Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Lewis and Clark marked their trail with laxatives
AS LEWIS AND CLARK’S Corps of Discovery made its way across the continent to Oregon, the men (and woman) of the party probably weren’t thinking much about their place in history. So they weren’t taki…
Published on 6 months ago
‘Bonus Army’ that crushed Hoover started in Portland
Portlander Walter Waters arrived in D.C. at the head of 20,000 disciplined, well-intentioned petitioners to request that First World War vets be paid their service bonus early. Hoover refused to meet…
Published on 6 months ago
Letter from afar gave a “view to a shanghaiing”
Four states away from his family, with no living parents, young Carroll Beebe was like a walking, talking invitation to a shanghaiing. And when he checked into Bridget Grant's boardinghouse, she obli…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Former whorehouse is a historical treasure today
Once the finest residence in Oregon Territory, the John McLoughlin House also was once one of the most disreputable — so when history buffs set out to save it, they had to overcome some resistance (O…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
The bloody manhunt for ‘king of western outlaws’
Fresh from breaking out of jail in Utah, Harry Tracy apparently came to Portland looking for a fresh start; he married, and then for three years kept his nose clean. But, it seems, the call of the ou…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Famous captain’s heroic action saved lives in fire
Back in the 1800s, a fire on a riverboat was a very serious matter, and not as rare as you might think. Riverboats were made of wood and powered by steam boilers, so there was always a fire on board.…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Steamboat monopoly’s ‘clever coup’ turned out to be a big mistake
The executives in charge of Henry Villard’s Oregon Railway and Navigation Co. no doubt thought they’d played their cards very cleverly when they bought the little screw-driven riverboat Gold Dust in …
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
They laughed at Captain Scott’s ugly boat...at first
READERS OF A certain age all over North America will remember a really excellent Canadian comedy-variety show called The Red Green Show, which had a 15-year run starting in 1990, starring Steve Smith…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Portland built nearly half of U.S. aircraft carriers in World War II
DURING THE FIRST year of the Second World War, the conflict in the Pacific was all about aircraft carriers. With a carrier, one could take the fight to the enemy. Without one, one could only huddle o…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
County wasted $3.1 mil on squabble over courthouse
Klamath County was about to move into a courthouse just outside town -- but downtown businesses, fearful they'd lose their status as county seat, fought the plan with every weapon they had ... and wo…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago