Name: Logging Oregon's Coastal Forests
Brand: Mark Beach
SKU: 9781467160476
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Logging Oregon's Coastal Forests

9781467160476

$24.99

For the first 60 years of the 20th century, logging dominated the physical, economic, and social landscape of the Oregon coast. Millions of trees fell to axes and saws. Millions of dollars bought land and machines. Thousands of young men sweated in the forests and swaggered in the towns. Mills from Astoria to Brookings belched smoke and shipped lumber throughout the world. As the industry responded to its worldwide market, it went from boom to bust and back to boom. Every decade brought new technologies that meant fewer loggers could cut more trees and send them to mills faster than ever. This book, which includes historical images from museums, agencies, and personal collections, reveals the dangers and pride loggers experienced as part of their profession and captures the culture of logging as forests shrank and markets grew.

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

9781467161107

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours was an iconic restaurant chain that originated in Portland, Oregon. Originally opened by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in 1963, the family-friendly chain would become known for classic ice cream sundaes and birthday party celebrations. The restaurants were designed using a turn-of-the-20th-century theme with a marble-topped soda fountain, Tiffany lamps, and waiters dressed in colorful vests and skimmer hats. While continuing to open new stores in Portland, Farrell and McCarthy developed a franchise program to expand Farrell’s into other cities in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.

Patrick J. Baker worked at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours in Greendale, Wisconsin, from 1981 to 1985 and later became an investor in Farrell’s when the chain was revived from 2003 to 2019. Taken from numerous personal interviews and correspondence with Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy, Baker shares the history of the chain up to the 1972 sale to the Marriott Corporation. This book uses photographs from the author’s extensive collection of images of the Farrell’s in Oregon, which were commissioned by Farrell and McCarthy in the 1960s.

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Oregon Coast Highway

9781467103374

$24.99

By the time the final links in the Oregon Coast Highway were made in 1936, the highway stretched 394 miles from Astoria to the border of California. It had taken 12 years to complete the construction over stretches of rugged headlands and thick forests. Early travel along the coast was difficult; what roads existed were generally unimproved and often completely impassable during the rainy winter months. In many cases, the beaches themselves served as the only means of transporting freight and passengers. When Maj. Henry Bowlby, the first Oregon State Highway engineer, outlined a proposed system of state highways in 1914, he presented the vision of a coastal highway to the Oregon State Highway Commission. The eventual construction of this highway opened access to the Willamette Valley and beyond for many formerly isolated coastal communities. It also signaled an economic shift that included the promotion of tourism and the accommodation of the flood of visitors anxious to take advantage of the spectacular vistas along the Oregon coast.

Cover image for Oregon Coast Highway, isbn: 9781467103374

Lost Oregon Treasure

9781467155519

$24.99

Tales of Oregon's lost wealth isn't all gold mines and prospectors, it's also stories of crime, greed; and occasionally murder.

From the Lost Blue Bucket Mine to a hidden cave in the Owyhee Breaks, rumors of treasures just waiting to be found span the state. A generous miner from Yreka, California, known only as Set em Up spurred a decades long search for gold in Southern Oregon and the discovery of Crater Lake. Six sacks of gold buried and lost by Benjamin Harrison added to the fervor. There have been lucky finds, too, like Samuel L. Simpson's discovery of the Lost Cabin Vault.

Join author Arthur H. Redman as he maps out tales of buried treasure across the great state of Oregon.

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Manzanita, Nehalem, and Wheeler

9781467106399

$24.99

Professional historian Mark Beach tells the story of Manzanita, Nehalem, and Wheeler through well-research narrative alongside crystal-clear historic snapshots of shipwrecks, railroads, breathtaking coastal landscapes, and scenes from the everyday lives of the people who called these communities located on Oregon's Pacific Coast "home.'?

Manzanita, Nehalem, and Wheeler are three villages in Oregon that function as one community. Located in the Nehalem Bay area of Oregon's Pacific coast, they share many essential services while maintaining different personalities as cities. The Nehalem Bay area includes Oswald West and Nehalem Bay State Parks, Neahkahnie Mountain, and a large bay where the Nehalem River enters the ocean. A few hardy souls made this area--the last part of the coast to be settled--in north Tillamook County their home starting in the 1870s. The new residents used industries such as dairy, logging, and tourism to harness the natural resources of their picturesque surroundings and develop their communities. Organizations such as the Pine Grove Community Club, the North County Recreation District, and the Hoffman Center for the Arts are just a few of the reasons these three villages attract thousands of tourists and visitors every year. Author Mark Beach, a professional historian and longtime volunteer in the community, has collected historical photographs for the Nehalem Valley Historical Society since moving to the area in 1992. Hundreds of locals have enjoyed his presentations and exhibits about local history.

Bend

9780738571843

$24.99

Bend, astride the Deschutes River at the eastern foot of the Cascade Range, got its name from a place on the river that runs through it. Pioneer travelers called the place Farewell Bend because it was where they had their last view of the double bend in the river that afforded a good place to camp and to ford the waterway, otherwise flowing through deep canyons. When the U.S. Post Office Department approved a name for a post office established there in 1886, it settled on a shorter version-Bend-because there already was a Farewell Bend on the Snake River in eastern Oregon. Arrival of a railroad in 1911 connected Bend with a market for Central Oregon's vast timber resources. Large sawmills began operations in 1916 and Bend grew tenfold in 10 years. And it kept on growing into a favored place to live. By its centennial in 2005, some 75,000 people called Bend home.

Railroads of the Columbia River Gorge

9780738529165

$24.99

Before the rails were up and running along the stunning Columbia River landscape of Oregon and Washington, 19th-century westward travelers faced treacherous conditions. Many emigrants perished before reaching Oregon Territory. Only recently have railways bridged the wide gap formed millions of years ago. Today the gorge remains the major commercial route through the Cascades, and the tracks are a shining example of human engineering and a mecca for rail enthusiasts. Mount Hood, Union Pacific, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains seem to connect in a magical way with the land, blasting out of raw, rock-faced tunnels, gliding under bridges, snaking along the edges of towns and along the big river, always rolling somewhere distant, symbolic of our national connectedness--and our restlessness.

Oregon Moonshine

9781467153027

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Moonshining is deep-rooted in the history of Oregon.

In 1844, when it was still Oregon Territory, one of the first moonshiners, James Conner, challenged a lawman to a duel for busting his illegal operation. The McKenzie River Bandits had better luck hiding from the law and produced bootleg booze for nearly five years before their arrest. It wouldn’t be the last time they were caught. Over the years, outlaw moonshiners engaged in car chases, shootouts and even attempted an assassination to protect their hidden distilleries—and way of life.

Join author Bruce Haney as he chronicles the intoxicating history of Oregon Moonshine.

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Oregon's Highway 99

9781467115346

$24.99

From the Columbia River to the Siskiyou Mountains, Highway 99 traverses 300 miles of western Oregon. Big cities and small towns, the level Willamette Valley and steep hills, rich agricultural lands and tall evergreen forests, and rushing rivers all lie along its path. Arising from an early network of emigrant trails, stagecoach routes, and farm-to-market roads, the highway had developed into Oregon's major transportation corridor by the end of the 19th century. The dawn of the automobile age saw an exponential increase in traffic, creating a greater demand for improved roads; these better roads, in turn, created yet more traffic for both business and recreation. Roadside businesses, such as auto courts, restaurants, and service stations, sprang up along the highway to cater to a new type of motorist—the tourist. Today, much of Highway 99 and its predecessor, the Pacific Highway, remain in daily use.

Cover image for Oregon's Highway 99, isbn: 9781467115346

Bridges of the Oregon Coast

9780738548609

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In the 1920s and 1930s, Oregon's legendary bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough designed a first-rate collection of aesthetic bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway to enhance an already dramatic and beautiful landscape. The six largest of these, at Gold Beach, Newport, Waldport, Florence, Reedsport, and Coos Bay, eliminated the last ferries on the Oregon Coast Highway between the Columbia River and California. McCullough planned to build one bridge each year after completion of the Rogue River Bridge at Gold Beach in 1932, but the tightening grip of the Depression threatened his plans. In 1933, McCullough and his staff worked day and night to finish plans for the remaining five bridges, and in early 1934, the Public Works Administration funded simultaneous construction of them. The combined projects provided approximately 630 jobs, but at least six workers perished during construction. After the bridges were complete, Oregon coast tourism increased by a dramatic 72 percent in the first year.

Portland's Historic Houses of Worship

9781467162012

$24.99

The historic houses of worship in Portland date back to 1850 with the creation of the city’s first church, First Methodist.

The Portland community embraced not just faith and values but also their aesthetic priorities as a society. Working in diverse styles such as Gothic Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Modernism, architects Warren Williams, A.E. Doyle, Pietro Belluschi, and a host of others helped forge Portland’s architectural identity. While Portland’s earliest houses of worship are gone, a nearly complete photographic record of their existence remains. Portland’s religious communities have a long history of diversity, and the inclusion of as many faiths as possible has been a priority in the creation of this book.

John Doyle has been a lifelong student of history, architecture, and art history. After earning his master’s of art in art history from Tufts University, Doyle lectured at the Met Cloisters and then lived and traveled overseas for several years. He has lived in Portland since 1997 and has been a docent for the Architectural Heritage Center and a private tour guide since 2010. Doyle has devoted hundreds of hours to the study of Portland and Oregon history at the Oregon Historical Society, from whose collection most of the photographs in the book were obtained.

