Offbeat Oregon History

06/02/2024

If anybody is up early enough and bored, I'll be on the Wake Up Call with Lundun & Snyder around 6:30 a.m. tomorrow! (Wednesday, Feb. 7). Tal'mbout Oregon's own Indiana Jones, Dr. Luther Cressman!

23/01/2024

On the podcast today ...

ART LACEY WAS in serious trouble. It was the summer of 1947, and he was about 50 feet above an Oklahoma airfield, at the controls of the biggest airplane he’d ever flown — a four-engined B-17G Flying Fortress, one of hundreds of the heavy bombers that the government was selling as surplus in the wake of the Second World War. This one was his; he had just bought it for $13,000. But now the landing gear were stuck in the retracted position, and it looked like he was about to crash it.

This wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it weren’t for his “co-pilot.” Art, not wanting to bother with getting someone to tag along with him, had brought a dressmaker’s mannequin borrowed from a friend, dressed it in flight gear and propped up in the seat, to fool the airfield manager into thinking there were two guys in the cockpit. After crashing the plane and ‘fessing up to this bit of deception, Art knew he would be in a less-than-optimal bargaining position vis-à-vis the defect in the plane he’d bought.

Still, that was all in the future. For now, the number-one goal was to not die in a giant fireball following a botched attempt at a gear-up landing. He lined the plane up as best he could with the runway and prepared to do his best.

Yup, it's the story of the Bomber in Milwaukie! My favorite part is actually the part where City Hall told him he wasn't allowed to transport it through town. And yet somehow he did ... how got that done was a pretty funny story. We should all have this kind of adventure in our lives.

You'll find the podcast wherever you get your podcasts, of course, or you can read all about it here! https://offbeatoregon.com/1601d.bomber-gas-station-375.html

19/01/2024

On the podcast feed this morning, it's the story of a railroad war and the "automo-bubble" driver who helped the forces of James J. Hill win it (sort of). By the way, if you've never heard the 1909 version of "In My Merry Oldsmobile," we've got you with this one. It was a lot of fun to research and write.

Here's the text version, in case you're not subscribed to the podcast for some crazy reason ... :-D

https://offbeatoregon.com/23-11.automo-bubbling-in-a-railroad-war-627.html

17/01/2024

On the podcast today: When you see a surviving SPAD or Sopwith Camel at an airshow, there's a decent chance that it's built at least partly with Oregon spruce. They actually had to get soldiers to help harvest it ...

https://offbeatoregon.com/1301c-great-war-planes-made-of-oregon-spruce.html

13/01/2024

Hi everybody! I'm working on a story and have hit a dead end. Can one of you help me? It's a rewrite of the story of how Virgil Earp ended up buried at River View Cemetery. The question I'm running into is ... OK, the epitaph on the stone reads as follows:

In Loving Memory of My Husband
VIRGIL W. EARP
July 18, 1843–Oct. 18, 1905
God Will Take Care of Me.
Co. C. 83d. Ill.

What I'm trying to dope out is this: WHOSE husband? Who supplied the stone? Was it Allie Sullivan, his life partner of 35 years — often called his "common law wife" — or was it Ellen Rysdam van Rossum, the dutch girl he married as a teenager just before the Civil War, who remarried and left town after word reached her that he'd been killed in battle (a false report, obvs) -- who, at the time of his reconnecting with her in Portland in 1898, he had not seen in almost 40 years?

Anyway, if anyone happens to know this, it would be awesome to include that detail in the story.

(Image: Condor796/Wikimedia.)

10/01/2024

"I can make a six-shooter sing 'Come to Jesus!'" the Oregon Wildcat roared into the microphone on one memorable occasion ... but that wasn't what got him the distinction of being the first radio broadcaster ever thrown into prison for broadcasting "indecency." It wasn't the politically motivated gay-bashing either. But it probably did have something to do with the on-air extortion ...

