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★★★★★

4.8

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206 reviews

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A daily (5-day-a-week) podcast feed of true Oregon stories -- of heroes and rascals, of shipwrecks and lost gold. Stories of shanghaied sailors and Skid Road bordellos and pirates and robbers and unsolved mysteries. An exploding whale, a couple 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. From the archives of the Offbeat Oregon History syndicated newspaper column. Source citations are included with the text version on the Web site at https://offbeatoregon.com.

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Jumbo jet landed at tiny rural airport by mistake

2026/10/26

Troutdale Airfield is just 10 miles from Portland International — and built to serve Cessnas, not Boeings. But one dark night in 1962, a jumbo-jet pilot got a little confused .... (Troutdale, Multnomah County; 1960s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802a.massive-jet-lands-at-tiny-country-airport-by-mistake-481.html)

The Prineville Vigilantes: Part Three — The Resistance, and the Fall.

2026/10/23

Crook County citizens finally decided they'd had enough of the secretive lynchings and killings; they banded together and defeated the gang of masked riders without a single shot being fired. (Prineville, Crook County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2408c-1211d.prineville-vigilantes-663.199.html)

The Prineville Vigilantes: Part Two — The Shadow Government

2026/10/22

Crook Count was formed at the height of Vigilante ascendancy, so when the governor named prominent locals to leadership positions in the new county government, he ended up stocking it with members of the gang. Their official rule would be bloody and chaotic. (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2408c-1211d.prineville-vigilantes-663.199.html)

The Prineville Vigilantes: Part 1 — The Lynch Mob, and the Rise.

2026/10/21

In Crook County, the early 1880s were like something out of a Louis L'Amour novel: Masked riders galloping around by night, dispensing what they saw as justice. It all started with the lynching of an innocent man. (Part 1 of 3) (Prineville, Crook County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2408c-1211d.prineville-vigilantes-663.199.html)

Tillamook Guerillas were ready for enemy invasion

2026/10/20

When the Oregon National Guard was called up at the start of World War II, Oregonians felt vulnerable to Japanese invasion. So they loaded their rifles and possed up ready to give 'em hell! (Tillamook County; 1940s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802b.tillamook-guerillas-ready-to-fight-off-invasion-482.html)

Joseph Drake: Murderer, or just an innocent patsy?

2026/10/19

It's nearly certain that Drake was guilty only of extreme naivete — and his landlord, after murdering a neighbor, knew he could pin the crime on him because Drake was Black. (Salem, Marion County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1801d.joseph-drake-murderer-or-innocent-patsy-480.html)

Innocent man’s sacrifice averted deadly ‘tong war’

2026/10/16

It was obvious to nearly everyone that Chee Gong was innocent. But one of his tong brothers had murdered Lee Yik and disappeared, and blood had to answer for blood. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802c.tong-war-in-portland-averted-with-hanging-483.html)

Schooner crew locked in a race with fiery death

2026/10/15

Below decks, a chemical fire burned freely through the hold of the Challenger; above deck, her crew worked desperately in a hurricane windstorm to find a port they could put into before the fire broke through the deck. (Columbia River Bar, Clatsop County; 1900s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1602a.challengers-race-with-time-and-fire-377.html)

A deadly marine concert of timidity, incompetence

2026/10/14

The wreck of the steamship Czarina: A cascade of bad decisions by nearly everyone involved resulted in the worst possible outcome: 23 mariners slowly dying in the surf as friends and family members watched from the beach. (Coos Bay Spit, Coos County; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302d-czarina-shipwreck-tragic-concert-of-incompetence.html)

Union squabbles were part of life on the waterfront

2026/10/13

Every few years, in the early 1900s, burly and hard-fisted dock workers got into a battle of wills with the autocratic sea-captains who ran the shipping companies. Most of the time, the dock workers got the worst of it. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1900s, 1910s, 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303e-union-squabbles-on-portland-waterfront.html)

Davy Crockett in Oregon? Yes, but only in ‘tall tales’

2026/10/12

In the tall tales of 1840s almanacs, the “King of the Wild Frontier” had a lively interest in the Beaver State. But he did get a few of his facts wrong! (Statewide; 1840s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1801c.davy-crockett-tall-tales-about-oregon-479.html)

Was legendary city of Quivira on Oregon Coast?

2026/10/09

Native Americans told Coronado there was a fabulous gold-and-turquoise city called Quivira just to the east - or was it the north? All he found were Indian villages. But, was there a real city behind the legend? More specifically, was that city near Port Orford? (Port Orford, Curry County; 1540s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1802d.legendary-city-of-quivira-on-oregon-coast-484.html)

Skipper’s refusal to leave ship angered rescuers

2026/10/08

At great personal risk, Coast Guardsmen had to rescue the skipper twice, because he insisted on staying aboard the stranded steamship to defend its cargo from marauding salvagers. (Columbia River Bar, Clatsop County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1601e.shipwreck-laurel-stubborn-captain-376.html)

“Camp Castaway” was an inconvenient miracle

2026/10/07

Feeling lucky to be alive, the soldiers and sailors of the shipwrecked schooner Captain Lincoln got busy salvaging everything off their stranded ship. But then the Army had a problem: How were they going to retrieve it? (Coos Bay Spit, Coos County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1302c-shipwreck-camp-castaway-inconvenient-miracle.html)

Bridge-building scandal aroused Portlanders’ fury

2026/10/06

Crafty county commissioners tried to rig the bidding so their favorite bid, padded to the tune of half a million 1924 dollars, would win —but they didn't move quite fast enough. Three months later, they'd all been thrown out of office. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1303d-bridge-scandal-aroused-fury-of-1920s-portland.html)

Podcast reviews

Read Offbeat Oregon History podcast podcast reviews

4.8 out of 5

206 reviews

★★★★★

a_swell_mom 2025/08/05

A quirky delight

The stories from this podcast bring life and color to the State of Oregon. As a transplant I feel like I now have an ‘in’ into our adopted state. Th...

★★★★★

MBuss 2024/01/21

Native Oregonian learning a bit more about “Gods Country.”

I came upon this podcast accidentally and love what I’ve heard so far… easy listen chock-full of informative Oregon history. Thank you from an appreci...

★★★★★

Murrishmo 2023/11/26

Informative, funny and adorable!

I just love this podcast. I binged every episode and look forward to the new ones. Finn is an amazing orator and storyteller who makes history fascina...

★★★★★

DPH111 2023/09/09

Excellent mostly unknown stories of Oregon

Excellent, mostly unknown stories of Oregon

★★★★★

Duckers33 2023/03/27

Awesome!

One of my favorite podcasts! I hope one day to meet J.T. Good job on this podcast. If your ever close to C.G Oregon I’d like to meet yo my brother.

★☆☆☆☆

Amgry portlander 2023/02/13

ruined my life

I had a good thing going before this podcast. Then I went on my iphone 5 SE and opened Itunes to listen to a new podcast for the day cause thats what ...

★★★★★

Me-ness 2022/04/13

Love this podcast

Glad to see it’s a daily podcast now This podcast always has interesting and fun topics. Best Oregon podcast

★★★★★

Wills blues 2021/11/18

Great Women

I would love for you to a podcast about Great Women in Oregon History ..Just a thought?

★★★★★

Lutra_lover 2020/06/23

History presented brilliantly

With his delightful writing style and personable reading manner, Finn J.D. John has created a brilliant and relatively family friendly podcast on the ...

★★★★★

MailmanBrandon 2019/09/10

Happily filled brain

Thank you sir for this informative and entertaining podcast! I’ve learned so much about my home state and I owe that to you!! Muchísimas gracias !

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