Cover image for Portland's Historic Houses of Worship, isbn: 9781467162012

Eugene

9780738593234

$24.99

Since its beginnings in the 1850s, Eugene has attracted independent thinkers. Its early leaders sited the town in a picturesque location along the Willamette River and were confident that agriculture and timber businesses would guide its growth. As Eugene transformed from a settlement to a city, its citizens took an active voice in the creation of its identity, like advocating for a main railroad line to run through town and determining how the commercial district would branch out from the central downtown core. Today, the population continues to express strong and diverse feelings about politics, personal rights, and the environment as it shares the common experience of living and working in a place of great natural beauty.

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Oregon Running Legend Steve Prefontaine

9781467151733

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

In the Footsteps of Oregon’s beloved U.S. Olympic Athlete, Activist, and Icon

Born in the small town of Coos Bay, Oregon, Steve “Pre” Prefontaine’s meteoric rise to cross-country and track superstardom included national recognition in high school followed by state, national, and world records. From the University of Oregon track to a fourth-place finish in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, he never stopped striving to make his mark on the world. Even today, his name conjures up images of athleticism, activism, and charisma. While his life tragically ended in a car accident at the youthful age of 24 – at which time he owned every American record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters and two to six miles – his legacy lives on.

Join author and runner Paul C. Clerici as he brings you this legendary Oregon athlete.

Cover image for Oregon Running Legend Steve Prefontaine, isbn: 9781467151733

Cascade Locks and Canal

9781467108164

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

A stretch of tumbling white water five miles long, the Cascades of the Columbia River were the single greatest barrier to inland river trade and travel in the Pacific Northwest. One solution, the Cascade Locks and Canal, took nearly 18 painstaking years to construct. From 1878 to 1896, hundreds of laborers blasted, chipped, and hauled over 800,000 cubic yards of rock and debris from the riverbed, carved and laid masonry, and welded steel to create the locks. After their completion, thousands of trips, millions of dollars in freight, and hundreds of thousands of passengers made their way through the locks. Made redundant in 1938 by the completion of the Bonneville Dam, the remnants of the structure are still visible today in Cascade Locks, Oregon.

Astoria

9780738575278

$24.99

Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. It began in 1811 as a small but ambitious fur trading venture of New York entrepreneur John Jacob Astor and his Pacific Fur Company. The town has seen the development of commerce and trade ebb and flow like the tide throughout its history. Bounded on three sides by water and much of it originally built over the river, Astoria is a town that is deeply rooted in maritime history and traditions. This proud community of 10,000 is ready to share its heritage with the rest of the world.

Pendleton

9781467130004

$24.99

Before Europeans came to the Pendleton area, the Umatilla River valley of eastern Oregon was populated by Native Americans. The Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Nez Percé Indians avoided conflict and befriended early white settlers. Catholic missionaries established the earliest missions, schools, and churches in the area. The gold rush in the Blue Mountains and the coming of the railroad brought floods of settlers to the growing town. Timber and flour mills provided flourishing industries. Though the tribes were ultimately moved to a reservation, natives and whites continued to live and work companionably together. Inside these covers, over 200 photographs depict the Pendleton area from the earliest days through modern times. Many of these fine photographs would not exist if it were not for early resident Thomas Leander Moorhouse, who served as the first Indian agent on the Umatilla Reservation. He was an avid amateur photographer who left a legacy of thousands of photographs of early Pendleton.

Fire Lookouts of Oregon

9781467134866

$24.99

The first lookouts were rustic camps on mountaintops, where men and women were stationed to keep an eye out for wildfires. As the importance of fire prevention grew, a lookout construction boom resulted in hundreds of cabins and towers being built on Oregon's high points. When aircraft and cameras became more cost-effective and efficient methods of fire detection, many old lookouts were abandoned or removed. Of the many hundreds of lookouts built in Oregon over the past 100 years, less than 175 remain, and only about half of these are still manned. However, some lookouts are being repurposed as rental cabins, and volunteers are constantly working to save endangered lookouts. This book tells the story of Oregon's fire lookouts, from their heyday to their decline, and of the effort to save the ones that are left.

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Columbia River Gorge Railroads

9781467134828

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The Columbia River Gorge is a land of scenic wonder, revered by tourists for its beauty and by recreationalists for its fishing, windsurfing, hiking, and rafting. The region is also a major transportation corridor, home to two vital east-west railroad routes: Burlington Northern Santa Fe on the Washington side of the Columbia River and Union Pacific on the Oregon side. Every day, dozens of freight trains—as well as Amtrak passenger trains—snake along on opposite banks of the wide river, and rail operations have become an integral part of the heartbeat of the gorge. The colorful images in this work celebrate the art and magic of the trains that move goods and passengers through this striking, rugged landscape.

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The Oregon Shanghaiers

9781626194304

$21.99

In the hardscrabble early days of Portland's seaport, shanghaiing or crimping ran rampant. The proprietors of crooked saloons and sailors' boardinghouses coerced unwitting patrons to work on commercial ships. Shanghaiers like James Turk, Bunko Kelley and Billy Smith unashamedly forced men into service and stole the wages of their victims. By the 1890s, these shanghaiers had become powerful enough to influence the politics of Astoria and Portland, charging sea captains outrageous fees for unskilled laborers and shaping maritime trade around a merciless black market. For nearly a century, the exploits of these notorious crimpers have existed mainly in lore. Now historian Barney Blalock offers a lively and meticulously researched account of these colorful and corrupt men, revealing an authentic account of Oregon's malicious maritime legends.

Cover image for The Oregon Shanghaiers, isbn: 9781626194304

Crater Lake National Park

9781467130943

$24.99

For more than half a million years, volcano Mount Mazama towered over southern Oregon. From time to time, it erupted, spreading pumice, ash, and cinders for miles around. Then, approximately 7,700 years ago, Mount Mazama erupted with such force that the volcano could no longer support itself and it collapsed, leaving a large caldera. Eventually, the volcanic action subsided and all was calm. Over the next centuries, water and snow accumulated in the caldera. In 1902, Crater Lake became a national park.

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Dallas

9780738596228

$24.99

The only people living along the banks of the LaCreole River before 1842 were Native Americans and a few itinerant French Canadian fur trappers who, according to local lore, bestowed its name. Wagon trains first arrived in 1843 with these pioneers settling along the LeCreole River's banks. The community of Cynthian grew on the north side of the LaCreole River, the area of north Dallas today. The LaCreole River evolved into the Rickreall, and Cynthian was renamed Dallas when it relocated to the south banks of the river. Dallas, the county seat of Polk County, is rich both in its history and its heritage, with many of the old buildings and early homes still in use. Numerous descendants of those original 1843 and 1844 pioneer families continue to call modern Dallas home.

Vanport

9781467134798

$24.99

Nestled in the floodplain between North Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, a housing project was built to help house World War II shipyard workers. Its very name, Vanport, is derived from Vancouver and Portland. When the United States entered the war, the demand for ships and for workers to build those ships became a huge priority. Workers were recruited from all corners of the United States. Portland had a serious lodging shortage, so much so that these workers lived in cars, tents, parks, and whatever shelter could be found. Vanport, built in a little over a year to house them, was a city that did not sleep. In its heyday, Vanport was the second-largest city in Oregon with a population of over 40,000 residents. It was a city with many firsts. It was a city that touched many lives in a very short period of time. And on May 30, 1948, it was a city that disappeared just as quickly as it came into existence, leaving a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

Lost Restaurants of Portland, Oregon

9781467143301

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

A full menu of unforgettable events and historical milestones.

Delve into the Rose City's colorful and sometimes tumultuous past through the memories, meals and recipes that put these bygone restaurants on the map. From The Quality Pie, a favorite of Portlanders from all walks of life, to the River Queen, which enjoyed a long and storied life as a working vessel before becoming a stationary restaurant on the Willamette River, visitors and locals alike have enjoyed a unique variety of eateries. Celebrities once enjoyed steak dinners in the Barbary Coast's Roaring 20's Room while Café Lena offered simpler fare to poets and dreamers in search of a relaxed atmosphere.

Join author Theresa Griffin Kennedy for a sumptuous tour of Portland's shuttered cafés, diners and grand dining rooms.

US Forest Service Ranger Stations of the West

9781467103152

$24.99

Pioneer US Forest Service rangers and their ranger stations are classic symbols of the American West. Rangers managed the public forests and ranges with the cattlemen, sheepmen, lumbermen, miners, homesteaders, and others who used—and, in many cases, still use— the lands to build and sustain economies and ways of life. The early rangers are no longer around. But some of the stations from which they protected the West's national forests to secure the greatest good for the greatest number in the long run, as decreed by the first chief of the US Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, remain to tell their stories and inspire their successors.

Cover image for US Forest Service Ranger Stations of the West, isbn: 9781467103152

Cannon Beach

9781467134347

$29.99

Cannon Beach is a small town nestled off Highway 101 along the Oregon coast. It has been called one of the World's 100 Most Beautiful Places by National Geographic and one of The 100 Best Art Towns in America by author John Villani. Located 80 miles west of Portland and 25 miles south of Astoria, the town is surrounded by the Oregon Coast Range, ocean beaches, and rivers. Only four miles in length, and with a population of less than 2,000 residents, Cannon Beach is a popular and picturesque town catering to almost 1 million visitors annually. Life seems simpler, more beautiful, and quieter here. People stroll along holding hands, enjoying an ice cream cone or a latte, and daydreaming of building a fire later that evening on the beach. The salty air frizzes their hair, and sand is found in every shoe. But no one is bothered by this, because they are at Cannon Beach, with the legendary Haystack Rock.

Cover image for Cannon Beach, isbn: 9781467134347

Coos Bay

9780738589176

$24.99

Originally called Marshfield, the city of Coos Bay has transitioned from a pioneer and frontier boomtown that was developed by coalminers, shipbuilders, timber men, and entrepreneurs. The rich, pioneer history of Coos Bay is predated by the Coos Indians, who maintained many villages along the bay and survived in peaceful harmony with nature until forcibly removed by white settlers in the 1860s. After merging with nearby Eastside and Empire, the city is now the largest municipality in Coos County and on the entire coastline of the state of Oregon.

An Environmental History of the Willamette Valley

9781467141468

$24.99

Western Oregon's Willamette Basin, once a vast wilderness, became a thriving community almost overnight. When Oregon territory was opened for homesteading in the early 1800s, most of the intrepid pioneers settled in the valley, spurring rapid changes in the landscape. Heralded as fertile with a mild climate and an abundance of natural resources, the valley enticed farmers, miners and loggers, who were quickly followed by the construction of rail lines and roads. Dams were built to harness the once free-flowing Willamette River and provide power to the growing population. As cities rose, people like Portland architect Edward Bennett and conservationist governor Tom McCall worked to contain urban sprawl. Authors Elizabeth and William Orr bring to life the changes that sculpted Oregon's beloved Willamette Valley.

An Environmental History of the Willamette Valley

Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon

9781467148610

$24.99

Portland's historic cemeteries are some of the most beautiful and overlooked cultural treasures in the city. Full of fascinating secrets and eerie tales, these greenspaces are also the perfect spots for walking, biking and birding. Explore twenty-five burial grounds with public art in the form of remarkable tombstones that vary as much as the Portlanders they commemorate, including suffragists, spiritualists, Romani kings, politicians and murderers. From a photographer who captured the golden age of Broadway musicals to a celebrity orangutan, Portland's graves are full of surprises. Come along with cemetery sleuths Teresa Bergen and Heide Davis as they share their insights into the Rose City's remarkable past.

North Clackamas

9781467107228

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

The communities of North Clackamas, a region spanning the northern area of Clackamas County, Oregon, have been linked together since at least the early 20th century, when residents considered seceding from the rest of the county. Since then, newspapers, organizations, districts, and attractions have all incorporated the "North Clackamas" name. Images of America: North Clackamas introduces a history of this region through imagery with a main focus on the areas served by the North Clackamas School District. Among the cities and communities featured are Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Clackamas, Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge, Carver, Damascus, and more.

Shipwrecks of Coos County

9780738581576

$24.99

European settlement of Coos County began with a shipwreck. The Captain Lincoln wrecked on the north spit of the Coos Bay in January 1852. The crewmen built a temporary camp out of the ship's sails and named it "Camp Cast-Away." This was the first white settlement in the area. The men eventually traveled overland to Port Orford, where they told other settlers about the Coos Bay and its many natural resources. By December 1853, Coos County was established by the territorial legislature, and several towns were founded; the history of the area had been completely altered by a single shipwreck.

Battle for the Columbia River

9781467154086

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

A war over riches on the Columbia River.
While the Civil War raged, a group of captains, merchants, bankers and gamblers in the Pacific Northwest formed the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. The first capitalistic enterprise in the new state, they aimed to develop the richest and most powerful transportation operation in the region, dominating hundreds of miles of river traffic from the Pacific Coast to Montana. Achieving such status was anything but easy. They battled competitors, lawyers, the river herself, and defectors within their management team. In the unregulated business environment of the nineteenth century, men like John Ainsworth made their own rules, often deploying frontier justice against their enemies.
Join author Mychal Ostler as he recounts the battle for power that shaped an industry.

Sunriver

9781467129930

$23.99

The idyllic community of Sunriver sits at the crossroads of Central Oregon. The region was inhabited as early as 11,500 years ago by native tribes. The first non-native explorers filtered through the area in the early 19th century, and homesteaders began farming the region in the late 1800s. During World War II, large tracts of land in the area became a training center for the US Army Corps of Engineers called Camp Abbot. In 1965, developer John Gray and attorney Don McCallum announced plans to build a residential and resort community on the former Army site. Named for the area's two main features, sunshine and recreational waters, Sunriver is a dynamic community. Today, permanent residents and vacationing visitors take advantage of Central Oregon's recreational opportunities, including golfing, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, and snowboarding.

Coquille

9781467129497

$24.99

In the early 19th century, Coquille was quiet and inhabited by Upper Coquille Native Americans. This changed when Evan Cunningham, the first European settler, arrived in the 1860s. Soon thereafter, others arrived. In the 1880s, homes, businesses, and a sawmill appeared. Riverboat transportation became established. The first wagon road was completed to Marshfield. In the 1890s, a railroad was constructed from Marshfield to Coquille and on to Myrtle Point, setting the stage for a dramatic expansion of the timber industry, dairy farming, and coal mining. By the 1920s, electric power, telephones, automobiles, and paved roads were the norm. Technology supported growth in the timber industry and stimulated population growth. As a result, many new and larger buildings were erected, giving Coquille a vibrant downtown with a bit of an urban feel.

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The Oregon Skyline Trail

9781467157056

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

The foundation of America's greatest long-distance hiking trail.

The Skyline Trail began as a network of footpaths created by Oregon's indigenous tribes. Early fur traders and explorers followed in their steps, seeking safe routes over the unmapped Cascades. Judge John Breckenridge Waldo later spent decades exploring the mountain trail between Mount Hood and Crater Lake and led the campaign for the area's preservation. During the 1920s, the Forest Service briefly considered turning the path into a scenic highway and sent one of its first recreational specialists, Frederick Cleator, to blaze a prospective route through the mountains before scrapping the ideaJoin author Glenn Voelz as he recounts the fascinating history of Oregon’s Skyline Trail.

Cover image for The Oregon Skyline Trail, isbn: 9781467157056

Around Sisters

9781467161305

$24.99

Sharon E. Karr uses rare vintage images from a variety of local sources to celebrate the rich history of Sisters, Oregon.

Located at the foot of the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains is the charming town of Sisters, Oregon, named for the three majestic, snow-covered peaks, North, Middle, and South Sisters, known as Faith, Hope, and Charity. Sisters saw its beginning only a short time after the early central Oregon pioneers settled to the north at Camp Polk. Geographically, Sisters encompassed communities now long gone – Cloverdale, Gist, and Plainview. These small communities depended on Sisters for mail, supplies, groceries, and other services. The development of Black Butte Ranch and the Metolius recreation area contributed to today’s tourism hub. By stepping back in time, the reader can explore the past of ranching and irrigation and trace the logging, rodeo, and recreation history of those who came before today’s travelers and tourists. Sisters is more than just a place. What sets Sisters apart is the bond of friendship that permeates every facet of this small town. A feeling of community and unity that fosters an unyielding spirit of what is home and creates the extraordinary place it is today.

Sharon E. Karr is a retired technology writer and a graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor of arts in history and a master’s degree from Santa Clara University. She brings history alive with the help of longtime residents, research, and local historical societies.

Cover image for Around Sisters, isbn: 9781467161305

Oregon's Covered Bridges

9780738558189

$24.99

Rugged individuals armed with hand tools, sweat, and ambition began building covered bridges in Oregon during the mid-1850s. These bridge builders often camped out at remote sites, living off the land or contracting with local farmers for food. Early owners of covered bridges financed construction by charging tolls--3¢ for a sheep, 5¢ for a horse and rider, and 10¢ for a team of horses and wagon. In the early 20th century, the state provided standard bridge and truss designs to each county, and most of the resulting structures incorporated the Howe truss. With the abundance of Douglas fir and the shortage of steel during the world wars, the construction of wooden covered bridges continued well into the 1950s, mainly in the Willamette Valley. During the 1920s, Oregon boasted more than 350 covered bridges.

Cover image for Oregon's Covered Bridges, isbn: 9780738558189

Lost Portland, Oregon

9781467139533

$21.99

As Portland has grown and changed, so has its architectural landscape. Once prominent landmarks have disappeared—the Marquam Building collapsed during 1912 renovations, the massive chamber of commerce building became a parking lot and the Corbett Building became a shopping mall. The city skyline was shaped by architects like Justus F. Krumbein and David L. Williams, only to drastically change in the face of urban renewal and the desire for modernization. Discover the stories behind some of Portland's most iconic buildings, including the Beth Israel Synagogue and the first East Side High School, both lost to fire. Join historian Val C. Ballestrem as he explores the city's architectural heritage from the 1890s to the present, as well as the creative forces behind it.

