By www.offbeatoregon.com (finn @ offbeatoregon.com)
The Offbeat Oregon History Podcast is a daily service from the Offbeat Oregon History newspaper column. Each weekday morning, a strange-but-true story from Oregon's history from the archives of the column is uploaded. An exploding whale, a few shockingly scary cults, a 19th-century serial killer, several very naughty ladies, a handful of solid-brass con artists and some of the dumbest bad guys in the history of the universe. Source citations are included with the text version on the Web site at https://offbeatoregon.com.
Recent Episodes
Mona Bell was like Annie Oakley with an edge
10 Mar 2026
Columbia River was a wild, frothy, dangerous place once
9 Mar 2026
Storm-tossed ships shared a double date with destiny
6 Mar 2026
“Roaring 20s” murder solved by cop’s diligence
5 Mar 2026
Oregon’s highest, smallest city once had its jail stolen
4 Mar 2026
Miracle saved sailors from death on Columbia bar
3 Mar 2026
Historic lighthouse saved by a nonexistent ghost ... but was she, really?
2 Mar 2026
Heppner's devastation brought out heroism in face of watery death (2 of 2)
27 Feb 2026
Worst natural flash flood in U.S. history struck here (Part 1 of 2)
26 Feb 2026
Mount Angel Abbey owes grandeur to colorful monk
25 Feb 2026
‘Unwritten Law’ no help for man who murdered his wife's brother
24 Feb 2026
Frontier murder was even darker than it appeared
23 Feb 2026
Pixieland and Oregon's midcentury culture
20 Feb 2026
‘Daredevil Al’ Fossett was Evel Knievel of the ’20s
19 Feb 2026
West’s first female lawyer:
A legal Mother Teresa?
18 Feb 2026
Pioneering “lady lawyer” deserved a better legacy
17 Feb 2026
Acquitted murder suspect became first ‘lady lawyer’
16 Feb 2026
Fiery explosive shipwreck gave Boiler Bay its name
13 Feb 2026
Bob Straub stopped plan to put highway on the beach
12 Feb 2026
Shanghaied in Astoria: A once-perilous port city
11 Feb 2026
Secretary imposed martial law on rowdy town
10 Feb 2026
Legislators shut down Salem with a raging party
9 Feb 2026
Wolf Creek Tavern was a refuge for Hollywood stars
6 Feb 2026
How Marie Dorion earned title ‘Oregon’s Revenant’ (Part 3 of 3)
5 Feb 2026
Astorian party’s decision to follow river proved fatal (Part 2 of 3)
4 Feb 2026
Marie Aioe Dorion was a wilderness-survival ninja (Part 1 of 3)
3 Feb 2026
Legendary Civil War ship met a sad end in Coos Bay
2 Feb 2026
Dispute over 'McQuinn Strip' lasted more than a century (Part 2 of 2)
30 Jan 2026
Dispute over Indians’
land lasted for 101 years (Part 1 of 2)
