Welcome To Oregon: An Oregon Historical Variety Show

On this episode of Welcome To Oregon Live, we introduce the cast and discuss random bits of Oregon history, personal stories, and how we don't crime as much as we used to. Tune in for our fun and quirky inaugural episode!

Welcome to our PSA to briefly announce some major changes coming to the show, all good ones, I promise! It's been too long since our last visit and I want to change that.

Have you ever wondered what giant creatures roamed our state before we did? Spoiler alert, it wasn't the dinosaurs, but you might be shocked that giant beavers, massive ground sloths, and camels all co-existed with humans a long time ago!

Sources:

https://www.willamettevalleypleistocene.com/yrpp/about

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wild-animals-actually-responded-to-our-covid-lockdowns/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoroides#Discovery_and_species

https://sbs.arizona.edu/news/footprints-provide-first-evidence-ancient-humans-interacting-giant-sloths#:~:text=%22We%20see%20interesting%20circles%20of,blow%20as%20the%20animal%20turned.%22

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stone-tools-and-camel-tooth-suggest-people-were-in-the-pacific-northwest-more-than-18000-years-ago

Oregon’s State Fossil is Alive and Well in Bush’s Pasture Park - Mission Street Parks Conservancy

Metasequoia glyptostroboides - Wikipedia

The Ultimate Care Guide For Dawn Redwood Bonsai Trees - Love For Bonsai

We did something really cool for this episode, author Bruce Haney wrote a script of Boring, Oregon history to be narrated. Stories include Free Coldwell vs Tommy Burns, looging accidents, the cow incident and more!

Sources:

Bruce Haney

https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-04-01/batman-turkey-maphead-ken-jennings#:~:text=For%20centuries%2C%20Batman%20was%20just,world%2C%22%20he%20told%20reporters.

https://www.simoptions.com/strange-city-names/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dildo,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador#:~:text=The%20place%20name%20%22Dildo%22%20is,or%20%22dole%20pin%22).

https://sierracountynewmexico.info/town-named-after-a-game-show/#:~:text=In%201949%2C%20as%20the%20radio,city%3F%E2%80%9D%20said%20a%20staffer.

On this episode we go into the history and mystery of tunnels and passages. From railroads to roadways, Shanghai Tunnels to Tunnel 13 and so much more!

If you want more content including including our other shows and socials, check out www.oregonvoices.net!

Sources:

https://inl.gov/integrated-energy/cultural-anthropology/#:~:text=Retirees-,Native%20Americans%20used%20lava%20tubes%20as%20refrigerators%20during%20lean%20times,artifacts%20scattered%20across%20the%20floor.

https://whyy.org/articles/1893-worlds-fair-serial-killer-hh-holmes-remains-identified/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad#Political_background

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel#:~:text=deep%20historic%20connections.-,Antiquity%20and%20early%20middle%20ages,during%20the%202nd%20century%20AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritchley_Tunnel#:~:text=Fritchley%20Tunnel%20is%20a%20disused,It%20is%20a%20scheduled%20monument.

https://www.webuildvalue.com/en/infrastructure-news/longest-tunnel-in-the-world.html#:~:text=The%20World's%20Longest%20Tunnels,in%20length%2C%20built%20in%202018.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A6rdal_Tunnel#:~:text=The%20L%C3%A6rdal%20Tunnel%20(Norwegian:%20L%C3%A6rdalstunnelen,being%20WestConnex%20in%20Sydney%2C%20Australia.&text=In%201975%2C%20the%20Parliament%20of,and%20often%20closed%20in%20winter.

https://storyland.coplacdigital.org/mcla/death/deaths-in-the-hoosac-tunnel/

https://storyland.coplacdigital.org/mcla/afterlife/captured-ghost-evidence/#:~:text=The%20results%20remain%20inconclusive.,and%20blue%20being%20the%20weakest.

https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-places/haunted-hoosac-tunnel/#:~:text=On%20the%20afternoon%20of%20March,and%20tons%20of%20solid%20rock.

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

https://sites.google.com/view/recreatingthelcrh/lower-columbia-river-highway/clatsop-county/wauna-to-westport/westport-tunnel-road/westport-tunnel_1

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/544186.html?1432570235#:~:text=The%20height%20of%20a%20Model%20T%20Ford,(88%22)%20at%20the%20rear%20of%20the%20cab

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Point_(Oregon)

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

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

https://www.travelsalem.com/things-to-do/tours/john-ritters-stories-of-the-underground-downtown-salem-lore-tour/#:~:text=Many%20tunnels%20were%20dug%20to,of%20many%20of%20the%20transactions.&text=The%20need%20for%20the%20underground,expelled%20in%20the%20early%201900s.&text=The%20glass%20was%20originally%20clear,in%20glass%20turned%20them%20purple.

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/pendletons-underground-and-chinese-tunnel-myth/

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2010/10/historians_explore_tunnels_beneath_salem.html

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/deautremont-brothers-train-hold-up-at-tunnel-13/

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/tragedy-at-tunnel-13-exhibition/the-context#:~:text=Tunnel%2013%20on%20the%20Southern,1988.4%2D2%2C%20%23019337)

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/059ae21e07e24104af6399885591765f

https://greatoregonoutdoors.com/tunnel-13-abandoned-siskiyou-station/

https://www.sierrasun.com/news/central-pacifics-unlucky-tunnel-13/

https://www.uspis.gov/history-spotlight-2023/robbery-at-council-bluffs

https://fortwiki.com/Battery_Mishler

We have touched on stories in or around Bandon many times, now it's time we finally dive into some of them, including the famous marijuana drug bust, the terrible Bandon fires, and of course the more recent story on the West Coast Game Park Safari.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandon,_County_Cork

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

https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/attractions/historic/jacobites

https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/mary-queen-of-scots-life-death-rule-facts-biography/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131455719/victoria_mary_catherine-bennett

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

https://www.lordbennetts.com/who-is-lord-bennett

https://www.bandon-or.gov/general/page/history

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31239110/george-bennett

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/in-bandon-oregon-an-irishmans-attempt-to-bring-a-bit-of-home-with-him-proved-deadly#:~:text=Upon%20first%20reaching%20this%20small,came%20to%20displace%20native%20plants.

https://www.bandonhistoricalmuseum.org/cemeterytour.html#:~:text=Although%20the%20city%20of%20Bandon,under%20that%20name%20in%201891.

https://theworldlink.com/pioneers-of-the-south-coast/article_ba87c138-ddf1-5726-a01c-48a6009386f9.html#:~:text=The%20Averills%20were%20among%20the%20earliest%20pioneers,cemetery%20and%20the%20town%20was%20called%20Averill

https://offbeatoregon.com/20-07.new-river-drug-bust.html

https://offbeatoregon.com/22-05.gold-on-the-beach-609.html

https://www.westcoastgamepark.com/about

https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/robert-stanley-tenney/article_ef8717b8-57a0-11ec-9670-5b61b18b8b39.html

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/28/west-coast-game-park-brian-tenney-bandon-arrest/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Game_Park_Safari#:~:text=The%20West%20Coast%20Game%20Park,following%20investigation%20into%20criminal%20activities.&text=The%20park%20was%20a%20petting,such%20as%20the%20snow%20leopard.

https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/mary-t-tenney/article_98bfda25-76c9-508d-96d2-90a06bcb038d.html

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

https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/picking-cranberries-at-sandlake/

https://facerockcreamery.com/pages/bandon-cheese-history#:~:text=Bandon%20Oregon%20has%20cheese%20in,artisan%20style%20of%20making%20cheese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillamook_County_Creamery_Association#Controversy

https://facerockcreamery.com/blogs/face-rock-blog/the-reincarnation-of-bandon-cheese?srsltid=AfmBOooiOF1Mvb6e8abWcW4zCji-iyDMpGpSMMJ7Jcd1ewJBrtOdYPyM

https://www.coastalsothebysrealty.com/2024/02/02/meet-brad-sinko-of-face-rock-creamery/

https://theworldlink.com/bandon/news/bandon-remembers-the-devastating-fire-of-1914/article_3581ada8-f1c1-11e3-8ee9-0019bb2963f4.html

https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/gorse-ulex-europaeus#other_uses

https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/bandon-fire-1936/

https://www.bandoninn.com/History#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%201914%20fire%20began%20at,and%20no%20alarm%20was%20sounded.

https://www.bandonhistoricalmuseum.org/newsletters/2020sep_extra.pdf

https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2017/09/fire_is_the_story_of_oregon_ba.html

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