Offbeat Oregon History podcast artwork

Offbeat Oregon History podcast

1,029 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★★★★ - 160 ratings

A daily (5-day-a-week) podcast feed of true Oregon stories -- of heroes and rascals, of shipwrecks and lost gold. Stories of shanghaied sailors a1512nd Skid Road bordellos and pirates and robbers and unsolved mysteries. An exploding whale, a couple shockingly scary cults, a 19th-century serial killer, several very naughty ladies, a handful of solid-brass con artists and some of the dumbest bad guys in the history of the universe. From the archives of the Offbeat Oregon History syndicated newspaper column. Source citations are included with the text version on the Web site at https://offbeatoregon.com.

History Society & Culture Places & Travel oregon pacific northwest ouragan columbia willamette history weird shipwreck pirate
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Episodes

Oregon City was home of first electric power grid

April 03, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.7 MB

Entrepreneurs figured out how to send power long distances for the first time in history; later, after a flood wiped out power station, they pioneered alternating-current transmission. (Oregon City, Clackamas County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1201a-oregon-city-home-of-worlds-first-power-grid.html)

Express clerk’s silence foiled Eugene train robber

April 02, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.73 MB

(NOTE: For organizational reasons, this column is being published earlier than usual. You may already have heard this one.) The masked outlaw planned the job out carefully, and thought he was ready for anything. But he met his match in the cool-handed express man, and had to leave almost empty-handed. (Saginaw, Lane County; 1900s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1501a.saginaw-train-robbery.320.html)

Recollections of an Oswego native from the days of the Oregon Iron Company (WPA oral-history interview)

April 01, 2024 14:00 - 7 minutes - 7.11 MB

WPA Writer Sara B. Wrenn one day walked all the way from downtown Portland to the town of Oswego to interview a pioneer woman ... who was not at home. (Ironic, isn't it, that this article should have popped up on April Fools' Day?) Hoping to salvage something from the long walk, Ms. Wrenn asked around, and ended up interviewing Margaret Weightman, a 54-year-old Oswego native, about her pioneer parents. (Full transcripts are at the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001966/)

Murderer avoided gallows by faking a 2-year coma

March 29, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.55 MB

Charles Fiester lay there on his cot, eyes open, staring at nothing, pretending to be catatonic, for 515 days ... knowing that when his ruse was discovered, he'd be hanged. (Kerby, Josephine County; 1890s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1803a.fiester-murderer-faked-insanity-515-days-485.html)

Vaudeville Susie’s Riot; or, Oregon’s Helen of Troy

March 28, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.32 MB

The Rebel sympathizers resented the Union soldiers taking all the seats when Vaudeville star Susie Robinson of Corvallis took the stage. The soldiers wouldn't back down. Then somebody pulled a pistol ... and the battle was on. (Corvallis, Benton County; 1860s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1603d.vaudeville-susie-riot.384.html)

Union squabbles were part of life on the waterfront

March 27, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 8 MB

Every few years, in the early 1900s, burly and hard-fisted dock workers got into a battle of wills with the autocratic sea-captains who ran the shipping companies. Most of the time, the dock workers got the worst of it. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1900s, 1910s, 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303e-union-squabbles-on-portland-waterfront.html)

Malheur County rancher saves pioneer Oregon aviator’s life

March 26, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.43 MB

Barnstormer Ted Barber was down to his last half-cup of gasoline when Ralph Grove rescued him by lighting up a field with the headlights of his car; Ted's old Waco 9 biplane lived to fly the next day, and so did he. (Near Andrews, Malheur County; 1930s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1103c-harney-county-rancher-saves-oregon-pioneer-aviators-life.html)

Recollections of an old Oregon railroad telegrapher and union lawyer, Part 2 of 2 (WPA oral-history interview)

March 25, 2024 14:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

On Nov. 28, 1938, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a stocky, animated 77-year-old attorney named George Estes to talk about Mr. Estes' recollections of working in the 1800s, first as a telegraph operator and later as an attorney for the Telegrapher's Union at Southern Pacific. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001955/)

Decade-long dam dispute resolved with dynamite (Episode for Friday, March 22)

March 15, 2024 14:40 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

IN THE SMALL hours of the morning of Aug. 16, 1906, a powerful explosion jolted residents awake near the little town of Willamette, which today is a neighborhood of West Linn. It came from the direction of the nearby Tualatin River. The cause was soon discovered. When the first rays of the morning sun fell on the Oregon Iron and Steel Co.’s diversion dam, located a little over three miles from the river’s mouth, a 20-foot-wide hole had been blasted in its center. The river water was still gu...

