The Oregon Encyclopedia

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
Shawna Gandy

Director, OHS Research Library

Design and Development

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