That Oregon Life · Stories & discoveries
History
Explore History stories, features, and local discoveries from That Oregon Life.
More History stories
Keep exploring
HistoryThis Giant Gold Dredge Still Sits in the Oregon Valley It Changed Forever
Sumpter Valley’s preserved gold dredge shows how a 72-bucket machine mined the Powder River valley and left a landscape visitors can still read today.
This Oregon Flour Mill Still Runs on a Water Right Older Than the State
Near Shedd, free tours bring Oregon’s oldest standing water-powered grain mill to life, from its vanished town to its working turbines.
This Salem Museum Was Nearly Torn Down and Its Stained Glass Is Still Stunning
Deepwood Museum & Gardens offers original Victorian stained glass, free garden walks, and a remarkable preservation story in Salem, Oregon.
This Oregon Town Built a Street Straight Up a Cliff and You Can Ride It for Free
Oregon City’s Municipal Elevator offers a free ride, river views, and a remarkable history of land disputes, water power, and midcentury design.
She Escaped Oregon’s Highway 20 Killer Only to Find That Police Didn’t Believe Her
Marlene Gabrielsen named John Ackroyd in a 1977 rape report. His later conviction and suspected Highway 20 killings left Oregon families waiting for answers.
The Bizarre 1950 Mystery of an Oregon Farmer, The UFO, and a Festival That Still Lives On
Just your typical overcast Willamette Valley landscape. A rural, mid-century farm scene, the middle ground dotted with trees. Foggy hills in the distance. A wooden telephone pole to the right of the frame with power lines…
Ramblin’ Rod Anders, The Guy With All The Buttons Who Made Oregon Mornings Amazing
The buttons are what I remember first. Before I can quite hear his voice, before the "Baby Elephant Walk" theme music starts up somewhere in the back of my head, I can see that sweater. All…