Did monk from China “discover” Oregon 1,600 years ago?

March 15, 2024 14:30 - 7 minutes - 7.17 MB

Legend of a monk's journey to a land called “Fusang” dates back to 499 A.D.; is it possible that Fusang was Oregon? Or was the whole thing a complete fabrication? (Oregon Coast, 400s; yeah, that's right, literally 1,500 years ago.) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1103b-was-buddhist-monk-first-to-discover-oregon.html)

Did monk from China “discover” Oregon 1,600 years ago? (Episode for Thursday, March 21)

March 15, 2024 14:30 - 7 minutes - 7.17 MB

Legend of a monk's journey to a land called “Fusang” dates back to 499 A.D.; is it possible that Fusang was Oregon? Or was the whole thing a complete fabrication? (Oregon Coast, 400s; yeah, that's right, literally 1,500 years ago.) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1103b-was-buddhist-monk-first-to-discover-oregon.html)

Bridge-building scandal aroused Portlanders’ fury (Episode for Wed, March 20)

March 15, 2024 14:20 - 8 minutes - 7.77 MB

Crafty county commissioners tried to rig the bidding so their favorite bid, padded to the tune of half a million 1924 dollars, would win —but they didn't move quite fast enough. Three months later, they'd all been thrown out of office. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303d-bridge-scandal-aroused-fury-of-1920s-portland.html)

Tiny home-built schooner saved Tillamook settlers (Episode for Tue, March 19)

March 15, 2024 14:10 - 7 minutes - 6.6 MB

After the only skipper willing to brave their fearsome river bar died, the only way to get wheat and cheese to market was to build their own trading ship — which they did. (Tillamook County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1102d-tillamook-tiny-schooner.html)

Recollections of an old Oregon railroad telegrapher and union lawyer, Part 1 of 2 (WPA oral-history interview; episode for Mon, March 18)

March 15, 2024 14:00 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB

On Nov. 28, 1938, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a stocky, animated 77-year-old attorney named George Estes to talk about Mr. Estes' recollections of working in the 1800s, first as a telegraph operator and later as an attorney for the Telegrapher's Union at Southern Pacific. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001955/)

Was legendary city of Quivira on Oregon Coast? (Episode for Fri, March 15)

March 11, 2024 14:50 - 9 minutes - 8.71 MB

Native Americans told Coronado there was a fabulous gold-and-turquoise city called Quivira just to the east -- or was it the north? All he found were Indian villages. But, was there a real city behind the legend? More specifically, was that city near Port Orford? (Port Orford, Curry County; 1540s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802d.legendary-city-of-quivira-on-oregon-coast-484.html)

Chinese smuggler saved woman and her baby, then vanished (episode for Thu, March 14)

March 11, 2024 14:40 - 7 minutes - 7.3 MB

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)

Massive passenger liner won race with fiery death(episode for Wed, March 13)

March 11, 2024 14:30 - 8 minutes - 8.15 MB

Calm seas, a hard-working crew and a cool-headed skipper helped the steamship Congress and everyone on board survive a terrifying night after a fire broke out in the cargo hold and spread throughout the ship. (Coos Bay, Coos County; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303c-steamer-congress-won-race-against-fiery-death.html)

Rabies epidemic was like a war in Eastern Oregon (episode for Tue, March 12)

March 11, 2024 14:20 - 8 minutes - 7.7 MB

State health officials scoffed at the idea of hydrophobia in Oregon — until people started dying. It was the start of a decade of attacks by mad coyotes, when folks carried shotguns everywhere and nature seemed to be in open revolt. (Central and Eastern Oregon; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303b-rabies-epidemic-eastern-oregon-mad-coyotes.html)

Announcement: All This Week Episodes at Once, and Why

March 11, 2024 14:10 - 3 minutes - 2.84 MB

I've run into a little trouble with my Internet hosting service. My Website has gotten too large for their taste and they want me to upgrade to a $120-a-month 'dedicated server' or 'virtual private server' account. Hey, I do this stuff for fun, I don't make money on it ... Anyway so I went shopping and found a good deal at a new shop, inmotionhosting.com. I'm very excited, but the process of migrating a 30-gigabyte website from one place to another means it's going to take me all week to get ...

