Green, The New Blue

The State of Oregon, like the other forty-nine states, creates an image reflecting favorably on the region.

Part of the image is the Blue Book.

For some states it begins and ends with symbols and images. That’s their high water mark. 

Not Oregon.

Still a draw as a wonderland of natural beauty, Oregon also means football, big boy football, the sort of football you dream of for all your state colleges but never get.

Oregon gets it. You should too.

Oregon football isn’t a single season flash with junior college transfers making a one year stop before going pro. It’s either guys buying into the program and waiting their turn to contribute, or showing up ready to play on their first day.  

Due to the ever-inspiring feats of the University of  Oregon Duck football program, the word Oregon is on more lips than ever. With that in mind, why not upgrade, or re-imagine, the Oregon state symbols with UO influence.

Oregon Historian History

OR, “YES, I KNOW.” (Thank you RICHARD ETULAIN )

The question: Where are the historians of Oregon and why don’t we hear more from them?

Blame confusion.

Oregon is not England.

There is no long and dramatic history of the King and Queen of Oregon, deciding battles in the Oregon Channel, or telling timelines of Oregon colonizing the rest of the world.

For some, Oregon is a cherished Eden far beyond the power of common words. The aching beauty of a beach at sunset; the ghostly drama of shadows dancing through the Columbia Gorge; the noble fierceness of the Cascades.

History happens somewhere between the natural environment of Oregon and a forgettable county commissioner meeting in Hillsboro, Coquille, or Vale.

Images of Oregon could fill a calendar a thousand months long, but it wouldn’t be history. Notes from county meetings fill archival storage all over the state, but that’s not history either.

What is history, then?

History For 2.5 Million, Alex

INSPIRED BY THE STATE OF OREGON

Inside the Jeopardy studios, Alex Trebec welcomes one contestant.

Alex: Welcome to Jeopardy. Let’s get started.

Golden Pioneer: Hello Alex. I’ll take Portland for a thousand.

Alex: Easy now, we’re limited at first to $500.

Goldie: Let’s cut to the chase, Alex. Portland for $1000.

Alex: Fine. The answer is, “The Oregon Historical Society.”

Goldie: What is the most important museum in the city?

Alex: Yes. Based on the recent funding, OHS is the leader. Let’s go again.

Goldie: Oregon Social Impact for a thousand, please Alex.

Alex: Going big, eh? And the answer is, “The Oregon Historical Society.” 

Goldie: Which museum has the potential for greatest change in Oregon?

Alex: Yes, OHS. With all the neighborhood problems in Portland, they can all meet at OHS since it is free admission to Multnomah County Residents.

Goldie: I’d like…

OREGON PARADE

Four Listings In AMERICA by the Numbers

If a U.S. Dept. of Transportation report says Portland has the best bike culture in America, who’s to argue?  Not the Oregonian’s Jeff Mapes.

It’s fitting notice for the “natural metropolis of the northern Pacific Coast.”

Bicycle culture explains Oregon ranking third in states graded for physical activity.  Minnesota is first, Colorado second, which means you move around more to stay warm than you do to dry off?

Dropping Portland into fifth place among Most Tattooed Cities means more art.  Support your city and ink a sleeve of regional beauty, just fight the urge for the neck spider tat. 

Parade Magazine’s final Oregon listing is a surprise for a Sunday morning.  Most strip clubs?  West Virginia leads all states, while Springfield, Oregon is revealed as the leading city.    

Now the rest of the country knows Oregon leads most states in bike awareness, physical activity, tattoos, and dancers.  While quite an honor, let’s hope the data was collected on more than one visit.