Cover image for Lost Portland, Oregon, isbn: 9781467139533

Vanishing Portland

9780738558301

$24.99

Portland at the end of World War II was an international port and a powerhouse of the timber and shipbuilding industries. Oregon's largest city grew and changed in the decades that followed, adding new industries and population. It also endured reductions in shipbuilding capacity, a devastating flood, a declining timber industry, urban renewal, freeway construction, and social change. By the 1990s, a wave of globalization and big-box retail marketing swelled shipping at the city's port and swept away a surprising number of Portland's businesses, which remain in the fond memories of Portlanders. A few of these memorable icons include the stores Meier and Frank, J. K. Gill, Payless Drug, and Sprouse-Reitz; the restaurants Henry Theile, Jolly Joan, Tik Tok, Yaw's Top Notch, and Waddle's; the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park; the Portland Hotel; the Broadway, Fox, and Orpheum theaters; Henry Weinhard's brewery; the Ramblin' Rod television show; and Portland Wrestling.

Astoria

9781467109581

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Established in 1811, Astoria, Oregon, holds claim to being the oldest US settlement west of the Rockies. After surviving devastating fires and severe economic downturns, modern Astoria--with its well-preserved historic homes and bustling downtown--is a beacon on the scenic Columbia River. Celebrating this multilayered history, author Dr. Chelsea K. Vaughn is a native of the Pacific Northwest who has called Astoria home for the past nine years. She now works as the curator for the Clatsop County Historical Society.

Rhododendron

9781467106832

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

In the mid-19th century, pioneers made their way west along the Oregon Trail to a perilous portion of the path down the Columbia River. Searching for a less dangerous route, Sam Barlow forged the Barlow Trail, and tolls were collected to help build and maintain that trail. Past the final tollgate, there was a wide spot along the trail where pioneers could rest before embarking on the last leg of their journey west into the Willamette Valley. This land eventually became known as Rhododendron, Oregon. In 1905, Henry Rowe, former Portland mayor, built an inn there, and in 1920, the US Postal Service established the Rhododendron Post Office, named for the beautiful native rhododendrons that blossomed in the area. Throughout the 20th century, the town of Rhododendron flourished. It grew to be a recreational vacation destination for nearby Portlanders, and businesses developed as summer homesites were established. Today, Rhododendron is home to over 1,000 permanent residents.

Lincoln City and the Twenty Miracle Miles

9780738559315

$24.99

On the central Oregon coast lies a sliver of land bounded on the north by the Salmon River and on the south by Depoe Bay, with Devils Lake at its heart. Creeks and rivers wind their way across this coastal plain, down from the mountains, through stands of towering spruce trees, and empty into the sea. This little bit of paradise remained as nature shaped it for many thousands of years of Native American habitation. In the late 1890s, rugged individuals began to find their way into the more hospitable corners of this windswept coast. In time, a string of small towns and cities appeared, stretched like a string of pearls along the beach between the mountains and the sea. These towns grew and overlapped until five combined to become Lincoln City. By the 1950s, the area had become a tourist mecca so beautiful it was known as the Twenty Miracle Miles.

Lincoln City and the Twenty Miracle Miles

Eccentric Tales of Boring, Oregon

9781467148351

$21.99

Anything but Boring

The town of Boring has seen more than its fair share of interesting events since its founding in 1903. From secretly hiring an up-and-coming boxer to fight the town bully to the time firecrackers were blamed for burning down half the town, memorable moments abound. Discover the story of the wild man who lived in the woods and the attempts of Prohibition-era moonshiners to evade the law. Uncover the true identity of the Wild West Gang, and the real story of a runaway train loaded with potatoes.

Join author Bruce Haney as he explores the peculiar side of this exciting town.

The Oregon Air National Guard

9780738593128

$24.99

As the storm clouds of a world war gathered in the spring of 1941, Maj. G. Robert Dodson said, "We've got people, we've got a place, and we're ready!" Oregonians responded to the call to arms as the United States prepared for the coming conflict. In April 1941, the Oregon National Guard's 123rd Observation Squadron became the state's first aviation unit and pioneered Oregon military aviation into the postwar Oregon Air National Guard (ORANG). In the 70 years since its start, the citizen airmen of the ORANG have served their community, state, and nation from locations in Oregon, throughout the United States, and worldwide. They stand ready today to answer the call of duty, no matter when it comes.

Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads

9780738575421

$24.99

In 1889, David Eccles chartered the Oregon Lumber Company, an organization that produced many mills and railways and whose influence was felt from Salt Lake City to Northern California and Idaho. Through family connections, Eccles was also involved with many other logging enterprises, and he influenced the growth of the Inter-Mountain region as well as the Pacific Northwest. Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads is a pictorial history of the Oregon operations, focusing on the operations along the Sumpter Valley Railway. It explores the rails, mills, and people, as well as the logging practices of a bygone era.

Cover image for Sumpter Valley Logging Railroads, isbn: 9780738575421

Fort Stevens

9780738559339

$24.99

Fort Stevens State Park, named in honor of Gen. Isaac Ingalls Stevens, is located in Warrenton, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River. In February 1862, the U.S. Congress appropriated $100,000 to build defenses against possible naval invasion. In November 1864, a detachment from Fort Canby was sent to guard the fort in case of Confederate reprisals with the reelection of President Lincoln. The historical section of the park includes remnants of the early batteries, a memorial rose garden, armaments, and a museum dedicated to the history of the fortress and the wreck of the barque Peter Iredale. Fort Stevens was the only military site in the continental United States shelled during World War II. Decommissioned after that war, the military cemetery and former military housing are located adjacent to the historical area.

Grants Pass

9780738595788

$24.99

Grants Pass was one of the last towns established in Josephine County. Initially named Perkinsville, the city was a precinct of Jackson County before becoming the county seat for Josephine County in 1885. Nestled alongside the Rogue River, it was built on mining and timber and now thrives on tourism. It is equidistant from Crater Lake, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Oregon Caves, and the Pacific Ocean and offers many activities for outdoor enthusiasts, such as hiking, rafting, boating, and fishing. Old Town Historic District, the center of Grants Pass, is home to many original buildings more than 100 years old that are now occupied by a variety of shops selling souvenirs, clothing, wine, and paintings by local artists.

Portland's Interurban Railway

9780738596174

$24.99

At the end of the 19th century, Portland led the nation in the development of interurban electric railways. The city became the hub of an electric rail network that spread throughout the Willamette Valley. This is the story of the pioneering local railways that started it all as they built south along the Willamette River to Oregon City and east to Estacada and Bull Run in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. More than 200 historic images illustrate Portland's Interurban Railway from its rudimentary beginnings through the peak years, when passengers rode aboard the finest examples of the car builders' art, to the sudden end in 1958.

Salem

9780738571393

$24.99

Long before the city of Salem got its name, the lush valley was a favorite winter camping location for the Kalapuya tribe. Jason Lee first ventured to Oregon in 1834, at the invitation of Northwest tribes, creating a mission and a settlement here. Native Americans called it Chemeketa. William H. Willson, who laid out the city plan in 1851, called it Salem. Both words mean peace. Salem's central location, in the middle of the Willamette Valley's agricultural belt, made it an ideal location for the new capital of Oregon. Since then, Salem's character has largely been influenced by the presence of woolen mills, crop production, and many state institutions. Surviving devastating floods and fires in all three state capitol buildings, Salem and its people have a history of resilience, leadership, and public service.

Cover image for Salem, isbn: 9780738571393

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

9781467128322

$23.99

Built in 1880, Oregon's Tillamook Rock Lighthouse has had the most notorious reputation of any lighthouse on the Pacific Coast of the United States. Fierce storms regularly catapulted huge boulders through the lantern, with waves that broke over its 136-foot height earning it the modern nickname Terrible Tilly. It has been described as a pint-sized Alcatraz, and many keepers could not stand its confinement. However, there were some who actually enjoyed it and even came to love it. A rare glimpse of the more pleasant side of daily life on the Rock is shown in newly rediscovered historic photographs taken by the keepers who faithfully served there. This important visual legacy serves to temper the horrific view of Terrible Tilly and provides a new perspective: that perhaps an assignment to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was not so wholly terrible after all.

Cover image for Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, isbn: 9781467128322

Camp Abbot

9781467128612

$24.99

Today, Sunriver is an idyllic community in Central Oregon, but during World War II, it was the site of Camp Abbot, the westernmost engineer replacement training center of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Under the leadership of Col. Frank Besson, the US Army trained 90,000 men at the camp from 1943 through 1944. Mimicking the European landscape, the surrounding terrain and the swift-flowing Deschutes River were deemed perfect for training young soldiers how to build and demolish bridges. Located about 15 miles south of Bend, the quickly built installation included administration buildings, a hospital, over 50 barracks, mess halls, training grounds, recreation facilities, and a chapel. There, among pine trees and sagebrush, soldiers endured subfreezing winters and 100-degree summers.

Cover image for Camp Abbot, isbn: 9781467128612

Haunted Salem, Oregon

9781467138130

$21.99

Salem's haunted tales date back to the 1830s, when indigenous tribes, trappers and homesteaders shared the lush Willamette Valley. Murders, hangings and dark underground passageways defined the city's early days as the Willamette River moved old stern-wheelers up to the city's docks. Today, the sounds of those phantom vessels can be heard plying along the river late at night. Oregon's capital city has long been the site of mental hospitals, prisons and other notorious institutions, famously depicted in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The residual effects of decades of torture and depravity cling to the old facilities in both sight and sound. Author Tim King examines many of these chilling encounters along with eyewitness accounts of spirits that refuse to be quiet.

