The Oregon Encyclopedia

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image of an explorer overlooking an Oregon lake
Annotation

This website is a collaboration between Portland State University, the Oregon Council of Teachers of English, and the Oregon Historical Society, and is a key project of the Oregon Sesquicentennial Celebration. Beyond its basic function as a reference tool, The Oregon Encyclopedia provides lesson plans for teachers—primarily for grades 4–12. The site is divided into 17 categories, each one with several subcategories such as "biography," "event," "group," or "place." Entries include a brief history, or synopsis, of the topic with any accompanying media objects and suggested reading. Entries are arranged alphabetically or by topic with a search engine that allows searches based on category, theme, sub-theme, county, era, or region. Each week new entries are added to the hundreds currently online.

In the For Teachers section, users will find several sections. "History Minutes" contains facts about important topics related to the state. The "Oregon IQ Test" offers a short list of Oregon trivia questions. The "Permissions" and "How to Cite" pages outline the educational and fair use policies to help students navigate copyright policies. Under "Research Tools," users will find a list of annotated bibliographies, as well as the ability to conduct a live chat with an online librarian any time of day—even during the weekends.

Oregon and U.S. history teachers and students will find The Oregon Encyclopedia a useful resource for learning more about the nation's 33rd state and its role in U.S. history.

Heslin House [OR]

Description

The Heslin House, located in Fairview, OR, beside the Columbia River, is an impressive example of Western Farmhouse architecture. The home was purchased by the Fairview-Rockwood-Wilkes Historical Society in 1991, and now stands as a historic house museum.

The house offers guided tours. The website offers a brief history of the home as well as visitor information.

Zimmerman House Museum [OR]

Description

The Zimmerman House Museum is located in East Multnomah County, Oregon. The home was purchased by the Zimmermans in 1869, and was donated to the Fairview Rockwood Historical Society in 1987 in order to serve as a historic house museum. The museum focuses primarily on the life and times of the residents of the home, and contains an impressive collection of thousands of artifacts.

The site offers basic visitor and historical information regarding the Zimmerman House Museum. The site is also part of the Fairview Rockwood Historical Society website, and so offers information about the society and their projects.

Museum of the Oregon Territory [OR]

Description

The Museum of the Oregon Territory provides visitors with changing exhibits on the Oregon Territory, Clackamas County, and historic Oregon City. Recognized as the official end of the Oregon Trail, Oregon City was Oregon’'s first capital and a major industrial and political center in the West. Highlights include 15,000 year-old petroglyphs and artifacts from Willamette Valley Native American communities. The museum is also home to the Clackamas County Historical Society’s extensive collection and library, where guests can research land claim documents, marriage returns, Civil War records, and historical photographs.

The museum offers exhibits and a research library.

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park [OR]

Description

The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is comprised of 12 individual historic parks along a 40-mile stretch of Oregon and Washington Coast. Together, the parks tell the story of Lewis and Clark's momentous journey to the Pacific Ocean and back as well as offer historical information and exhibits regarding the Oregon and Washington coasts.

The park offers outdoor activities, exhibits, guided tours at all 12 parks, summer camps, resources for teachers such as traveling trunks and lesson plans, and field trip programs. The website offers lesson plans, curriculum guides, photographs of the 12 member parks, a schedule of events, visitor information, and historical information regarding all 12 parks and the Lewis and Clark expedition. In order to contact the website via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

Evergreen Aviation Museum [OR]

Description

The Evergreen Aviation Museum exists to present the history of air and space technology and to honor United States veterans. Collection highlights include a replica of Wilbur and Orville Wright's 1903 Flyer; the circa 1947 Hughes Flying Boat or "Spruce Goose," the largest aircraft ever constructed; and the Russian Photon space capsule, launched 1990. More than 50 aircraft are on display.

The museum offers exhibits, self-guided tours, guided tours, guided tours and activities for students, a summer camp, story times and crafts for kindergartners through third graders, a youth ground school, a youth overnight program, a junior docent program, Scout programs, radio-controlled flying seminars, archival access, two cafes, and boxed lunches. Reservations are required for group tours. Two weeks advance notice is required for groups of 20 or more wanting boxed lunches. Appointments are required for archival access. Wheelchairs are available for use on site. The website offers an education assistance grant application, relevant activities, and a teacher's guide.

Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History [OR]

Description

Douglas County traverses an amazing variety of terrain, from the snowcapped peaks of the Cascade mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History chronicles human history in Douglas County, from the Umpqua tribe which first settled the area 10,000 years ago until the present day, and also pays special attention to the history of mining, fishing, farming, and logging, all of which have been an integral part of the Douglas County economy.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours, outreach programs, and special events such as presentations and lectures. The website offers visitor information, a history of the museum, information regarding museum programs, and an events calendar.

Crown Point State Scenic Corridor and Vista House [OR]

Description

The Vista House was built in 1916 at the same time as Highway 30 (what is now the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway, and the only way to reach Crown Point). The building was designed to be a place of refreshment and enjoyment of the Columbia Gorge. The octagonal building with its copper dome houses a museum, with interpretive displays of historic and geologic points of interest in the Gorge.

A second website for this website can be found here.

The site offers exhibits

Oregon Jewish Museum

Description

The Oregon Jewish Museum presents the history of Oregon's Jewish population, one of the state's earliest immigrant communities. The only Jewish museum in the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Jewish Museum holds extensive collections largely focused on the years 1850 to present.

The museum offers exhibits and research library access.