Though their presence in the historical record has often been overlooked, Native Hawaiians actually began coming to Oregon during the earliest periods of Territorial settlement. In 1811, there were 24 “Sandwich Islanders” among the crew of men sent by John…
Blog Archives
The History of Tattoos in Early Oregon Newspapers
From the sailors of yesteryear to the hipsters of today, there have always been Oregonians who are inclined to “get inked.” The Oregon-centric IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia has gone so far as to declare this the place where “the…
April Conferences
ODNP had an eventful week to kick off the month of April! Both the Oregon Heritage Conference and the Oregon Library Association’s annual conference were scheduled at this time, and (with a little creative itinerary-juggling) ODNP staff were in attendance…
Historic Oregon Cats
Click here to read about Oregon’s feline high society of 1904. Can’t cite a peer-reviewed study for this… But I once heard an Old Librarians’ Tale that the three most common subject searches by library patrons worldwide were ‘Cats,’ ‘Golf’…
Perspectives on American Indians in Oregon’s Historic Newspapers
Researchers seeking information on first peoples of the Northwest will discover a wealth of relevant material in Historic Oregon Newspapers. Entering the word ‘Indian’ in our web site’s search engine currently turns up 2,852 page hits–and there will be still…
The Salmon: Oregon’s Favorite Fish
Salmonid fishes can be found in subarctic waters worldwide. However, for more than a century, “salmon” have been virtually synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. In fact, the Chinook Salmon is the official State Fish of Oregon–drivers may even choose to…
Happy 2011!
Throughout Oregon’s history, its citizens have always been inclined to look hopefully toward the future. New Years Day has always been an important holiday in the state, as the historic newspaper record will reveal. A search of Historic Oregon Newspapers…
The Holidays In Early Oregon
With the onset of the winter holiday season, I’ve been looking through December issues of the historic newspapers, enjoying the nostalgic illustrations, articles and advertisements from seasons past. You can do the same on Chronicling America, where issues of the…
A Detour Through Tinsel Town, 1910… Via Coos Bay,Oregon
You never know where historical research might take you… I was looking around on the Internet this week, hoping to learn the full name of one P. C. Levar of Coos Bay, who had been editor and publisher of the…