Recollections of an old Oregon mining-law specialist (WPA oral-history interview)

March 11, 2024 14:00 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MB

On May 3, 1938, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a tall, urbane, professional 70-year-old mining-law specialist named J. Thorburn Ross to talk about Mr. Ross's recollections of working in old Portland for George Himes and later experience in the area of Sailors' Diggin's and Waldo. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001951/)

Innocent man’s sacrifice averted deadly ‘tong war’

March 08, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.82 MB

It was obvious to nearly everyone that Chee Gong was innocent. But one of his tong brothers had murdered Lee Yik and disappeared, and blood had to answer for blood. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802c.tong-war-in-portland-averted-with-hanging-483.html)

Circuit Preacher Tales III: Longshoreman’s Funeral

March 07, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.2 MB

The Reverend preached the funeral service to an empty church, while the deceased's friends and colleagues fought in the parking lot over who got to ride in the taxicabs. But the hostilities were forgotten when they arrived at a roadhouse. (Tacoma, Washington Territory; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1603c.circuit-preachers-longshoreman-funeral.html)

Circuit Preacher Stories 2: Shanghaiing up a flock

March 06, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.21 MB

When trying to minister to the spiritual needs of a crowd of hard-sinning miners and sailors, it was sometimes necessary to resort to unorthodox tactics — tactics not often seen among men of the cloth in more civilized times. (Old Oregon Territory; 1840s, 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1603b.circuit-preachers-shanghai-flock-382.html)

Circuit Preacher Stories 1: The Rev. Wells’ wild ride

March 05, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.44 MB

Eagerly, the Reverend leaped into the waiting bathtub, positioned at the top of the stairs in the chilly foyer of the frontier hotel. And then, to his horror, he realized it was sliding toward the top of the staircase on a sheet of ice ... (Weston, Umatilla County; 1850s, 1860s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1603a.circuit-preachers-wells-wild-ride-381.html)

Recollections of an old Oregon hard-rock miner (WPA oral-history interview)

March 04, 2024 14:00 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MB

"I was introduced to Hank Simms by the superintendent of the Home (for the Aged) and he took me to his room. At once Hank Simms asked, 'Well, young feller, what do you want — just some straight running off at the mouth or do you want me to go on something special? I am a long distance talker if you give me a chance, and I might take you for a long ride in the wrong direction.'" (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001959/)

‘Tillamook Guerillas’ were ready for enemy invasion

March 01, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 8.11 MB

When the Oregon National Guard was called up, Oregonians felt vulnerable to Japanese invasion. So they loaded their rifles and possed up ready to give 'em hell! (Tillamook County; 1940s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802b.tillamook-guerillas-ready-to-fight-off-invasion-482.html)

When dynamite truck blew up, it looked like nuclear war

February 29, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.53 MB

A truck driver parked 13,000 pounds of explosives next to the hardware store downtown. That night the hardware store caught fire … and so did the dynamite, in the biggest human-caused disaster in Oregon history. (Roseburg, Douglas County; 1950s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1102c-roseburg-blast-looked-like-nuclear-war.html)

‘Home for Wayward Girls and Fallen Women’ a bust

February 28, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.39 MB

Well-meaning church congregations banded together to offer 'wayward girls and fallen women' a place to get away from their profession — but it turned out most of them didn't particularly want to leave it; not yet, at least. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1890s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303a-open-door-for-wayward-girls-and-fallen-women.html)

