By Jeffrey Stone :: This week we look back on a tragic and controversial event in Oregon history: the 1948 flood that washed away Vanport, Oregon. During World War II, the United States industrial sector was working overtime to keep up with military demand. Kaiser shipyards was in desperate need of employees, but a housingContinue Reading Vanport | Tragedy and Conspiracy in Postwar Oregon
Source: Beyond Coursework: Maddie Mott – KPSU In this episode of Beyond Footnotes we interview Maddie Mott, a PSU history undergraduate and development coordinator at the Clackamas County Historical Society. This is Maddie’s second time on the show—in winter quarter we interviewed her and her colleague Corinne Rupp their work at the Clackamas CountyContinue Reading Beyond Coursework | Maddie Mott
By Jazmine Kelly :: On May 24th, 1958 the Morrison Bridge, Portland’s understated landmark opened. But this wasn’t the first construction of the bridge—it was actually the third time the bridge had been revised. The Morrison bridge has witnessed Portland’s growth over the last century. Interestingly enough, every time the bridge was rebuilt thereContinue Reading Morrison Bridge | A Bridge to Portland’s Growth
In this episode of Beyond Footnotes, we explore the history of the American West through music. Our guest is William Schneider, a second-year graduate student who recently completed his Master thesis “Music and Race in the American West,” [read the abstract]. We discuss how music is a valuable form of historical analysis, despite beingContinue Reading Music and Race | Will Schneider
By Alecia Giombolini :: On May 16, 1882, former Portland mayor and prominent local physician, James A. Chapman signed an illicit agreement with the powerful Republican politician, Lucerne Besser. In this contract Besser promised to nominate Chapman for the office of Mayor and then provide the money needed to secure Chapman’s election. If elected,Continue Reading The 1882 Portland Mayoral Election Scandal
In this episode of Beyond Footnotes we interview PSU Professor John Ott, who teaches Medieval History, with a focus in Northern France and Flanders in the 11th and 12th centuries. Professor Ott discusses the training needed to be a medievalist and the medieval church, including the secular clergy. If you’re wondering what a secularContinue Reading John Ott | Resident Medievalist
By Mike Mata :: For more than a century and a half, Oregonians have debated the legacy of the state’s first convicted female murderer, Charity Lamb. Charity murdered her husband, Nathaniel, on May 13, 1854. After being arrested for the murder along with her eldest daughter, Mary Ann, Charity stood trial on September 11th ofContinue Reading Oregon’s Lizzie Borden | Unfaithful, axe-wielding killer, or mentally unstable and abused wife?