In 1587, 115 colonists established England’s first small colony of the Americas on Roanoke—a swampy, coastal island that would eventually be considered part of North Carolina. The governor of the colony, John White, returned to England shortly after. Three years later he returned to find the colony gone. There was nothing: no corpses, no burnt […]
Joe Streckert
Joe Streckert is the author of Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon: A History of Gambling, Vice, Wits, and Wagers. He writes about books, history, and comics.
Posted inBooks
The Secret Token Exposes the Mythology of the Roanoke Colony
Journalist Author Andrew Lawler Contextualizes One of America’s Favorite Mysteries
Andrew Lawler outlines the history, disappearance, and the eventual mythologizing of the Roanoke colony in his new book The Secret Token.
Posted inFeature
Early Map Makers Didn’t Know What Was Going on in Oregon—So They Made Stuff Up
You’re no geography expert, but you probably have a basic idea of where nations and continents are positioned on a globe, right? But it wasn’t that long ago when people who drew maps only had the vaguest idea of what our planet actually looks like. European and American maps from before the 1800s only sort […]
Posted inHistory
An Imaginary Oregon
Early Map Makers Had No Idea What Was in the Pacific Northwest—But That Didn’t Stop Them from Making Stuff Up
Early map makers had no idea what was in the Pacific Northwest—but that didn’t stop them from making stuff up.
Posted inPortland
A Peek at Portland’s Alternative Universe
Nothing’s inevitable. Had it not been for a storm, the Spanish Armada would have beaten up England. Lincoln’s evening may have been more enjoyable had he canceled his theater plans. A better-designed Florida ballot might’ve given us President Al Gore. You get the idea: According to the popular theory, a butterfly flaps its wings, and […]
Posted inHistory
A Peek at Portland’s Alternative Universe
What If Portland Were Completely Different? (You’d Still Complain About It, Right?)
Nothing’s inevitable. Had it not been for a storm, the Spanish Armada would have beaten up England. Lincoln’s evening may have been more enjoyable had he canceled his theater plans. A better-designed Florida ballot might’ve given us President Al Gore. You get the idea: According to the popular theory, a butterfly flaps its wings, and […]
Posted inNational Politics
How Oregon’s Klan of Yesteryear is Suspiciously Similar to Today’s Political Climate
CLARA JOYCE Dear Sir,” begins the membership form, “We have been requested by one of your personal friends to get in touch with you, and inform you of this organization.” A list of questions follows. “What is your age? What is your occupation? Where were you born?” And: “Were your parents born in the United […]
Posted inHistory
Echoes of the Klan
The History of the Ku Klux Klan in Oregon—and the Striking Similarities You May Recognize
The history of the Ku Klux Klan in Oregon—and the striking similarities you may recognize.
Posted inFood and Drink
Old Stuff for New Portlanders
Or, Tricking Old Portlanders into Thinking You Aren’t New
How to trick Old Portlanders into thinking you aren’t new.
Posted inArts
Zachary Schomburg’s Mastadon Marathon: An Appreciation
Get into the Weirdness of the Portland Poet’s Debut Novel, Mammother
Get into the weirdness of the Portland poet’s debut novel, Mammother.
Posted inPortland
Seeing Portland Through the Eyes of a Tourist Might Teach You Something About Portland
ALLISON KEREK I spent seven years as a Portland tour guide. It was my job to escort groups of tourists through Downtown, Old Town, and the Pearl District and professionally yell facts about whatever was in the area. That job, professional fact yelling, changed my life. I was born in Portland in 1980, grew up […]
Posted inPortland
Through the Eyes of a Tourist
How Teaching Tourists About Portland Taught Me a Lot About Portland
How teaching tourists about Portland taught me a lot about Portland.