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Oriental Exhibits Palace, 1905

Oriental Exhibits Palace, 1905

This 1905 photograph shows the Oriental Exhibits Palace, part of the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition, a world’s fair held in Portland …

Oregon History Project
Oswego Iron Works

Oswego Iron Works

In 1867, workers smelted the first iron ingots produced at the Oregon Iron Company at the confluence of the Willamette River and Sucker Creek, now …

Oregon History Project
Otter Hunting

Otter Hunting

The illustration above shows a party of otter hunters near Coos Bay in 1856. It was common to shoot otter from the shore as depicted …

Oregon History Project
Over the Willamette River, Cottage Grove, Ore.

Over the Willamette River, Cottage Grove, Ore.

Two transportation routes, rail and road, appear in this photoraph taken near Cottage Grove about 1910. The bridges span the Coast Fork Willamette River, and …

Oregon History Project
Overton Cabin

Overton Cabin

One of the first dwellings in Portland, this cabin was named for William Overton.  In late 1843, Native American guides took Overton and his companion, Asa …

Oregon History Project
Owl Sculpture, Sauvie Island

Owl Sculpture, Sauvie Island

For thousands of years before Euro Americans arrived in the Pacific Northwest, the Multnomah Indians lived on Sauvie Island on the lower Columbia River. In …

Oregon History Project
Pacific Intertie Map

Pacific Intertie Map

The idea for a high-voltage transmission line interconnecting the power grids of the Pacific West was introduced as early as 1919. Although the idea resurfaced …

Oregon History Project
Pai Shamkain (a.k.a., Charley Shaplish, Dr. Whirlwind) (ca. 1825-ca. 1910)

Pai Shamkain (a.k.a., Charley Shaplish, Dr. Whirlwind) (ca. 1825-ca. 1910)

This photograph shows Cayuse Indian doctor Pai Shamkain, also known as Charley Shaplish and, most commonly among Euro Americans, Dr. Whirlwind. The photograph was taken …

Oregon History Project
Paiute Storytelling

Paiute Storytelling

This photograph of Myrtle Peck teaching the Paiute’s language and traditional stories to her children was taken by Leila Childs in 1997. At the time, the Pecks …

Oregon History Project
Paiute Water Basket

Paiute Water Basket

The Paiute peoples of the Great Basin are widely known for their basketry, a fine example of which is shown above. This basket, probably made …

Oregon History Project

Interpretive Essays

Interpretive essays use primary documents from the Oregon Historical Society archives to help readers imagine the events, people, and issues that shaped Oregon history.