Oregon's Golden Years


Book Description

Gold! A single handful of shiny nuggets changed Oregon from a quiet settlement in the Willamette Valley to a brawling frontier that stretched from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of adventuresome souls faced staggering hardships as they streamed across two thousand miles of America's wasteland and then, armed with pick and shovel, headed for the mines.




Jumptown


Book Description

A fascinating blend of music, politics, and social history, Jumptown sheds light on a time and place overlooked by histories of Portland and jazz. For a golden decade following World War II, jazz talent and musical activity flourished in Portland. A thriving African American neighborhood--that would soon be bulldozed for urban renewal--spawned a jazz heyday rarely rivaled on the West Coast. Such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Wardell Gray headlined Portland clubs and traded chops with the up-and-coming local talent. The Dude Ranch. Lil' Sandy's McClendon's Rhythm Room. The Frat Hall. The Chicken Coop. The Uptown Ballroom. Jazz historian Bob Dietsche leads a guided tour of the main jazz spots--from supper club to dance hall--capturing the emotion, excitement, and energy of an evening on the town. His book for the first time collects hundreds of pieces of local jazz history--photographs, personal recollections, reviews, maps, handbills--to create "an anatomy of a jazz village." Dietsche's compendium of stories and moments brings to life the citizens of the jazz village--the musicians and dancers, the disc jockeys and promoters, the critics and music teachers, the club owners and patrons. Jumptown celebrates and preserves this rich cultural past and showcases its continuing influence. In an afterword, Lynn Darroch recaps the highlights in Portland jazz since 1968 and shows how "Portland's twenty-first-century jazz scene reflects the city's original golden age, and the spirit of the Avenue remains in the sounds of today."




The Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling: 1980S


Book Description

Wrestling is a nondiscriminatory sport where size and gender do not matter. It is, without a doubt, the hardest sport in which to compete and boasts the best conditioned athletes in the world. The 1980s produced a group of American wrestlers unmatched in history that included eleven nominees to the NCAA 75th Anniversary Wrestling Team; thirty-three, four-time All-Americans; seven of the top nine wrestlers in history; and five amateur wrestlers who accounted for seven NCAA titles, three Olympic gold medals, six world gold medals, and forty-one United States national championships. In his tribute to the Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling, award-winning sportswriter Reginald Rowe shines a light on the eras most dominant athletes that include Mean Gene (Mills) the Pinning Machine as he embarked on his quest for Olympic gold that was ended by President Carter and launched an all-out war against an Iranian wrestler. Also profiled is Andre Metzger, the winningest wrestler in history who warned the wrestling world of John DuPonts insanity; Tim Vanni, also known as Mr. Perseverance; and Rick Stewart who pinned Dave Schultz in the 1981 NCAA finals. Included are poignant remembrances of Schultz by men who wrestled with and against him. The Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling: 1980s shares stories and statistics that pay tribute to the greatest collegiate and international wrestlers ever produced in the United States.




Oregon State Football


Book Description

Oregon State University began its football program in 1893 and has been a study in contrasts ever since. The Beavers went to the Rose Bowl after the 1941, 1956, and 1964 seasons and to the Liberty Bowl in 1962. There was also a streak of losing seasons that lasted from 1971 until 1998. Two years later, the Beavers competed in the Fiesta Bowl and ranked among the top five teams in the country. From the Iron Men of 1933 to the Civil War rivalry between OSU and the University of Oregon, and from Terry Bakerthe first Heisman Trophy winner on the West Coastto a pair of bowl victories over Notre Dame, this entertaining and informative volume presents many seldom-seen images and the stories behind them over a century of Oregon State football. Oregon State University began its football program in 1893 and has been a study in contrasts ever since. The Beavers went to the Rose Bowl after the 1941, 1956, and 1964 seasons and to the Liberty Bowl in 1962. There was also a streak of losing seasons that lasted from 1971 until 1998. Two years later, the Beavers competed in the Fiesta Bowl and ranked among the top five teams in the country. From the Iron Men of 1933 to the Civil War rivalry between OSU and the University of Oregon, and from Terry Bakerthe first Heisman Trophy winner on the West Coastto a pair of bowl victories over Notre Dame, this entertaining and informative volume presents many seldom-seen images and the stories behind them over a century of Oregon State football.




Standing at the Water's Edge


Book Description

Takes readers on a journey of contemporary US history using primary sources and artifacts.




Kimiko


Book Description

In the fifties, with the occupation of Japan. The Korean war - this is the place to be. Two shipmates and I rented an old house up in the hills, overlooking the bay of Tokyo. After two weeks or so, the three of us are going to see Japan. We got on the bus to go downtown. It stops at every street, so we knew it would reach downtown. We are then back at the house, and our cook asked if we need someone who can speak english. The cook went to the neighbors and brought back a young lady. The woman was around twenty years old. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing a white cotton blouse and a pair of blue jeans. She said "hello, my name is Kimiko." She could speak english quite well, like an English lady and not like an American. I did not quite know what to think about that. She said "the old cook said you need a translator and you would like to go to Yokohama is that correct?" and I said correct. Kimiko offered to be our translator and guide. However in Japan, unmarried women needs an escort before they are permitted to accompany an unmarried man. And that's how the book came to be.




Oregon 1859


Book Description

The essential Oregon guide for time travelers of all ages. Oregon became the 33rd state in the Union on February 14, 1859. Portland had wooden sidewalks and tamped dirt streets unlit by gaslight until a year later. To the south, gold glittered in streams; towns with names like Echo, Lookingglass, and Quartzville were springing up all over. It is a time to remember— and revisit—today, 150 years later, with this detailed and lively guide. Janice Marschner provides all you need to travel through each of Oregon's 19 original counties at the moment of statehood: a map showing each county's 1859 place names and current reference points; the history of native peoples and settlers; early roads and bridges; the first homes, schools, stores, hotels, and churches; biographical sketches of notable individuals throughout the state. Historical photographs show the determined faces of natives and settlers; their oxen and wagons on wide, rough roads; their rafts and ferries on the rivers; and their towns under development. An inspiring, close-up portrait at the moment of statehood, Oregon 1859 will light the way back for anyone who wants to see Oregon today as it was then.




Oregon's Wilderness Areas


Book Description

From the towering volcanic peaks of the Three Sisters Wilderness to the Wild and Scenic Snake River winding through Hells Canyon, from the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood to the gorges of Steens Mountain, this detailed guide takes you to outdoor adventures in both the famous and lesser-known of Oregon's Wilderness Areas. Learn about the natural, human, and geological history of these protected lands; climate; flora and fauna; and ongoing preservation efforts. Whether day-hiking or backpacking, cross-country skiing or boating, this book will help you to explore the variety of activities and natural treasures within Oregon's 40 designated Wilderness Areas. Also included are full descriptions of Oregon Cascades Recreation Area and Crater Lake National Park, not official Wilderness Areas but still major Cascade wildlands. In Oregon's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide, ecologist, writer, and photographer George Wuerthner brings the state's diverse wildlands together into one comprehensive, pack-along guidebook. Book jacket.




Reading Portland


Book Description

Reading Portland is a literary exploration of the city's past and present. In over eighty selections, Portland is revealed through histories, memoirs, autobiographies, short stories, novels, and news reports. This single volume gives voice to women and men; the colonizers and the colonized; white, Hispanic, African American, Asian American, and Indian storytellers; and lower, middle, and upper classes. In his introduction, John Trombold considers the history of writing about a place that has nourished a provocative and errant literary tradition for over 150 years. In the preface, Peter Donahue considers the influence of region--particularly Portland's urbanity and its hybrid population--on literature. Included here are the voices of Carl Abbott, Kathryn Hall Bogle, Beverly Cleary, Robin Cody, Lawson Fusao Inada, Rudyard Kipling, Ursula K. Le Guin, Joaquin Miller, Sandy Polishuk, Gary Snyder, Kim Stafford, Elizabeth Woody, and many more.