Cover image for Haunted Salem, Oregon, isbn: 9781467138130

Portland's Streetcar Lines

9780738581262

$24.99

Portland neighborhoods owe their location, alignment, and growth to a splendid, 19th-century innovation: the streetcar. This city still bears the imprint of the carlines that once wove their way out to suburbs in every direction, including Fulton, Portland Heights, Goose Hollow, Nob Hill, Slabtown, Willamette Heights, Albina, Saint Johns, Irvington, Rose City, Mount Tabor, Montavilla, Mount Scott, and Sellwood. As routes developed, people used them for more than just getting to work; they also discovered the recreational function of street railways while visiting friends, parks, and shopping areas farther from the center of town. The time of the trolley peaked during the 1910s. In 1927, the local street railway system entered a period of slow decline that ended in 1950, when Portland's last city streetcars gave way to buses. This is the history of those classic lines.

Cover image for Portland's Streetcar Lines, isbn: 9780738581262

Tigard

9780738596952

$24.99

Tigard, Oregon, began as an elegant farming community on the Tualatin Plains in the Northern Willamette Valley and became an upscale metropolitan residential community. The Native American Atfalati Kalapuyas interacted with early trappers, traders, missionaries, and pioneer settlers. Pioneers arrived in the 1850s to take up donation land claims. Tigard was originally called East Butte, and numerous nationalities and religions populated the settlement. A grange was formed to aid farmers' causes, and churches were established to build a sense of neighborliness. East Butte became Tigardville when Charles Fremont Tigard opened a post office in his general merchandise store in 1886 and named the postal station after his parents. Tigardville became Tigard when the Oregon Electric Railway came through in 1908, and residents distinguished Tigard from Wilsonville. The Oregon Electric shipped Tigard's farm produce north to Portland and south to Salem. Tigard was incorporated as a city on September 11, 1961, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011.

The Murder of Sheriff W. W. Withers and Other Historic Eugene Cases

9781467158800

$24.99

Same Crime, Different Time

Oregon gained statehood in 1859, but law and order had a harder time gaining a foothold in the West. Born and raised near Eugene, popular Lane County Sheriff W.W. Withers was shot while investigating a horse theft. The trial for his murder would end in the county’s last official hanging. Convicted killer Claude Branton, desperate to escape prison, went so far as to try to hold up the guards with a potato carved into the shape of a gun. The risk of death in the logging industry was high, and even technological advancements like electric streetlights posed a hazard for locals.

Author Jennifer Chambers brings to life the love, greed and madness of early Eugene.

Cover image for The Murder of Sheriff W. W. Withers and Other Historic Eugene Cases, isbn: 9781467158800

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve

9781467161374

$24.99

A stunning history of the development and preservation of the marble halls deep within the Siskiyou Mountains.

The cave was discovered by Elijah Davidson in 1874. In 1909, the Oregon Caves National Monument was dedicated and placed under the jurisdiction of the US Forest Service, and in 1922, the highway to the cave was completed. In 1923, the US Forest Service awarded the first concession contract to the Oregon Caves Company, which intended to build a hotel at the monument as soon as possible. The Chateau was completed and opened to the public in 1934 (shortly before control of the monument shifted to the National Park Service in 1936) and was designated a national historic landmark in 1987 as a significant example of rustic architecture with many original interior finishings and most of the original Monterey furniture collection intact. Outside of necessary repairs following a flood in 1964, shockingly few changes were made to the Chateau between 1934 and 1987. In 2014, the designation of the monument was changed to the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, and its footprint was increased to 4,554 acres.

Cover image for Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, isbn: 9781467161374

Happy Valley, Oregon

9781467154901

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

A small town no more.

Happy Valley’s transformation from an isolated, rural farming community to one of the most popular places to live in the Portland metro area didn’t happen all at once. With its fertile volcanic soil, it was once the ideal place to settle for many families coming to the Oregon Territory, including the Deardorffs and the Talberts. As the town slowly grew, residents like James Robnett, the first mayor and Ed Rebstock, known as “Mr. Happy Valley,” left their marks on the locals and the land. When the town’s population exploded in the 1990s, newcomers brought prosperity and growing pains as they sought a balance between green spaces and urban amenities.

Join author Mark W. Hurlburt as he traces the origins of Happy Valley.

Cover image for Happy Valley, Oregon, isbn: 9781467154901

Oregon & Northwestern Railroad

9781467130479

$24.99

In 1922, the US Forest Service offered one of the largest timber sales in the agency's history, encompassing 890 million board feet of mostly Ponderosa pine timber in the mountains north of Burns, Oregon. Among other requirements, the sale terms required the successful bidder to build and operate 80 miles of common carrier railroad through some of the most remote and undeveloped country in the state. The Fred Herrick Lumber Company and its Malheur Railroad initially won the bidding, only to lose it when a crash in the lumber market forced the company into insolvency. The Edward Hines Lumber Company of Chicago picked up the pieces, and from 1929 until 1984, its subsidiary Oregon & Northwestern Railroad made a living hauling logs, lumber, and occasional livestock between Burns and Seneca, Oregon.

Cover image for Oregon & Northwestern Railroad, isbn: 9781467130479

Redmond

9780738570891

$24.99

In the desert, water is king. Prior to the arrival of irrigation canals in 1906, the Central Oregon region that would become Redmond was little more than a collection of determined settlers, many living in tents, bent on proving up their Carey Act homesteads. By 1910, the Redmond Spokesman, one of two newspapers publishing in the newly incorporated town, was bragging, "Redmond is situated in the heart of the best irrigated farming section in Central Oregon, where abundant crops are grown by an intelligent and progressive class of farmers and ranchers." By 1911, Redmond cemented its reputation as the hub of Central Oregon when the Oregon Trunk Railroad line arrived, boosting Redmond commerce by taking it out of the horse-and-wagon movement of goods and people. After World War II , the City of Redmond purchased an army airbase for $1 and built it into Oregon's largest regional airport east of the Cascade Mountains.

The Oregonian Railway

9781467130318

$24.99

To those with an interest in railroad history in the United States, mention of the words narrow gauge may bring to mind the extensive three-foot-gauge railroads of Colorado and Utah or perhaps the famous two-foot-gauge lines in Maine. However, few would think first of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless, between 1877 and 1893, an extensive narrow-gauge railroad developed in Oregon— one that had aspirations of crossing the Cascade Mountains and connecting with the Central Pacific Railroad, thus giving Oregon its first access to the transcontinental railroad system. It is this railroad system, from its inception in 1877 to the present day, that Ed Austin explores herein.

Cover image for The Oregonian Railway, isbn: 9781467130318

Beaverton

9780738593302

$24.99

From the first land claim in 1847 to the growing technology industry of the 21st century, the city of Beaverton, Oregon, has had an impressive history. The earliest inhabitants were the Atfalati, a Native American tribe who dubbed the area Chakeipi, or the "Place of the Beaver." When modern settlers began to arrive in the mid-1800s, they continued to refer to the area as "Beaverdam," often draining the dams to aid their farming of the rich soil that remained. Beaverton has been home to many interesting and lucrative businesses since its incorporation in 1893, including a silent film studio in the 1920s, an airplane manufacturing site in the 1930s, and a busy airport in the 1940s. Since the 1950s, a growing number of high-tech companies have operated here, earning Beaverton a spot on the roster of places that comprise Washington County's Silicon Forest.

Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast

9780738548876

$24.99

The Oregon Coast has been the site of shipwrecks even before Lewis and Clark's arrival in 1805. Even as the population grew, the federal government let the Oregon Coast go unguarded by lighthouses and lifesavers for decades. Economic and political pressures finally forced the government to build the first Oregon lighthouse in 1857 at the Umpqua River. The LifeSaving Service followed in 1878 with a station at the mouth of Coos Bay. Eventually, most of the harbor entrances and headlands were protected by both the Lighthouse Service and the LifeSaving Service, the precursor to today's Coast Guard. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast commemorates the true heroes who served to warn, protect, and rescue those who went to sea.

Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast

Sumpter Valley Railway

9780738571256

$24.99

In July 1890, David Eccles and Charles Nibley chartered the Sumpter Valley Railway and changed the social and physical landscape of Eastern Oregon forever. The Sumpter Valley Railway and its parent company, the Oregon Lumber Company, became an economic engine that shaped the lives of generations of Eastern Oregonians. The rails stretched from Baker to Prairie City, Sumpter to Susanville, and laced ribbons of steel through the Powder River Valley and Elkhorns. This photographic history is a view into the life and times of a varied, interesting, and living railroad that was instrumental in the shaping of Eastern Oregon.

Murder & Mayhem in the Willamette Valley

9781467151740

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Beneath the bucolic scenery of Oregon's Willamette Valley lies a dark and sinister past. Beneath the bucolic scenery of Oregon's Willamette Valley lies a dark and sinister past.
The 150-mile swath of vineyards, farmland and idyllic towns has hosted its fair share of murderers, bootleggers, and even a serial killer. Moonshiners like the Sutherland family used the wooded hills to hide their operations, skirting the law until it cost one cop his life. A chain of restaurants served as the public face of The Children of the Valley of Life, a cult with members who hid in hand-dug caves to escape the authorities. The Molalla Forest Killer, who committed multiple gruesome murders, stalked the byways.
Join author Jennifer Byers Chambers as she uncovers the grim and deadly secrets of the Willamette Valley.

