Offbeat Oregon History podcast www.offbeatoregon.com (finn @ offbeatoregon.com)
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- History
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The Offbeat Oregon History Podcast is a daily service from the Offbeat Oregon History newspaper column. Each weekday morning, a strange-but-true story from Oregon's history from the archives of the column is uploaded. An exploding whale, a few 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. Source citations are included with the text version on the Web site at https://offbeatoregon.com.
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Oregon’s first murder defendant saved by wife
It was the first murder trial ever held in the Oregon Territory. The prosecution alleged that Nimrod O’Kelley was a land pirate who had invented an imaginary wife in order to fraudulently claim extra land, and that he had murdered Jeremiah Mahoney to prevent losing it, and to intimidate his other neighbors so that none would challenge him. But when the 'imaginary' wife arrived, everything changed. (Marysville/Corvallis, Benton County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1910d.nimrod-okelly-murder.html)
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Mysterious skeletons of Oregon history: If only these bones could talk ...
Sometimes the silent bones of the long dead almost seem to want to tell their stories ... but, of course, they can't. There are a few stories of skeletal remains found in Oregon whose secrets will probably never be known. (Scio, Ochoco National Forest, Peters Creek Sink) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1210c-mysterious-skeletons-of-oregon-history.html)
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Nutty 1890s governor gave state two Thanksgivings
In 1893, famously irascible governor Sylvester Pennoyer made a mistake on the date of Turkey Day in a speech. But then, instead of admitting his error, he defiantly doubled down on it. (Salem, Marion County; 1890s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1411b.312.pennoyers-thanksgiving.html)
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Prospectors turned their backs on a fortune, twice
Miner William Aldred, traveling to a rumored bonanza in Idaho with five dozen other miners, found two gold mines on the way — but couldn't get the other miners to stay with him to work them. Luckily, one of the two mines was still unclaimed on their return. (Prairie City, Grant County; 1860s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1907e.prospectors-turned-backs-on-two-fortunes-558.html)
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HEADLINE (WPA oral-history interview with NAMENAMENAME)
WPA writer William Haight's oral history interview with Miss Etta Crawford, wealthy and cultured member of frontier Oregon's social elite and political activist, recalling her girlhood days in Portland shortly after the Civil War. (For the transcript, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001943/)
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Laws in old Oregon were rough, not always ready
“From 1861 to 1876, every man committed to the Oregon State Penitentiary for ‘life’ either escaped or was pardoned,” writes historian and newspaper columnist Erik Bromberg, quoting from the U.S. Federal Writers Project’s “Oregon Oddities” article of 1939-1941. “Some who escaped were recaptured and then pardoned.” (Oregon Territory, 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1910c.frontier-justice-jailhouses.html)
Customer Reviews
Native Oregonian learning a bit more about “Gods Country.”
I came upon this podcast accidentally and love what I’ve heard so far… easy listen chock-full of informative Oregon history. Thank you from an appreciative Portlander now in Texas.
Informative, funny and adorable!
I just love this podcast. I binged every episode and look forward to the new ones. Finn is an amazing orator and storyteller who makes history fascinating. I came to this podcast during a very dark time in my life and it brought me a sense of joy and connection with my local history. It also inspires me artistically, for some reason. I get great inspiration from the tales of the past, and it connects me with the humanity that we all have no matter what century we reside in the great state of Oregon. Never stop, love it! In fact, I’d love to see a live show sometime!
Excellent mostly unknown stories of Oregon
Excellent, mostly unknown stories of Oregon