Portland lad grew up to be a founding father of USSR

February 27, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.81 MB

Portland native Jack Reed was the only American buried in the Kremlin wall; his enthusiasm for the Bolsheviks was cooling toward the end, but after he died they gave him a state funeral and declared him a martyr to the revolution. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1900s, 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1602d.john-reed-communism-380.html)

The Furrier's Story: Louis Schumacher, part 2 of 2 parts (WPA oral history interview)

February 26, 2024 14:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MB

Part 2 of 2 parts: On Jan. 3, 1939, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a slim, quick-moving gray haired 70-year-old furrier/pelt buyer named Louis Schumacher to talk about Mr. Schumacher's recollections of coming to Portland from Baden, Germany, and establishing a business buying the pelts and furs that trappers and mountain-man types would bring him to sell after their travels in the Oregon wilderness. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001956/)

Massive DC-8 jumbo jet landed at tiny rural airport by mistake

February 23, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.78 MB

Troutdale Airfield is just 10 miles from Portland International — and built to serve Cessnas, not Boeings. But one dark night in 1962, a jumbo-jet pilot got a little confused .... (Troutdale, Multnomah County; 1960s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802a.massive-jet-lands-at-tiny-country-airport-by-mistake-481.html)

Shipwrecked fur traders walked from Oregon Coast to Louisiana

February 22, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.56 MB

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. (Umpqua River, Coos County; 1810s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1102b-shipwrecked-fur-traders-trekked-to-Louisiana.html)

Czarina shipwreck: A deadly marine concert of timidity and incompetence

February 21, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.99 MB

The wreck of the steamship Czarina: A cascade of bad decisions by nearly everyone involved resulted in the worst possible outcome: 23 mariners slowly dying in the surf as friends and family members watched from the beach. (Coos Bay Spit, Coos County; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302d-czarina-shipwreck-tragic-concert-of-incompetence.html)

“Camp Castaway” was an inconvenient miracle

February 20, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 8.17 MB

Feeling lucky to be alive, the soldiers and sailors of the shipwrecked schooner Captain Lincoln got busy salvaging everything off their stranded ship. But then the Army had a problem: How were they going to retrieve it? (Coos Bay Spit, Coos County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302c-shipwreck-camp-castaway-inconvenient-miracle.html)

The Furrier's Story: Louis Schumacher, part 1 of 2 parts (WPA oral history interview)

February 19, 2024 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MB

On Jan. 3, 1939, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a slim, quick-moving gray haired 70-year-old furrier/pelt buyer named Louis Schumacher to talk about Mr. Schumacher's recollections of coming to Portland from Baden, Germany, and establishing a business buying the pelts and furs that trappers and mountain-man types would bring him to sell after their travels in the Oregon wilderness. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001956/)

Six iconic food items that were invented in Oregon

February 16, 2024 14:00 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

AT THE TIME of this writing, the Christmas shopping season is just starting to spool up, and folks are getting ready for some serious holiday eating. Most likely, that festive feasting won’t include many of the things on this list. Although inventors from the Beaver State have had a big impact at the grocery store, most of what they’ve created would be a bit out of place at a Christmas dinner. The big exceptions are the products created by scientists at Oregon State University: Marionberri...

Little remains of back-woods luxury spa at Wilhoit Springs

February 15, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.7 MB

During the heyday of hydropathy, the remote mountainside resort was Clackamas County’s No. 1 tourist draw; its waters actually had scientifically provable therapeutic value. (Molalla, Clackamas County; 1910s, 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1102a-little-remains-of-rural-luxury-spa-at-wilhoit-springs.html)

Would Slate's all-metal steam-powered airship have worked?