Murder & Mayhem in the Willamette Valley

McMinnville

9780738593159

$24.99

William Newby had a vision to create a place of commerce and residence for settlers to the Willamette Valley. Newby named the town after his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee, and saw plenty of local opportunities on his land, straddling an old Native American trail along what is now Baker Street. Newby had a millstone shipped from Oregon City so grain could be ground at his mill. Soon, a blacksmith shop and a general store attracted people to an expanding village. In 1866, the area's first newspaper began publication and would later become the McMinnville News-Register. Newby donated land for a college, built churches, warehouses, mills, and stores. The city was incorporated in 1882, shortly after the arrival of the railroad. Since then, McMinnville has become the center of population and government for Yamhill County. It sports many modern industries and retains the charm of the historic city along Third Street.

Hillsboro

9780738571829

$24.99

Hillsboro began as a crossroads for the Native American Atfalati, retired trappers, missionaries, and land-hungry settlers whose collection of farms became East Tualatin Plains. These earliest residents were drawn to the rich valley land between the forested creeks. As the missionary influence waned and the railroads arrived in the 1870s, the town, by then called Hillsborough, was dubbed "Sin City." Farmers and merchants quenched their thirst and gambled in saloons and placed bets on horse races down Main Street. Throughout the early 20th century, Hillsboro became predominantly a conservative, family town. Residents enjoyed their town bands, theaters, and Carnegie Library. Then and now on the Fourth of July, proud farmers drive their state-of-the-art farm equipment in the downtown parade, and fireworks light up the sky at the County Fairgrounds. Today the crossroads is one of agriculture and high technology, as people from around the world become new residents of Hillsboro, drawn to the Tualatin River plain as were their predecessors.

Medford

9780738574455

$24.99

Iradell Phipps and Conrad Broback saw a golden opportunity in 1884. After convincing the railroad to build its depot on their prairie land near Bear Creek, they began building what became the second-fastest growing city in America, with over 100 new buildings in its first year. Few Medfordites today know that the city once had four separate railroads and was renowned throughout Europe. Intrepid flyers Eugene Ely, Pat Patterson, Seely Hall, and Charles Lindbergh made Medford a regional air hub during the early days of flight. In 1910, Medford had more automobiles per capita than any town in the world, and in 1923, it straddled the world's longest paved road. Told through photographs, facts, and anecdotes, the story of the hometown of film and radio stars Pinto Colvig and Ginger Rogers, as well as sports greats like Dick Fosbury, Bill Bowerman, and Kyle Singler, is a captivating read.

Cover image for Medford, isbn: 9780738574455

Boring

9781467132107

$24.99

Bob Boring, great-grandson of the Civil War veteran who lent his name to the community, says, "Boring is a name, not a condition." The recent pairing of Dull, Scotland, and Boring, Oregon, has created worldwide multimedia reports, including articles in Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal that published the same week. Never incorporated as an official entity, Boring has been a thriving farm, logging, and sawmill community since Joseph and Sarah Boring traveled the Oregon Trail in an ox-drawn covered wagon and settled here in 1853. The "downtown" area of Boring is only four blocks long, but the farming area serviced by the Boring Post Office is 13 miles long and contains a population of 8,000.

Vernonia

9780738580418

$24.99

Nestled in the Upper Nehalem Valley in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, Vernonia still reflects its pioneer virtues of hard work and independence. The area was first homesteaded in 1874 by Clark Parker and John Van Blaricom. The earliest settlers saw the dense old-growth firs and cedars as an obstacle to overcome in establishing farms, but those big trees soon became the lifeblood of the town's economy. Incorporated in 1891, Vernonia remained a small settlement with family-run farms, sawmills, and supporting businesses until the arrival of the long-awaited railroad in 1922. The Oregon-American Lumber Mill—at the time one of the largest of its kind—was built in 1923. The mill provided jobs and business opportunities for hundreds of people until 1957 when it closed. The population rapidly declined as people left to find work elsewhere. Vernonia has proved resilient, however, and continues to be home to over 2,000 residents who appreciate small-town life in a forested setting.

Cover image for Vernonia, isbn: 9780738580418

Seaside

9780738548944

$24.99

Following the great fire of 1912 through the "Daddy Train" era, Seaside grew as a holiday and summer resort. The opening of the Oregon Coast Highway from Astoria to California in the late 1920s and of Wolf Creek Highway (Sunset Highway) in the late 1930s made
Seaside accessible from Portland by automobile. Reconstruction of the boardwalk, the era of the big bands, saltwater swimming pools, and lumber riots kept Seaside in the news. Seaside survived the crash of the stock market, and World War II brought about an era of reconstruction, along with the Miss Oregon pageant. Seaside: 1920-1950 documents the city's growth and the people and businesses that helped it flourish.

Portland's Multnomah Village

9780738548906

$24.99

Once rolling countryside and bucolic dairy farmland, the area that became Multnomah Village was transformed when the Oregon Electric railroad line connecting Portland to Salem placed a station here in 1908 and brought Multnomah within 15 minutes of Portland's downtown core. The electric train opened the way for individual families to build the charming homes of their dreams. Over the next 20 years, as the rise of the automobile transformed transportation options, the village continued to grow and thrive, with its own post office, grocery stores, pharmacy, movie house, churches, school, and bank to meet the needs of those living nearby. The subsequent rise of shopping centers and large retail grocery chains led to a change in the character of the village, which was annexed piecemeal by the city of Portland beginning around 1950. The former village center is now an eclectic yet dynamic mix of shops, restaurants, and galleries tucked into the storefronts of a generation ago. The "bones" of the village as it was in the past remain visible.

Jacksonville

9780738580555

$24.99

It was the winter of 1851-1852 when the word "gold" echoed throughout the valley. Soon hundreds of gold miners flocked to Table Rock City, later renamed Jacksonville. In short order, families arrived and took out donation land claims and began farming, raising stock, and opening businesses. Many had already emmigrated from Europe, Canada, Ireland, and England. Jacksonville had its own Chinatown that was home to the many Chinese who had traveled far seeking their fortune through gold mining. When the railroad bypassed Jacksonville in 1883 in favor of the new town of Middleford, later renamed Medford, Jacksonville's fortunes reversed. During the ensuing decades, the town's buildings fell into disrepair. The threat of bulldozers leveling the downtown core in the late 1960s brought out a renewed interest in preservation. Today Jacksonville is a National Historic Landmark District and looks much as it did 150 years ago.

Theatres of Portland

9780738571478

$24.99

Portland's theatre history is marked by early enthusiasm and exceptionally vigorous growth. With the Pacific Northwest's often rainy weather, people sought refuge in movie entertainment, and the city eventually grew to have more theatre seats per capita than similar-sized cities in the United States. Beginning with short cinema segments at vaudeville houses downtown, Portland movie theatres came into their own swiftly and ambitiously. By 1915, there were over 70 individual theatres showing films both downtown and in neighborhoods throughout the city. By the 1920s, larger theatres were being built, including substantial neighborhood palaces such as the Bagdad, Hollywood, and Oriental. Meanwhile, downtown provided the Broadway, Portland, and Orpheum, to name a few. This volume contains an overview of Portland's theatre history through rare and newly discovered historical photographs of those memorable places of entertainment.

Cover image for Theatres of Portland, isbn: 9780738571478

Gresham

9780738582061

$24.99

The history of Gresham, Oregon, is rooted in the pioneers who trekked along the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. Traveling down the Columbia River or over the precipitous route by scenic Mount Hood, they arrived in what was then called Powell Valley, so named by the first settlers. They found trees that were unparalleled, tall, and straight, which they used to build their first communities. The rich, fertile land was cleared to grow an array of crops that would eventually make the area well known for its agriculture.

Cover image for Gresham, isbn: 9780738582061

Warrenton-Hammond

9780738571607

$24.99

Located near the mouth of the Columbia River, Warrenton, incorporated in February 1899, is a city comprised of many earlier towns and villages. Hammond, although still having a separate post office and zip code, was merged with Warrenton in 1991. Fort Stevens, now an Oregon State Park, is located near Hammond. Lexington was the first county seat for Clatsop County until the county seat was vacated on December 4, 1879, and moved to Astoria. Skipanon, located near the same site as Lexington, was also annexed by Warrenton. Flavel, along the Columbia River between Warrenton and Hammond, was an active port for the Great Northern Steamship Company. It was annexed by Warrenton in 1918. Warrenton-Hammond documents each of these towns as they grew and became the present city of Warrenton.

Cover image for Warrenton-Hammond, isbn: 9780738571607

Oregon State Penitentiary

9781467132213

$24.99

As the only maximum-security prison in the state, the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) has housed some of the most violent criminals on the West Coast, including brutal serial killers Charley Panzram in 1915 and Jerry Brudos in 1969. Sixty men have been executed inside OSP. The prison was originally built in Portland in 1851 but moved to Salem 15 years later, after Oregon became a state. From that time forward, the Oregon State Penitentiary grew from 23 prisoners in 1866 to 1,912 by 1992. The penitentiary suffered several serious fires and riots. On March 9, 1968, the most expensive riot ever experienced in the United States flared inside the walls, causing over $2.5 million in damages. Numerous escapes plagued the prison until 1970, when security measures were tightened. The most famous escape involved Harry Tracy and David Merrill in 1902.

Cover image for Oregon State Penitentiary, isbn: 9781467132213

Oregon Asylum

9780738599885

$24.99

The Oregon State Insane Asylum was opened in Salem on October 23, 1883, and is one of the oldest continuously operated mental hospitals on the West Coast. In 1913, the name was changed to the Oregon State Hospital (OSH). The history of OSH parallels the development and growth in psychiatric knowledge throughout the United States. Oregon was active in the field of electroshock treatments, lobotomies, and eugenics. At one point, in 1959, there were more than 3,600 patients living on the campus. The Oscar-winning movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed inside the hospital in 1972. In 2008, the entire campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and the state began a $360-million restoration project to bring the hospital to modern standards. The story of OSH is one of intrigue, scandal, recovery, and hope.

Cover image for Oregon Asylum, isbn: 9780738599885

Swedes in Oregon

9781467105736

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Ever since the first Swedish-born immigrants to Oregon began settling in the 1850s, Swedes have had a big impact on its development. Among the first immigrants was shoemaker Carl M. Wiberg, who arrived in the summer of 1852 and settled in Portland. By 1930, roughly 45 percent of all Swedish immigrants were living in the Portland metro area. Other areas of Swedish settlement included Astoria, Coos Bay, Tillamook, southwestern Oregon, and Morrow County. At first, the Swedish language was the unifying force among the immigrants. Today, it is the celebration and sharing of Swedish traditions and culture. There are many reasons why Swedes were attracted to the United States, including religious freedom, better economic conditions, and, for young men, escaping compulsory military service. Many immigrant Swedes did not come directly to Oregon but were attracted to the state and its employment opportunities after the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

Newberg

9780738581392

$24.99

The land that became the city of Newberg played a crucial role in the founding of the state of Oregon. It provided the second permanent encampment after Fort Astoria for trappers coming to the Pacific Northwest. Ewing Young came to Oregon in 1834, claiming as his own a vast stretch of land around his home in the Chehalem Valley. When Ewing died without a will, nearby residents gathered to settle Ewing's estate. This event led directly to the vote at Champoeg to make Oregon part of the United States. The town's name was given by pioneer Sebastian Brutscher after his Bavarian hometown of Neuburg. Other settlers arrived, and soon Newberg was a thriving pioneer town. Among the new settlers were members of the Friends Church, who set up an academy that is today one of the premier Christian universities in the country. Newberg was also home or way station to two U.S. presidents.

Notable Women of Portland

9781467125055

$29.99

The story of Portland, Oregon, like much of history, has usually been told with a focus on male leaders. This book offers a reframing of Portland's history. Many women made their mark and radically changed the Oregon frontier, including Native Americans Polly Johnson and Josette Nouette; pioneers Minerva Carter and Charlotte Terwilliger; doctors Marie Equi, Mary Priscilla Avery Sawtelle, and Bethina Owens-Adair; artists Eliza Barchus and Lily E. White; suffragists Abigail Scott Duniway, Hattie Redmond, and Eva Emery Dye; lawyer Mary Gysin Leonard; Air Force pilot Hazel Ying Lee; politicians Barbara Roberts and Margaret Carter; and authors Frances Fuller Victor, Beverly Cleary, Beatrice Morrow Cannady, Ursula Le Guin, and Jean Auel. These women, along with groups of women such as "Wendy the Welders," made Portland what it is today.

Columbia River Gorge:

9780738524320

$24.99

Lying in the shadows of Mt. Hood and the Cascade peaks, Columbia River Gorge is as rich in history as the bounty its fertile soils provide. From the numerous native tribes, Lewis & Clark, and famed botanist David Douglas to a guru's siege at Antelope and the modern Gorge's reputation for world-class windsurfing, its stories shape the area into a thriving chain of distinctive communities. The Gorge meshes its vibrant past with a stunning physical backdrop to provide the perfect vista for all who are curious about this alluring region.

Mount Bachelor

9781467151825

$23.99

The mountain that saved a dying town.
Long before Mount Bachelor became one of the country's largest ski areas, the booming timber mills drew workers to Oregon's forested hills. In the early 1920s, Scandinavian immigrants started a community ski club, and their passion for the mountains created a vibrant outdoor culture centered on skiing and winter recreation. As the timber industry collapsed in the 1950s, Bend businessman Bill Healy opened a small ski hill on the slopes of Bachelor Butte. That resort, set in the heart of the Deschutes National Forest, helped turn a fading logging town into a hub for tourism and outdoor recreation.
Join author Glenn Voelz as he explores how Mount Bachelor became a vital part of the region's culture, history and economy.

Hillsboro

9781467109253

$23.99 $12.00 Save 50%

Hillsboro is the county seat in Washington County, Oregon. The early economy of the community was based on agriculture, dairy, and lumber. In the 1950s, technology companies started moving to Hillsboro, which resulted in the area eventually being nicknamed the Silicon Forest. Intel now has a massive presence in Hillsboro with over 20,000 employees. In 2021, Hillsboro was ranked by Livability.com as the seventh-best place to live in the United States.

Super Cities! Portland

9781467198530

$14.99 $7.50 Save 50%

Sometimes the coolest places are right outside your front door. Learning about Portland’s interesting and unique culture has never been so super fun!

Did you know about the eerie tunnels right beneath Old Town Portland’s busy streets? Or that Hacky Sack originated in Portland? Have you heard of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens? From the annual Rose Festival, to the Oregon Trail, Super Cities!: Portland covers it all, and is sure to engage any reader with fun facts about the history, culture, and people who make this city great. Kayak along the Willamette River, grab a sweet treat from Voodoo Doughnut, and attend a Portland Timbers game, all right here. Take a peek inside to learn more about the impressive, unusual, super history of Portland!

Cover image for Super Cities! Portland, isbn: 9781467198530

St. Johns and the North Portland Peninsula

9781467105057

$24.99

James John, the founder of St. Johns, settled on his land claim in the 1840s and was soon followed by others. Schools, churches, and stores were established, and industrial development followed. St. Johns was originally annexed to the city of Portland in 1891. Shipyards were developed in North Portland during World War I and World War II. Among the landmarks of the community are St. Johns Bridge and the nearby city hall building. Longtime businesses include Slim's Restaurant and Lounge, Peninsula Iron Works, the Man's Shop, and the Wishing Well Restaurant. Moonstruck Chocolate Company has been located in St. Johns since 2002. Well-known individuals, such as members of the Jower and Leveton families; Howard Galbraith, a founder of the St. Johns Heritage Society; and Walt Morey, author of Gentle Ben, have called St. Johns home. Today, St. Johns comes alive every year with events such as the St. Johns Parade, St. Johns Bizarre, and the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival. The recent influx of people of coming to Portland has influenced redevelopment within the community.

St. Johns and the North Portland Peninsula

Hockey in Portland

9780738548043

$24.99

Portland, Oregon, has an old and rich hockey tradition. The City of Roses was home to six professional hockey teams that took the ice in fi ve different leagues, including two major league clubs. It all started with the Rosebuds (1914-1918), who earned the distinction of being the fi rst United
States-based team to compete for the Stanley Cup. The
tradition continued with a second version of the Rosebuds (1925-1926), the original Buckaroos (1928-1931), a second version of the Buckaroos (1933-1941), the Eagles/Penguins (1944-1951), and the Western Hockey League (WHL) Buckaroos (1960-1974). The WHL Buckaroos won three Patrick Cup titles and iced several minor league hockey legends, including Gordon Fashoway, Guyle Fielder, Don Head, Andy Hebenton, Norm Johnson, Art Jones, Connie Madigan, and Bill Saunders. Several Hockey Hall of Famers--Tommy Dunderdale, George Hay, Dick Irvin, and Moose Johnson--also spent time on Portland teams.

Ashland

9780738571027

$24.99

What is known as Ashland today was historically less of a destination than a crossroads. Native Americans had passed through the valley for centuries, often establishing small villages. Farmers in search of new lands followed the Applegate Trail, bringing their wagons through the area on their way north to the fertile Willamette Valley. Gold seekers, coming and going to California, or on their way to the nearby tent town called Table Rock City (Jacksonville), came through as well. A handful of men, though, some fresh from the California goldfields, sought a more stable way of making a living and decided that outfitting those afflicted with gold fever might prove more profitable. Over time, mills, a Chautauqua, a lithia water experiment, a railroad terminal, a college, and finally an award-winning Shakespeare festival with an eight-and-a-half-month season, coupled with numerous "best places to retire" articles, have culminated in Ashland becoming a destination in itself.

Hidden History of Ashland, Oregon

9781467144919

$21.99

Famous for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland has a deep history that goes far beyond the stage. From a 160-year-old unsolved murder to a newcomer whose "healing hands" drew people from all over the country, the town has attracted its fair share of unique characters. Vladimir Nabokov came to pursue his favorite hobby, butterfly collecting, while writing his famously controversial novel, Lolita, and an actor turned entrepreneur became one of the foremost recyclers long before it was mainstream. Discover the story behind Ashland's golf course cemetery and the gloveless baseball team of 1884. Join local historian Joe Peterson as he explores the fascinating past of this colorful town.

