Farm Labor Program, also known as the Bracero Program, was the result of a series of agreements between Mexico and the United States in response to the demand for agricultural ...

Buckaroos

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Buckaroos

For over a century-and-a-half, buckaroos have done the work on the ranches and rangeland of southeastern Oregon. They are a distinctive brand of the legendary American cowboy who evolved from the vaqueros ...

Charrería

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Charrería

Charrería is a Mexican sport that involves skillful roping, talented horsemanship, and working with cattle. Beginning in 1943, many of the braceros who worked in Oregon established residence in the state ...

Colegio César Chávez

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Colegio César Chávez

Colegio César Chávez, located in Mt. Angel in the lower Willamette Valley, was the first four-year accredited Chicano-run college in the United States. The college, which operated from 1973 to 1983, represented the needs ...

Eva Castellanoz (1939- )

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Eva Castellanoz (1939- )

Eva Castellanoz—traditional artist, curandera (healer), activist, and teacher—is a leading spokesperson for Oregon's Latino community. She received a National Heritage Award in 1989, has been the subject of Oregon and National ...

Latinos in Oregon

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Latinos in Oregon

The arrival of Latinos in Oregon began with Spanish explorations in the sixteenth century. In 1542-1543, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, sailing from the port of Navidad in Mexico, reached what is today the ...

Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)

Founded in April 1985, the Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (the Northwest Tree-Planters and Farmworkers United) is one of the largest organizations representing Latinas and Latinos in Oregon. Based in Woodburn ...

Rudy Chapa (1957-)

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Rudy Chapa (1957-)

“Rudy, Rudy,” chanted the fans attending the June 1978 NCAA Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward Field, as Oregon sophomore Rudy Chapa pulled ahead with fewer ...

Susan Castillo (1951-)

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Susan Castillo (1951-)

Susan Castillo was the first Latina elected to the Oregon State Legislature and the first to hold statewide elected office as superintendent of public instruction. She was also the last person to ...

Valley Migrant League

Septiembre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana: Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Valley Migrant League

From 1965 until 1974, the Valley Migrant League (VML) helped Oregon migrant farm workers and former farm workers attain a better life through education and social services. As part of the federal ...

Research Categories

Become a member of the Oregon Historical Society, GET THE QUARTERLY, have some cheese

As far as encyclopedias go, The Oregon Encyclopedia may be the greatest encyclopedia of all time. It has all the best entries, the best authors, and the best photographs—thousands of them. The OE is part of one of the greatest research libraries in the West, which is located in the largest historical society in the state—the Oregon Historical Society. All sorts of history things are here, including a pardon signed by President Harrison for an Oregon bootlegger, a photo of Santa Ana's cork leg, the film "The Haunted Camera" directed by a 15-year-old Medford girl in the 1930s, and an animatronic elf (or three) from SantaLand. Millions of history items are catalogued, carefully stored, and kept safe at OHS. Come visit! Even better, with an annual membership to the Oregon Historical Society, you'll help keep all that history in good order; you'll get a subscription to the Oregon Historical Quarterly; and you'll be invited to special events, cheese included. You'll also have access to many other historical and cultural institutions around the state. Excellent!

Click here to join Oregon's public history community

X-Ray Cafe's exterior, still from documentary X-Ray Visions.

September: The ABCs of Oregon Places

"In 1883 the public schools became interested in humane education, and as an incentive to the effort, Mr. W.T. Shanahan, the corresponding secretary of society, inaugurated the prize system, by offering a framed engraving of Pharoah's Horses for the best essay on kindness to animals, which was won by Miss Susie Vetter, a pupil of the Portland High School." -- Harvey Scott, History of Portland, 1890

Click here to learn your letters

Looking for history in All The Places?

The Oregon History Wayfinder is an interactive map that identifies significant places, people, and events in Oregon history. Each point on the map connects to the historical records and scholarship on the Oregon History Project and The Oregon Encyclopedia, two of the digital history sites created by the Oregon Historical Society. The Oregon History Wayfinder is supported in part by the Oregon Heritage Commission.

Click here to get out the map

Upcoming Events

History Pub: McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend

"The People's School: A History of Oregon State University." Presented by William G. Robbins. Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History at Oregon State University.

Sept. 25, 2018 at 7 p.m.

More details...

Location

McMenamins Old St. Francis School
700 NW Bond Street
Bend, OR 97730

Google Map...

Welcome to the award-winning Oregon Encyclopedia

Western History Association, Gene Autry Public History Award, 2012.

AASLH American Association of State and Local History, Leadership in History Award, 2011.

NCTE logo National Council of Teachers of English, Multicultural Program Award, 2009.

OHS Digital History Projects

In addition to The Oregon Encyclopedia, the OHS Digital History Projects include the Oregon History Project and Oregon History Wayfinder.

Oregon History Project

Oregon History Wayfinder

The OE is Green!

The Encyclopedia's editorial process is completely paperless. Our authors and editors use a one-of-a-kind online workshop developed by Portland State University. We've published hundreds of authoritative entries on Oregon history and culture without hurting a single Douglas Fir. Donate your green to The OE and keep us—and the trees—growing.

Additional Funding

This project has been funded in part by the Oregon Heritage Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Project Partners

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