John Klatt from Old Oregon website. Our community mourns, celebrates and shares tributes to a special man, John Klatt. I'm not sure exactly when I first met John, or whether it was his wife Jody who I met first. What I do know for sure about this friend: he was beloved by his friends, family … Continue reading Preserving Old Oregon: A tribute to John Klatt
Old Oregon
A story hidden in the mist
Lake Oswego Log Hoist building, Sept. 2020 (NOTE: Are you reading this in January of 2023? I'd love to know how you found it on Facebook! Feel free to let me know in the comments - thanks!! DDM) I suspect only those most familiar with this special stretch of the Willamette River can readily identify … Continue reading A story hidden in the mist
A tribute to Clackamas County
This is the first week in awhile I haven't been able to distract myself from all that is going on to continue to focus on my Work in Progress. Most days, even with COVID-19, I get to my day job stuff early in the morning so to try to leave some brain space for late … Continue reading A tribute to Clackamas County
Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
This photograph, taken by F. Sowell around 1912, shows Edward Klees pulling taffy at Oaks Amusement Park. Image credit: Oregon History Project. My oldest memory tied to Portland's Oaks Park mostly reminds me of the Don McLean song American Pie. When it was first popular on the radio, early in the 1970s, I was an … Continue reading Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
In appreciation of Oregon’s Century Farms
Fiala Farms Note: I wrote this blog earlier this year, but never posted it. It was one of three blogs I either crafted or updated to complete the topics I felt needed to be represented in my February 2020 released e-book: THEN, NOW, AND IN-BETWEEN: Place, Memories, and Loss in Oregon. Today, while on a … Continue reading In appreciation of Oregon’s Century Farms
Oregon, football and stadiums: a recap
When I first wrote the blog Early Portland and the flying pigskin I had no idea I was merely scratching the surface of this fascinating topic. And, whereas I frequently remind folks that I am no historian, I do find the stories I have learned to be an interesting and welcoming distraction during these times … Continue reading Oregon, football and stadiums: a recap
Zoom back to the future for football
Photo courtesy of the Multnomah Athletic Club Since you’re watching rerun sporting events on television, why not join the West Linn Historical Society to learn about football and its earliest roots in Oregon? Who were those first football players in Portland and where did they play? When was the first college game played in Oregon, … Continue reading Zoom back to the future for football
Stories of our generation: Mount St. Helens
Each generation holds memories unique to a time period, influenced by place. I have no doubt all of us alive today will forever remember the impact the novel coronavirus makes on our lives, creating unique but oddly similar stories, many of them sad. For people living in the Pacific Northwest on May 18, 1980, the … Continue reading Stories of our generation: Mount St. Helens
Masks and quarantines: Spanish Flu to COVID-19
During my last in-person visit with Mom, prior to the current ban on visitors, I likened aspects of today's situation to her growing up during World War II and the Depression. While circumstances and details are vastly different, I related to her how daily life was changed and people made sacrifices then, as now. Although … Continue reading Masks and quarantines: Spanish Flu to COVID-19
What about that deck of cards?
With two book events cancelled last week - strangely one to a weird mid-March snow storm - I decided to take advantage of a virtual world I sometimes complain about. For some time I've been meaning to explain a bit more about the 1909 deck of Portland & Columbia Gorge Playing Cards I was gifted … Continue reading What about that deck of cards?
Dede's Books and blog 