Oregon State Football

9780738531373

$24.99

Oregon State University began its football program in 1893 and has been a study in contrasts ever since. The Beavers went to the Rose Bowl after the 1941, 1956, and 1964 seasons and to the Liberty Bowl in 1962. There was also a streak of losing seasons that lasted from 1971 until 1998. Two years later, the Beavers competed in the Fiesta Bowl and ranked among the top five teams in the country. From the "Iron Men" of 1933 to the "Civil War" rivalry between OSU and the University of Oregon, and from Terry Baker--the first Heisman Trophy winner on the West Coast--to a pair of bowl victories over Notre Dame, this entertaining and informative volume presents many seldom-seen images and the stories behind them over a century of Oregon State football.

Vanishing Portland

9780738525341

$7.99

Portland saw unprecedented growth and change during the 20th century, change that sometimes swept away parts of its vibrant history. These images illustrate the people, the events, and the everyday scenes that make up Portland's story.

Cover image for Vanishing Portland, isbn: 9780738525341

Newberg

9781467160674

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Newberg has experienced significant growth in the last century, with a notable uptick in the 1990s. This growth can largely be attributed to increased employment and education opportunities. George Fox University along with ADEC and the ever-expanding wine industry have significantly contributed to Newberg's growth. For much of the 20th century, Newberg was removed from urban life and was simply a place people stopped on their way to the coast. Today, it is a thriving community in the heart of Oregon wine country. Manufacturing advancements in the dental industry were pioneered by the Austin family and their ADEC business. Additionally, as Newberg wines gained worldwide recognition, people began moving to the region to plant their own vineyards. The tourism industry throughout the Willamette Valley grown largely because people come to taste world class wines. Additionally, George Fox University continues to offer a top-notch education and has seen continual enrollment growth since the 1990s.

Portland's Woodlawn Neighborhood

9780738548203

$24.99

Portland's Woodlawn neighborhood has transformed from a small autonomous city at the end of the streetcar line to a large, firmly middle-class district of mostly midsized post-World War II homes and a few notable Victorian gingerbread-trimmed
houses--former farmhouses that once sat on muddy streets. Woodlawn's quirky angled streets remind residents of a time when the streetcar depot was a major feature of the city. Today an excellent bus service has replaced the streetcars, but most neighbors still enjoy the sounds of the trains at the bottom of the bluff bringing grain to the shipyards and the sweet fragrances wafting down from the cookie factory. The movie theater and firehouse are still standing, but both now serve different purposes. This is a neighborhood where new families are made welcome by the current ones, and where a new generation of volunteers is planning a vital and compassionate neighborhood.

Reedsport

9780738576046

$24.99

Incorporated in 1919, Reedsport began as a railroad town built on stilts to avoid the low-lying marsh and slough that ran beneath the town. This area was filled in 1927, and Reedsport became the hub of activity on the Lower Umpqua River. The logging and fishing industries dominated the city's landscape, with Southern Pacific Railroad and Umpqua Navigation shuttling goods to and from the area. Despite flood after flood that threatened the town, Reedsport was able to survive due to the resilience and toughness of its inhabitants.

Prineville

9780738548722

$24.99

Early in 1868, Francis Barney Prine arrived in the Crooked River Valley of Central Oregon, established a blacksmith shop made of logs, and dispensed spirits from the back of the cabin. Prine saw the potential for development and industry along the lush banks of Crooked River and Ochoco Creek, and as more and more settlers arrived, the post office of Prine was established in 1871. The community soon emerged as a major commercial center for Central Oregon, one of the last frontiers in the state. In fact, Prineville boasts the only remaining city-owned railroad to operate in the United States. The decline of the timber industry led to hard times, but after Les Schwab established the headquarters of his emerging tire empire in Prineville, the city became one of the burgeoning communities in the Northwest.

Cover image for Prineville, isbn: 9780738548722

Lost Oregon Streetcars

9781467136853

$21.99

The streetcars that plied Oregon's small-town streets were every bit as diverse as those in Portland and their history even more fascinating. Learn of the devastating 1922 fire that scorched Astoria's plank road railways and put a halt to its once-thriving streetcar network. Muse over the tale of a beloved white horse named Old Charlie that proved more efficient at powering Albany's streetcars than the alternative steam locomotive. Laugh at the spectacle of university students being carted back to their dormitories on the Eleventh Street Line's special midnight drunk express trains. Take pride in the tiny town of Cherry Grove, which became the first in the West to embrace new battery technology. Local historian Richard Thompson celebrates the lost trolley lines that transported Oregon's people across the state for decades.

Cover image for Lost Oregon Streetcars, isbn: 9781467136853

Grant County

9781467125680

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

The large number of immigrants traveling along the Oregon Trail bypassed Grant County because of its location. Most wagon trains used the northern route to the Columbia River. A few used the southern route toward southern Oregon. Grant County was left in between. When gold was discovered in the Canyon Creek area in 1862, the population swelled from scarcely 200 to more than 5,000, many of them Chinese. Today, Grant County's population is approximately 7,500, with John Day, the largest city, at slightly less than 2,000. From the 1860s to near 1900, gold and the mining industry reigned, as upward of $26 million worth of gold was mined. As the supply of gold diminished, so did the population, and timber became the number one industry. Settlers from the East saw potential in the large stands of tall, straight ponderosa pine, and many sawmills came into existence. The sawmills have since greatly declined, but other settlers discovered that the acres of bunchgrass provided excellent cattle feed. Today, cattle is king. In the spring, the cattle herds are moved off their winter grounds to higher elevations; in the fall, they are herded back into the valley. In the past, these movements often took them through the heart of many cities.

Deschutes National Forest

9781467124669

$24.99

From the crest of the High Cascades eastward to the High Desert, the Deschutes National Forest is one of America's great national treasures. Timber, water, and forage were plentiful in Central Oregon and provided the building blocks for the region. Today, the national forest's scenery and year-round outdoor recreational resources play major roles in sustaining a vibrant and diverse modern economy and a unique way of life. Since 1905, these resources have been administered by the US Forest Service, fulfilling its mission to pursue "the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run," as decreed by forester Gifford Pinchot when he led the fledgling agency.

African Americans of Portland

9780738596198

$24.99

The prolific journey of African Americans in Portland is rooted in the courageous determination of black pioneers to begin anew in an unfamiliar and often hostile territory. Amazingly, a small population of African Americans settled in Portland against a backdrop of exclusion laws that banned free blacks from settling in Oregon. At the end of the 19th century, new employment opportunities in Portland and growing antiblack sentiments elsewhere spurred the growth of Portland's African American community. Approximately 75 African American men were hired at the Portland Hotel, and the completion of transcontinental rail lines brought African American railroad workers to Portland. By 1890, the majority of Oregon's black population resided in Multnomah County, and Portland became the center of a thriving black middle-class community. Fifty years later, the recruitment of defense workers increased the population of African Americans nearly tenfold. The war boom, coupled with the tragic Vanport flood, forever changed Portland's urban landscape and reshaped the socioeconomic realities of Portland's African American community.

Port Orford and North Curry County

9780738580883

$24.99

Perched on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, Port Orford claims to be the oldest town site on the Oregon coast and the farthest west incorporated community in the continental United States. Incomparable scenery surrounds it, providing work for generations of residents: lumber from trees of the great forests and all manner of seafood harvested from ocean waters. Gold lay in the waters and banks of streams and in the black sands of beaches, attracting the earliest settlers in 1851. Farming came later but proved successful, especially for cattle and sheep farmers and cranberry growers. Residents have survived fire, earthquake, severe storms, and the fluctuations of the mining, timber, and fishing industries. As Oregon developed, county lines changed. The south coast area was part of Jackson County in 1852, then Coos County in 1853. Curry County was formed in 1855, and Port Orford was the first county seat until Oregon statehood in 1859.

Cover image for Port Orford and North Curry County, isbn: 9780738580883

Diving off the Oregon Coast

9781467124089

$24.99

The Oregon Coast is well known for its beauty. The rugged coastline with its constant wave and surf action provides the calming sounds of the ocean that all can hear, but a diver also sees the giant kelp forests and gets excited about the promise of abundant marine life, brilliantly colored anemone, sponges, cute little reef fish and huge ling cod, large plate-sized rock scallops, abalone, giant Pacific octopus, and friendly wolf eel. This is truly a diver's paradise. There are no stories of skin divers prior to World War II, but with the development of rubber dry suits and neoprene wetsuits in the early 1950s, divers began to explore the reefs out past the surf and in protected coves near the shoreline. Images of Modern America: Diving off the Oregon Coast showcases the images of a few diving pioneers, early and current dive stores, the beautiful coastline, and the colorful world underwater.

Cover image for Diving off the Oregon Coast, isbn: 9781467124089

Around Florence

9781467131520

$24.99

Florence, located midway on the Oregon coast, has North America's largest stretch of dunes to the south and the most photographed headlands on the Pacific coast to the north. Although Florence is on the coast, it is a river town located on a bend of the Siuslaw River. Before the railroad arrived in 1916, the town was cut off and dependent upon ocean-going ships. The Siuslaw did not make it easy because of a notoriously shifting river mouth before the north jetty was built in 1893. Even after the jetty, crossing the bar continued to be treacherous due to shallow depths and fickle winds. Even so, entrepreneurs William Kyle and O.W. Hurd, in trying to outdo each other, developed a thriving town. For decades, fishing and logging were the mainstays. Now, they are tourists, retirees, and the arts. Old Town, where it all began, is a happening place once again.