Water Logs
Log drivers once steered loose timber on rivers across America before railroad expansion put such shepherds out of work.
The Allure of Chinese Medicine
Capitalizing on stereotypes earned Chinese-American practitioners patients, but it also helped keep them confined to the margins of American society.
Scandal at the YMCA
Troubles grew at the Portland institution when one of its older residents attempted to poison himself after being questioned by police about same-sex relations.
The Mam In Oregon
Guatemalan immigrants, bringing with them unique skills and knowledge, are adapting to their new homes and communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Plant of the Month: Hops
As the craft beer industry reckons with its oppressive past, it may be time to re-examine the complicated history (and present) of hops in the United States
QAnon as Neo-Noir
The popular conspiracy theory has intriguing parallels with classic noir by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
An Archeologist’s Guide to Beer Cans
Here's how to figure out how long it's been since someone left their empties around, only to be dug up later.
The First U.S.-China Trade Deal
The Treaty of Wanghia formalized the burgeoning ties between the two countries, opening the door to new commercial and cultural exchanges.
The Forgotten Gender Nonconformists of the Old West
In the Old West, cross-dressing was sometimes a disguise for criminals on the lam. But, one historian argues, in many cases these “cross-dressers” were probably people who we would identify as transgender today.
Frontier America in a Collection of Tin Cans
For Jim Rock, tin cans were as important as shards of ancient pottery. Each can told a story of nineteenth and twentieth century life in America.