mt-hood

About Us

Mission Statement

The Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture provides definitive, authoritative information written in accessible and literate language about the State of Oregon, including significant individuals, places, institutions, events, peoples, and artistic expressions.

Project Description

The Oregon Encyclopedia is a statewide digital resource of history and culture. It is the authoritative and creative resource on all things Oregon, a substantive and lasting recognition of the state's complex history and culture.

The OE is designed to expand and grow as new entries and essays are written and as new web-based features are created. Authors and editors review entries regularly to ensure that they include up-to-date information and sources.

The OE is part of the Oregon Historical Society's Digital History Projects, in partnership with Portland State University and the Oregon Council of Teachers of English. The OE has also received support from the Oregon Cultural Trust through the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission, Willamette University, and the Oregon State Library. The OHS Digital History Projects include The OE, the Oregon History Project (digitized and annotated primary resources), and the Oregon History Wayfinder (interactive map). Together, the sites provide the largest compendium of digitized material and scholarship about Oregon history and culture on the Web.

Significant financial support has come from Portland State University, the Chancellor’s Office of the Oregon Higher Education Board, Oregon Cultural Trust, Willamette University, and the Oregon Council of the Teachers of English, plus contributions from the public and grants. As of 2020, The Oregon Encyclopedia has published over 1,700 entries and essays written by over 900 contributors. The OE's twenty-seven-member volunteer Editorial Board, copy editors, and managerial staff produce a publication that averages nearly one million visits per year.

Staff

Editors-in-Chief

  • Ulrich Hardt

    Portland State University, Professor Emeritus

  • Jeff LaLande

    Retired archaeologist and historian, U.S. Forest Service; Southern Oregon University, adjunct History and Anthropology faculty

  • Linda Tamura

    Willamette University, Education, Professor Emerita

Executive Committee of the Editorial Board

  • Roger Hull

    Willamette University, Art History, Professor Emeritus; Hallie Ford Museum of Art co-founder and curator

  • Kimberly Jensen

    Western Oregon University, Professor of History and Gender Studies

  • William Lang

    Portland State University, History, Professor Emeritus

  • Barbara Mahoney

    Independent Historian; former director of Willamette University Alumni Relations

  • Jim Scheppke

    Former State Librarian of Oregon

Editorial Office, Oregon Historical Society

  • Amy Platt

    Project Manager

  • Tania Hyatt-Evenson

    Editorial Coordinator; Community Relations and Outreach Coordinator

  • Marianne Keddington-Lang

    Managing Editor

  • Oregon Historical Society logo

    Shawna Gandy

    Director, OHS Research Library

Design and Development

  • Upswell logo

    Upswell

Editorial Board

  • Carl Abbott

    Portland State University, Urban Studies and Planning, Professor Emeritus

  • Edwin Battistella

    Southern Oregon University, Professor of English and Writing

  • Scott Burns

    Portland State University, Professor and Chair of Geology

  • Kelly Cannon-Miller

    Executive Director, Deschutes County Historical Society

  • Thomas J. Connolly

    Director of Archaeological Research Division, UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History

  • Doug Decker

    Former Oregon State Forester and Director of the Oregon Department of Forestry

  • Richard W. Etulain

    University of New Mexico, American Studies and Literature, Professor Emeritus

  • Matthew Hampton

    Cartographer, Portland Metro

  • Prof. James Harrison

    Portland Community College Dept. of History; cofounder of the Vanport Mosaic Festival

  • Roger Hull

    Willamette University, Art History, Professor Emeritus; Hallie Ford Museum of Art co-founder and curator

  • Jane Hunter

    Lewis & Clark College, Professor of History and Associate Dean

  • Kimberly Jensen

    Western Oregon University, Professor of History and Gender Studies

  • David Johnson

    Portland State University, History, Professor Emeritus

  • Larry Landis

    Oregon State University Archivist

  • William L. Lang

    Portland State University, History, Professor Emeritus

  • David Lewis

    Oregon State University, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Anthropology

  • Caroline Litzenberger

  • Barbara Mahoney

    Independent Historian; former director of Willamette University Alumni Relations

  • Mary Oberst

    Oregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation; Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers

  • Jim Scheppke

    Former State Librarian of Oregon

  • Gregory P. Shine

    U.S. Bureau of Land Management

  • Greta Smith

    Independent historian

  • Jamie Vener