Bridges might seem like a mundane topic, but they offer a lot of history and stories. After all, bridges don't just connect us physically, but through time and tragedy as well. Stories include Portland bridges, Holcomb Bridge, Grave Creek Bridge, and more!

This show is part of the Oregon Voices Network, and you can see all the other shows we do at www.oregonvoices.net.

Sources:

Arkadiko Bridge - Wikipedia

Zavikon Island - Wikipedia

Julie-rekai-rickerd-papers.pdf

Donald S. Rickerd, Walking on a Tightrope: Canada and North Korea, October 27, 2015 - Toronto Whiff of Grape

World’s Smallest International Bridge Is Only 19 Feet Long

List of highest bridges - Wikipedia

Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge - Wikipedia

8 of the Most Devastating Bridge Collapses | HISTORY

The Goat: Why this 92-Year-Old Bridge is World's Biggest Timber Trestle | Wood Central

Morrison Bridge - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Street_Bridge_disaster#Witness_brings_charges_against_steamer_captain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Street_Bridge_(Portland,_Oregon)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumping_Station_Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritner_Creek_Bridge#:~:text=Built%20in%201927%2C%20in%201976,accommodate%20larger%20loads%20to%20pass.&text=NRHP%20reference%20No.&text=The%2073%2Dfoot%2Dlong%20(,were%20left%20in%20the%20state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holcomb_Creek_Trestle

https://thatoregonlife.com/2015/10/this-old-oregon-train-trestle-on-dick-road-is-said-to-be-haunted/

https://oregondiscovery.com/grave-creek-covered-bridge

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+covered+bridges&oq=why+covered+bridges&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgAEAAYFBiHAhiABDIMCAAQABgUGIcCGIAEMggIARAAGBYYHjIICAIQABgWGB4yCAgDEAAYFhgeMggIBBAAGBYYHjIICAUQABgWGB4yCAgGEAAYFhgeMggIBxAAGBYYHjIICAgQABgWGB4yDQgJEAAYhgMYgAQYigXSAQg3MDAzajBqN6gCCLACAfEF2DS9y-npJQ8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+are+covered+bridges+culturally+important&oq=why+are+covered+bridges+culturally+important&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRirAjIHCAYQIRirAjIHCAcQIRiPAtIBCDYyODdqMGo3qAIIsAIB8QVRFQ2jUMaoRg&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34810175/catharine-fulkerson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62747603/thomas_mcclain-crowley

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46811009/martha_leland-crowley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowley,_Polk_County,_Oregon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crooked_River_High_Bridge#:~:text=Shortly%20after%20its%20completion%2C%20Oregon,the%20south%20of%20the%20bridge.&text=The%20bridge%20has%20a%20total,m)%20above%20the%20canyon%20floor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_H._Boardman_State_Scenic_Corridor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beringia#Human_habitation_and_migration

https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/community_paid/offbeat-oregon-was-the-bridge-of-the-gods-a-real-thing-almost-certainly-yes/article_8a160258-a786-11e9-b985-83f036c8ab7a.html

https://www.travelmedford.org/natural-bridge-trail-

https://wa100.dnr.wa.gov/south-cascades/bonneville-landslide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_the_Gods_(land_bridge)

Black people have been oppressed for centuries. Enslaved, tortured, and exiled, and yet they still persevere. Today we talk, not about oppression, but about success and determination, of how many black pioneers of Oregon not only found acceptance, but community and home. Stories include Christopher Sewell, James Douglas, and Letitia Carson.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_People%27s_Campaign

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_bus_boycott

https://oregonblackpioneers.org/black-history-spotlight-columbus-sewell/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44253579/louisa_c-sewell

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44253879/christopher-columbus-sewall

https://bluemountaineagle.com/2022/09/27/louisa-sewell/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas_(governor)#Early_life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitman_massacre#Background

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/douglas_james/

https://barnraisingmedia.com/pioneer-letitia-carson-escaped-slavery-to-became-one-of-oregons-first-farmers/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letitia_Carson#Early_life

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/09/29/court-records-sojourner-truth-legal-battle

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137591165/letitia-carson

https://letitiacarson.oregonstate.edu/about-letitia-carson/

Sometimes history slams against the present in controversial ways, and the history of protests are a good example of that lesson. Stories include logger labor strikes, women's labor strikes, and the Park Block protests.

Sources:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/boston-tea-party/#:~:text=It%20was%20a%20protest%20about%20the%20tax,the%20monopoly%20of%20the%20East%20India%20Company.&text=Those%20involved%20in%20the%20protest%20were%20against,both%20expressed%20by%20the%201773%20Tea%20Act.

https://www.jyfmuseums.org/learn/research-and-collections/essays/the-tea-act-and-the-boston-tea-party

https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/feminism-second-wave#:~:text=Following%20the%20Equal%20Pay%20Act,have%20an%20abortion%20in%201973.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture#:~:text=A%20counterculture%20is%20a%20culture,%2DCulture%20or%20Counter%2Dculture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots#Riots

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/the-english-civil-wars-history-and-stories/#:~:text=The%20English%20Civil%20Wars%20were,during%20the%20First%20World%20War.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Wars-of-the-Roses

https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/narratives/this-land-oregon/the-rural-urban-interface/labor-struggles/#:~:text=The%20most%20significant%20influence%20of,Col.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Federation-of-Labor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World#:~:text=The%20Industrial%20Workers%20of%20the,syndicalist%2C%20and%20anarchist%20labor%20movements.

https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/moving-camp/#:~:text=Although%20railroads%20were%20used%20to,Caldwell%2C%20Idaho%2C%201995.&text=Western%20Oregon.,Pullman%2C%20Wash.%2C%201994.

https://mormonr.org/qnas/B3U7t/the_mountain_meadows_massacre?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqv2_BhC0ARIsAFb5Ac9o0symNT0cx47RWcJcBBPmOlLXxaCeHaiV3odMoLdnYylDxN7PStcaAnsPEALw_wcB

https://www.nps.gov/blrv/learn/historyculture/1824-strike.htm

https://www.oregonrn.org/page/Prov10DayStrikeNotice#:~:text=In%20the%20past%2C%20Providence%20has,and%20retaliation%20against%20union%20leaders.

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/dover-mill-girls-walk-americas-1st-womens-strike/

https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2020/05/battle-of-the-park-blocks-at-50-how-a-shocking-burst-of-violence-defined-portland-and-panicked-nixons-white-house.html

Weather has been a part of human history since before humans could use tools, and while we associate things like tornados with the Midwest and hurricanes with Florida, Oregon has seen it's fair share of devastation. Stories include the Columbus Day Storm, Aumsville tornado, the flood of 1996, and many more!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_tri-state_tornado

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_tri-state_tornado_outbreak

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/hurricanes-cyclones-and-typhoons-explained/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane#Background

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Bhola_cyclone

https://www.weather.gov/mfl/saffirsimpson#:~:text=Saffir%2DSimpson%20Hurricane%20Wind%20Scale,%2D177%20km/hr).

https://www.mckenzieriverreflectionsnewspaper.com/story/2025/01/09/history/deadly-long-creek-tornado-was-worst-in-state-history/7577.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Creek,_Oregon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Portland%E2%80%93Vancouver_tornadoes#Portland,_Oregon/Vancouver,_Washington

https://www.madraspioneer.com/news/central-oregon-history-looking-back-on-the-killer-storm-of-1883-84/article_ddbb68b8-d7d8-54fd-a296-6e01507050f6.html#:~:text=Artwork%20depicts%20terrible%20storm%20of%201884%20that%20killed%20numerous%20livestock.&text=The%20terrible%20winter%20of%201883,on%20the%20ground%20until%20March.

https://www.willametteheritage.org/salem-snowstorm/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gale_of_1880