There's more to this story, actually -- I need to update it soon. It's a pretty juicy one! And, of course, it's on the podcast feed today. Here's a link to the column it's based on: https://offbeatoregon.com/1301b-oregon-wildcat-was-early-shock-jock.html

05/01/2024

What with the current controversy over Green Peter and the Copco dams, the subject of the podcast today seems especially relevant. I should probably revisit the subject and update it a bit ... (link is to Web page for the story, not the podcast episode directly)

The rising waters of lakes and reservoirs have submerged many budding Oregon metropolises over the years, from tiny one-horse towns to an entire Native American homeland. (Klamath, Baker, Lane, Wasco County) -- -- 29 Jun 2014 -- By Finn J.D. John

02/01/2024

Happy New Year everybody! One of my resolutions is to start using social media more regularly. Anyway, here is something ... it's been a long spell since the last one of these came out! New cover design too.

06/10/2023

Finn John from Off Beat Oregon talks about, "Tiger King Oregon"

13/05/2023

Daniel Magone had a plan. He was going to dig up the co**se of the most important and prominent businessman in old Portland, and hold it for ransom. So he and his drinking buddy, Charlie Montgomery, hired a couple of laborers, told them they were digging up dead paupers to sell to the medical colleg...

15/04/2023

Nothing like being right on the spot, or a few days' journey away, when the biggest gold strike in world history breaks out, right? Before 1848 Oregon had a problem of there not being any money to use to trade with. After that year, it would have the opposite problem!

15/04/2023

Brand-new on the podcast feed today! It's the story of the California Gold Rush, which Oregon got a whole year's head start on.
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/23-02.gold-rush-beaver-money.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

07/04/2023

Did you know that not so many years ago, American women were literally stripped of their citizenship at the altar if they dared to marry a man who was not a U.S. citizen? Yep. It's on the podcast today.

WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1312e-germans-in-oregon-enemy-aliens.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

30/03/2023

Oregonians have long sought to make aviation affordable and accessible to everyone. During the Great Depression, aircraft engines were scarce and too expensive for the average American. Prolific designer Les Long came up with an ingenious solution- he developed engines that converted motorcycle engines for aircraft use. The Long Harlequin engine is on display at our museum, one of only four known to exist!

Plans for Long’s high wing parasol, the Harlequin Longster, were published in the 1933 Flying & Gliding Manual, along with plans for the Long Harlequin conversion of a 1929 HD Harley into a two-cylinder opposing power plant. The crank case and shaft would have been of wood and then cast at a local foundry. The Long Harlequin also used Continental connecting rods, which were as readily available at the time as the JD Harley. The engine produced roughly 30hp, sufficient to power the lightweight fabric and wood planes of the time.

Over the years these engines have become rare artifacts. With innovation in kit-built aircraft and low-horsepower engines becoming more accessible, the homebuilt engines slowly died out. The pieces and parts have become harder to track down, making the engine in our collection all the more precious.

Les Long’s Harlequin engine is yet another example of the ingenuity and bravery of Oregon’s homebuilders. While many contemporary builders across the nation were essentially grounded due to new federal regulations, innovators in Oregon continued to design, build, and fly under state licensing. Visit our museum and see the Long Harlequin engine!

30/03/2023

Starting a three-part series on the Ku Klux Klan in Oregon, back in the 20s ... they were basically a racist MLM scam that most of the state (those who were "eligible") fell for for a few years, before getting wise.

WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1304b-ku-klux-klowns-kome-to-oregon.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

24/03/2023

Got a two-parter on the podcast feed just now: A.C. Gilbert was a practicing magician good enough to astonish Hermann the Great at age 7, a world-record-holding athlete at age 17, and a born salesman — in the best “win-win” sense of the word. He's probably most famous for having "saved Christmas" from an overenthusiastic War Department in 1917. But, if you don't recognize Gilbert's name, ask your grandpa, he'll know!
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1703d.ac-gilbert-growing-up-in-salem-436.html and https://offbeatoregon.com/1702d.ac-gilbert-man-who-saved-christmas-432.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

20/03/2023

These four sailors, one with a broken arm, had to paddle and sail their fast-leaking lifeboat 200 miles from Rockaway Beach to Puget Sound to survive the shipwreck of the Emily G. Reed. The story is on the podcast feed today!
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1503a.shipwreck-emily-g-reed.328.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

17/03/2023

Ever wonder how so much timberland ended up owned by giant out-of-state companies like Weyerhaeuser and Georgia-Pacific? A lot of it is down to the land-fraud swindlers. How they did it, and how they were finally stopped, is the topic of this episode!

17/03/2023

Ever wonder how so much timberland ended up owned by giant out-of-state companies like Weyerhaeuser and Georgia-Pacific? A lot of it is down to the land-fraud swindlers. How they did it, and how they were finally stopped:
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/23-01.land-fraud-trials-617.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

17/03/2023

Episode 86- Yacolt & the Big Burn is now available wherever you listen to podcasts!
The Klickitat term "Yalicolb," which means "haunted place," gave its name to the community of Yacolt in north-central Clark County. The town, which has fewer than 1,500 residents, is located in the Cascade Mountain foothills, about 22 miles northeast of Vancouver, Clark County's seat and 32 miles southwest of Mount St. Helens.
'Members of the nearby Klickitat and Cowlitz tribes congregated there and conducted trade with tribes from the coast and east of the Cascades.
The Eaton family became the first homesteaders in the Yacolt region in 1873.
A count in early 1902 revealed barely 50 people and 15 structures. The same year's "Yacolt Burn," which up until 2014 was the Evergreen State's biggest forest fire on record, temporarily boosted the local economy by making the town the hub of a sizable timber-salvaging operation.

Find the latest episode of the History of the Evergreen State Podcast here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1821189

16/03/2023

Reformed bank robber Dave Tucker rehabilitated himself enough to be named a vice-president at the bank he robbed in his youth ... I think this may be the only time this has ever happened in the history of spacetime. Anyway, the full story is on the podcast feed today!
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1305d-former-bank-robber-named-vp-of-bank-he-robbed.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

08/03/2023

The story of William Dunbar, Nat Blum, and the Merchants Steamship Company is one of the weirdest. Most drug smugglers this incompetent don't operate at this kind of scale -- you can't get big enough to have a fleet of steamers by being this dumb. But most successful middle-aged businessmen don't tu...

08/03/2023

In the early 1890s, a politically well-connected drug smuggler in tiny, faraway Portland took a young Japanese boy into his household as a companion for his 14-year-old son. That little boy’s name was Yosuke “Frank” Matsuoka, and he'd grow up to be the Foreign Minister of Imperial Japan and th...

08/03/2023

THE “GOLDEN AGE of Outlaws” had a good run — almost 40 years. It kicked off just after the Civil War, when thousands of battle-hardened Confederate veterans with nothing to lose spread out across the Western frontier; and it ended in a field in eastern Washington on Aug. 5, 1902....

08/03/2023

Shades of "To Die For": An absolutely bonkers story from 1955 is on the podcast today. So like, did Kermit Smith's wife put her side piece up to the job of killing him with a car bomb for the insurance money? Or was he lying to try to dodge the gas chamber?
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1811d.kermit-smith-murder-car-bomb-523.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml

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02/03/2023

The flying samurai who pulled off the only aerial attack in US history by a wartime enemy, then returned on a mission of peace and friendship two decades later. The Nobuo Fujita story is on the podcast today and tomorrow (it's a two-parter)!
WEB PAGE: https://offbeatoregon.com/1305b-fujita-bombs-oregon.html
PODCAST VIA APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/offbeat-oregon-history-podcast/id490506026
PODCAST VIA SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hwzJApXgdg47o3Le8tccC
PODCAST RSS LINK: https://offbeatoregon.com/feeds/offbeat-oregon-audio.xml