February 14, 2024 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.68 MB

If so, the Linn County lad might have revolutionized air travel. But a launch-day disaster ruined his prototype, the Great Depression scared off all his investors, and the Hindenburg disaster ended the era of airship travel. (Linn and Benton county; 1910s, 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1602c.pt2-slate-metal-airship-inventor-379.html)

Alsea lad became ‘The Nikola Tesla of Oregon’

February 13, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.74 MB

Thomas B. Slate first invented the commercial production process for making dry ice, then took his new-made fortune and used it to re-imagine airship travel in an almost unbelievably “steampunk” way. (Alsea, Benton County; 1900s, 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1602b.slate-metal-airship-inventor-part1.378.html)

The life, times, and gold mines of Captain W.H. Hembree (WPA oral-history interview)

February 12, 2024 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MB

On April 28, 1938, Federal Writers Project worker Andrew Sherbert sat down with a stocky, rugged-looking 74-year-old prospector and former riverboat captain named W.H. Hembree to talk about his recollections of life in frontier Oregon for a firefighter, sailor, and gold miner. (For text and pictures, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001950/)

Was Joe Drake a murderer, or just an innocent patsy?

February 09, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.78 MB

It's nearly certain that Drake was guilty only of extreme naivete — and his landlord, after murdering a neighbor, knew he could pin the crime on him because Drake was black. (Salem, Marion County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1801d.joseph-drake-murderer-or-innocent-patsy-480.html)

Japanese submarine I-25 blasted its way into Oregon history twice

February 08, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.33 MB

The big sub was a key part of Oregon history; it fired on Battery Russell in June 1942, tried to light a forest fire with its on-board airplane that September, and sank several merchant ships. (Offshore; 1940s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1101e-Japanese-submarine-blasted-its-way-into-Oregon-history.html)

Oregon’s first execution still cloaked in mystery

February 07, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.7 MB

Danford Balch got drunk and shotgunned his new son-in-law on the deck of the Stark Street Ferry. His diary and official records tell part of the story. But the real questions can only be guessed at — and some of the guesses are sinister indeed. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302b-balch-murders-stump-on-stark-street-ferry.html)

Schooner crew locked in a race with fiery death

February 06, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 8 MB

Below decks, a chemical fire burned freely through the hold of the Challenger; above deck, her crew worked desperately in a hurricane windstorm to find a port they could put into before the fire broke through the deck. (Columbia River Bar, Clatsop County; 1900s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1602a.challengers-race-with-time-and-fire-377.html)

The Last Diggin's: Recollections of an old Oregon miner (WPA oral-history interview)

February 05, 2024 14:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

On Nov. 29, 1938, at the Portland Odd Fellows Home for the Aged, Federal Writers Project worker Walker Winslow sat down with an 86-year-old miner and prospector named Hank Simms to talk about the life of a wandering prospector in the old American West. 'I am a miner, and for 40-50 years I have been tunneling a shaft straight into this poorhouse,' he said. 'You can't call that very good mining. Most miners is fools and I'll bet you that for every dollar lifted off the bedrock in this country t...

Davy Crockett in Oregon? Yes, but only in ‘tall tales’

February 02, 2024 14:00 - 8 minutes - 8.1 MB

In the tall tales of 1840s almanacs, the “King of the Wild Frontier” had a lively interest in the Beaver State. But he did get a few of his facts wrong! (Statewide; 1840s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1801c.davy-crockett-tall-tales-about-oregon-479.html)

Vanport houses floated like life rafts in catastrophic flood

February 01, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.36 MB

The shoddily built Portland suburb existed for six years. In that time, it spawned Portland State University and helped bring ethnic diversity to the state. Few people realize how important the place really was. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1940s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1101d-floating-houses-helped-many-survive-vanport-flood.html)

Mill owner’s fight with city sparked anti-Japanese riot

January 31, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.56 MB

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)

Skipper’s refusal to leave ship angered rescuers

January 30, 2024 14:00 - 9 minutes - 8.69 MB

At great personal risk, Coast Guardsmen had to rescue the skipper twice, because he insisted on staying aboard the stranded steamship to defend its cargo from marauding salvagers. (Columbia River Bar, Clatsop County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1601e.shipwreck-laurel-stubborn-captain-376.html)

Recollections of one of Portland's first telephone operators (WPA Federal Writers' Project oral history)

January 29, 2024 14:00 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MB

In March 1938, WPA writer Claire Churchill sat down with Anne Abernethy Starr for an oral-history interview, touching on Abernethy Starr's childhood memories growing up in frontier Portland and working as a draftswoman and as one of Portland's first telephone operators. (Source on Library of Congress Website: https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001932/ )

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