Offbeat Oregon History podcast

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Lonely Oregon boy grew up to be a comics legend (Part 1 of 2) Sep 17, 2026

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SOMETIME IN APRIL of 1960, a shy, retiring, hard-of-hearing comic-book artist named Carl Barks got a letter at his quiet suburban home. When he opened it, he found that it was a letter from a stranger named John Spicer. And to his astonishment, he found that it was — a fan letter. “Believe it or not, I have been planning this letter for about four or five years,” Spicer wrote. “I have been kept from doing so for the simple reason that I knew not your name or address. I tried several times, however, but all were in vain.” Spicer’s letter was how Barks found out that he was, and had been for at least a decade, a legend — and the most popular comic-book artist in the world. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/24-03a.carl-barks-the-duck-man.html)

Chinese smuggler saved woman and her baby, then vanished Sep 16, 2026

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In Gold Rush-era Oregon, the most skilled miners were probably the Chinese — but they were in constant danger. To avoid being robbed, they entrusted their gold to professional couriers who masqueraded as penniless vagabonds. This is a story from the life of one of them, a man we know only as 'Cheng.' (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1103a-secret-chinese-courier-saved-woman-and-baby-then-vanished.html)

Fossil ‘Bone Wars’ came to Oregon, but just barely Sep 15, 2026

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It's probably just as well that no actual dinosaur bones were found here; the spiteful, unprofessional “cowboy paleontology” practiced by O.C. Marsh and E.D. Cope left Oregon's pioneer scientists profoundly unimpressed as it was. (John Day Fossil Beds, Wheeler and Grant county; 1870s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1601c.bone-wars.374.html)

Mill owner’s fight with city sparked a race riot Sep 14, 2026

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It's an event remembered with some shame in Oregon: A group of innocent, terrified men and women found themselves at the mercy of an angry mob, pawns in a power struggle between a mill owner and a group of townspeople. (Toledo, Lincoln County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302a-toledo-riot-mixed-racism-and-labor-unrest.html)

Luther Cressman was Oregon’s real-life Indiana Jones (Part 2 of 2) Sep 11, 2026

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THE GREAT BREAKTHROUGH in Cressman’s fieldwork came as a direct result of his having familiarized himself with Indian basketmaking art and other distinctive Native artistic traditions. He was able to recognize the pedigree of bits of basketry that he saw sticking out of the ground in places like the Catlow Valley. ... (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/24-02.luther-cressman-oregons-indiana-jones-630.html)

Luther Cressman was Oregon’s real-life Indiana Jones (Part 1 of 2) Sep 10, 2026

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IN THE SUMMER of 1981 a little action-adventure movie titled Raiders of the Lost Ark came out, and fans have been speculating ever since on who the character of Indiana Jones might be based on. Oregon archaeology legend Luther Cressman's claim to the title is as strong as anyone's. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/24-02.luther-cressman-oregons-indiana-jones-630.html)

Radical Wobblies found support among loggers Sep 09, 2026

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Industrial Workers of the World union grew strong in the woods just before the First World War broke out — and the U.S. Army had to teach soldiers to cut timber to get the industry moving again. (Lumber camps, 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1301d-wobblies-come-to-oregon-timber.html)

Shipwrecked fur traders walked from Oregon Coast to Louisiana Sep 08, 2026

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While they were ashore, their sailing ship sank in a storm, leaving four fur traders alone in a vast wilderness with no prospects for rescue. So they set out for Louisiana – and two years later, they arrived. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1102b-shipwrecked-fur-traders-trekked-to-Louisiana.html)

P-town ‘jitney wars’ were monopoly vs. small-biz Sep 07, 2026

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Regular motorists would swing by streetcar stops and offer to take passengers faster and in greater comfort for the same nickel. But the competition enraged the powerful plutocrats who owned the streetcar company. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1601b.jitneys-vs-streetcars.273.html)

Dog's 2,500-mile walk home made Silverton famous Sep 04, 2026

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THE TRAVELERS were almost to their destination in Indiana, about 2,300 miles into their road trip, when it happened: Frank was gassing up the Red Bird at a service station when a pack of local mongrels spotted Bobbie and jumped him. The last Frank saw of Bobbie that day, he was running at top speed with three snarling dogs in hot pursuit. ... (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2406a-1101a.silverton-bobbie-the-wonder-dog-104.652.html)

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