The Oregon Encyclopedia

An Authoritative and Free Resource on All Things Oregon

Crooked River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Crooked River

The Crooked River Basin lies in the heart of central Oregon, east of the Cascade Mountains and Deschutes River and south of the John Day River. The appropriately named Crooked River, fed ...

Klamath River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Klamath River

The Klamath River originates on a plateau east of the Klamath Mountains in south-central Oregon. Among its sources are underground springs that emerge from fissures in volcanic rock; the Wood, Sycan, Sprague ...

McKenzie River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

McKenzie River

The McKenzie River, on the western slope of the Cascade Range, starts on the east at the volcanic Three Sisters and extends approximately ninety miles to the west. The main McKenzie River ...

Metolius River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Metolius River

The Metolius River is a spring-dominated tributary of the Deschutes River in central Oregon. The river is named for the Warm Springs Sahaptin word for "white fish," which refers to a light-colored ...

National Wild and Scenic Rivers in Oregon

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

National Wild and Scenic Rivers in Oregon

The world's first and most extensive system of protected rivers began with congressional passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. The rivers of Oregon have taken a prominent ...

Owyhee River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Owyhee River

The Owyhee River, in the southeastern corner of Oregon, is a 280-mile-long tributary of the Snake River. It flows northward from its Nevada headwaters through Idaho, cuts through the arid uplands of southeastern Oregon, and ...

Snake River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Snake River

The Snake River has its headwaters at an elevation of 8,200 feet on the Two Ocean Plateau, in the icy highlands of the Continental Divide in Wyoming. Roaring down the Idaho ...

Umpqua River

National Wild & Scenic Rivers of Oregon

Umpqua River

The Umpqua River, approximately 111 miles long, is a principal river of the Oregon coast, draining an expansive network of valleys in the mountains on the western slopes of the Cascade Range ...

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

October: A Month for Fortitude, or What a Little Courage Can Do

"I have more arguments with the people I vote with on this issue. I say, 'Won't you please help us with population-control or family-planning issues?' and their feeling about the sanctity of life disappears. Or, I say, 'How about prenatal care or women and children's nutrition programs?' Often I say to them, 'I wish you'd be as concerned about sanctity of life after birth as you are about it in the womb.'" // Senator Mark Hatfield, during re-election campaign in 1990.

Click here to find your courage

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

"Yes, No, Goodbye: History of the Ouija Board." Presented by Author and Historian, Nate Pedersen.

Oct. 30, 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

LSTA Libraries as Community Resources Meetings, made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to The Oregon Encyclopedia.

Donate to the OE