Offbeat Oregon History podcast

Offbeat Oregon History podcast


Latest Episodes

Getting trapped in ship’s wreckage saved mariner's life
October 17, 2023

>George May was in an impossible situation, trapped in the upside-down hull of his ship, waiting for death. But then ...

Rajneeshees’ Oregon dream ended in disgrace (Part 4 of 4)
October 16, 2023

AFTER THE ELECTION, the new formerly homeless residents of Rajneeshpuram were the most pressing problem for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers.

Rajneeshees’ doom sealed by scheme to seize power (Part 3 of 4)
October 15, 2023

IN THE COURTYARD at the Antelope Post Office today, there stands a large bronze plaque attached to the base of a flagpole....

Rajneeshees got on well with neighbors ... at first (Part 2 of 4)
October 14, 2023

ON JUNE 1, 1981, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh boarded a Boeing 747 for a flight from Mumbai to New York City. Officially the trip was for medical treatment, but ...

Rajneeshpuram: Oregon’s most (in)famous ashram (Part 1 of 4)
October 13, 2023

ONCE UPON A time in India, a man lived. He would go on to become one of the most influential thinkers in new-age thought, but...

Schemers sought to steal Peter Iredale shipwreck
October 12, 2023

Clackamas County man claimed his father had bought the salvage rights in 1908, setting off a huge dust-up among residents, beachgoers and politicians, who scrambled to protect the landmark wreck....

‘Daredevil Al’ Fossett was Evel Knievel of the ’20s
October 11, 2023

The former logger tried to cash in on his knack for boat design and total lack of normal fear by paddling over waterfalls: Willamette Falls, Celilo Falls, South Silver Falls. But...

Town destroyed by its founder’s favorite garden shrub
October 10, 2023

Gorse reminded Irishman Lord George Bennett of home, so he planted it when he founded the Oregon seaside town of Bandon...

After logger’s murder, bordello madam vanished
October 09, 2023

Shortly after Charles Lyons' body was found, the owner of the 'bawdy house' in which he'd been partying skipped town and was never heard from again....

Yachter’s treasure caught FBI’s interest too late
October 06, 2023

DAWN WAS JUST breaking, and Tom McAdams had just barely crawled into bed, when he got the alarm. A 50-foot sailboat was washing ashore near Waldport. ...