Offbeat Oregon: Oregonians flew in raid over Tokyo
Of the 80 American Army aviators who flew the Doolittle raid in April of 1942, at least seven were former Oregonians. Actually, with only one or two exceptions, all were former Oregonians, having been ...
Offbeat Oregon: Famous Doolittle Raid had roots in Pendleton
When Imperial Japanese aviator Nobuo Fujita hatched his plans to bomb the United States with a submarine-launched seaplane, he had retaliation in mind. The Americans had recently sent 16 twin-engine bombers ...
Offbeat Oregon: Pioneering historian earned respect but little money
Back in 1867, Elwood Evans, a young lawyer, politician and historian in Washington Territory, started writing a book on the history of Washington’s neighbor to the south — the eight-year-old ...
Offbeat Oregon: Legendary author started with poetry, dime novels
In January of 1865, a poised, attractive 39-year-old woman stood on the doorstep of Oregon legal legend Matthew Deady. She had come to ask his advice about a new project, which she’d decided to ...
Offbeat Oregon: Ill-fated mining venture paid off for 'Tarzan' fans
In 1903, in a little mining town on the Snake River just across the border from Idaho, native Chicagoans Edgar and Emma Burroughs were stepping off the freight wagon that had brought them to their new ...
Offbeat Oregon: Sailors drifted 200 miles
Valentine’s Day in 1908 was anything but romantic for the crew of the 215-foot windjammer Emily G. Reed. The night was dark, the weather heavy and the seas rough as the lookout strained his eyes, ...
Lafe Pence’s crazy plan: Wash mountains down to fill up lake
In 1904, a sharp-eyed 61-year-old hustler named Lafe Pence stepped off the train in downtown Portland for a meeting of the National Mining Congress. The conference he was attending has been long forgotten. ...
Offbeat Oregon: Roseburg train robbery
It was just another work night for the engineer and crew of the No. 15 California Express Jan. 29, 1897. They’d passed all the long, lonely stretches where train robbers liked to operate and were ...
Train robbers weren't afraid to blow stuff up
Darkness had fallen in Cow Creek Canyon. The northbound train was winding its way when, suddenly, the black night was lit up.
When the rebel flag flew over Oregon soil
Flag confiscated after troops captured "Armstrong the Deserter"
Simpson timber empire created Coos Bay
Shipyard broke records with launching of Novelty, Louis and Western Shore
Offbeat Oregon: A blast from the past
Dynamite was once a regular part of Oregon life
Expressman’s silence foiled robbery
He had thwarted another heist nine years earlier
‘Champagne Riot’: Probably not what you’re thinking
Christmas parties ended in fisticuffs and gunplay