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley_flood_of_1996

Many of us understand the desire to blow off steam, whether you're a hard working blue collar guy or a college student. Sometimes though, vacation time goes a bit too far, as demonstrated in todays tales which include the Seaside Riots, various college related parties and Vortex I.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_%2794

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Lang_(producer)#Woodstock_Festivals_1969,_1994,_1999,_2019

https://mdlbeast.com/xp-feed/music-industry/evolution-of-music-festivals-from-ancient-greece-to-the-modern-era

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_festival#:~:text=Festivals%20around%20the%20world,-Glastonbury%20Festival%20in&text=Milwaukee%2C%20Wisconsin's%2011%2D,three%2Dweek%20period%20during%20July.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_%2799#Problems

https://www.columbian.com/news/2015/dec/11/osu-fraternity-charged-suspended-after-toga-party/

https://www.beachconnection.net/news/seasriot052718_510.php

https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/police-off-campus-out-of-control-drinking-party-an-irresponsive-embarrassment-eugene-oregon-police-department-underage-drinkers-college-students-crowd-control

https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2016/06/seasides_wave_of_riots_in_the.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_in_music

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240503-kent-state-university-1970-protests-that-shook-the-us

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_I#The_event

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/vortex_i/

https://www.opb.org/news/article/50-years-kent-state-portland-state-university-vietnam-protest/#:~:text=Portland%20Police%20%2D%20OPB-,50%20Years%20Later:%20Violent%20Clashes%20Between%20Anti,War%20Students%20And%20Portland%20Police&text=May%204%2C%202020%206:15%20a.m.&text=On%20May%204%2C%201970%2C%20members,from%20the%20era%20with%20OPB.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.#M%E1%BB%B9_Lai_massacre_intervention

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Calley#Later_life_and_death

We finally begin our journey into Oregon's prehistoric history... Sort of! Oregon is rich in fossils, and unfortunately it also played partial host to a feud that saw many of those fossil lost to greed. Stories include Oregon's only dinosaur fossil, Thomas Condon, the Bone Wars, and more!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophanes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil#:~:text=A%20fossil%20(from%20Classical%20Latin,petrified%20wood%20and%20DNA%20remnants.

https://www.americanscientist.org/article/american-dinosaurs-who-and-what-was-first#:~:text=The%20first%20ever%20description%20of,first%20formal%20name:%20Scrotum%20humanum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkdale_Cave

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Buckland#Megalosaurus

https://www.opb.org/news/article/mitchell-oregon-first-dinosaur-fossil-ornithopod/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34256321/thomas-condon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Condon

https://www.nps.gov/joda/learn/historyculture/index.htm#:~:text=In%201862%20gold%20was%20found,there%20were%20fossils%20in%20Oregon!

https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/dr-thomas-condon/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars#Legacy

https://offbeatoregon.com/1601c.bone-wars.374.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Drinker_Cope#Biography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othniel_Charles_Marsh

https://www.koin.com/local/oregon-coast/third-20-million-year-old-hippo-like-fossil-found-on-the-oregon-coast-in-2-weeks/#:~:text=Oregon%20Coast-,Third%2020%2Dmillion%2Dyear%2Dold%20hippo%2Dlike%20fossil,Oregon%20Coast%20in%202%20weeks&text=PORTLAND%2C%20Ore.,unearthed%20at%20Lincoln%20County%20Beach.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleontology_in_Oregon#History

This episode is dedicated to my dog Milo. To celebrate his life, we are going into the history of the state's most courageous canines, with stories of Lewis and Clark's dog "Seaman", Two-Bits the Terrier, and Bobbie The Wonder Dog.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_best_friend#:~:text=%22Man's%20best%20friend%22%20is%20a,since%20become%20a%20common%20colloquialism.&text=Before%20the%2019th%20century%2C%20breeds,towards%20dogs%20began%20to%20shift.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Nash

https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/introduction-dogs

https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/evolution-of-dogs#:~:text=Recently%20published%20research%20in%20Cell,Reports%20study%20found%20something%20unexpected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_the_wolf#:~:text=The%20earliest%20specimens%20of%20the,from%20earlier%20Siberian%20wolf%20populations.

https://www.oregonlive.com/native-american-news/2023/12/this-pacific-nw-dog-was-once-kept-for-its-wool-yes-wool.html

https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/rare-woolly-dog-hair-found-coast-salish-blanket

https://www.nps.gov/people/seaman.htm

https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/seaman.htm#:~:text=Seaman%2C%20Meriwether%20Lewis'%20dog%2C,the%20trip%20but%20returned%20later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaman_(dog)#Seaman_after_the_expedition

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/two_bits_the_world_war_ii_lookout_dog/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbie_the_Wonder_Dog#Death_and_legacy

https://newsregister.com/article?articleId=49202#:~:text=It%20was%20the%20story%20of,lost%20during%20a%20family%20vacation

Oregon, as well as the rest of the United States, has been through an interesting period where a man could kill another man whom they believed to be a lecherous homewrecker and often got away with it. This is a period known as the unwritten law.

Sources:

https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-plays/romeo-and-juliet/

https://legalhistorymiscellany.com/2016/08/08/infidelity-defence/

https://www.thetudorchest.com/post/who-was-the-love-of-henry-viii-s-life

https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/50863

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/mary-latham-marries-and-older-man-and-regrets-it/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultery_laws#:~:text=Today%2C%20adultery%20laws%20are%20mostly,criminalize%20it%20as%20a%20misdemeanor.

https://www.lsd.law/define/unwritten-law

https://offbeatoregon.com/1508d.unwritten-law-353.html

https://offbeatoregon.com/1308c-reynolds-love-triangle-kissing-the-corpse.html

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/creffield_edmund_and_the_brides_of_christ_church/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Creffield

https://offbeatoregon.com/1508e.orlando-murray-UnLaw-354.html

https://offbeatoregon.com/1509d.powell-n-brown-UnLaw.html

John Ackroyd. It's a name most of you might not recognize, not like Dahmer or Ted Bundy. However for the people of Santiam Junction and highway 20, John Ackroyd was that nightmare for them, a nightmare they feared they would never wake from. This episode contains some fairly graphic content, listener discretion is advised.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_D._Hare#Impact

https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder#:~:text=The%20interpersonal%20traits%20include%20glibness,and%20failure%20to%20accept%20responsibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Arthur_Ackroyd

https://www.smith.edu/news-events/news/haunting-stories-highway-20

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/11/how-did-oregon-killer-john-arthur-ackroyd-die.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_of_Highway_20

https://newportoregon.gov/dept/npd/det.asp#:~:text=Sheila%20Swanson%2C%2019%2C%20and%20Melissa,a%20wooded%20area%20near%20Eddyville.

Welcome back to a new year of stories! On this episode we dive into unusual locations, places that have unexplained phenomenon or odd urban legends, including the Oregon Vortex, Witches Castle and even more Crater Lake!

Sources:

https://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2016/04/ghosts-of-assonet-ledge.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_the_Dolls

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater_Triangle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Hill,_Oregon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_House_(Portland,_Oregon)

https://centralportland.com/2011/08/16/danford-balch-northwest-portland-country-boy/

https://reedquest.org/2022/10/29/2022-10-28-the-haunting-of-the-witchs-castle/#:~:text=She%20said%20%E2%80%9CI%20had%20experienced,wish%20they%20weren't%E2%80%9D.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Spot

https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/findingaids/?p=collections/findingaid&id=2876

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/The+Oregon+Vortex,+4303+Sardine+Creek+L+Fork+Rd,+Gold+Hill,+OR+97525/42.6947,-123.2006/@42.6092569,-123.3228514,36020m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c585fab43066f1:0xe96a8bb07ae748ef!2m2!1d-123.084617!2d42.4932554!1m0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAyMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/milo/archive/HistoricalSociety/GoldHill/GreyEagle.pdf

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_vortex_house_of_mystery_/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Vortex