Understanding Oregon

On the eve of its 166th birthday, 16 books to get to know the state

OREGON TURNS 166 tomorrow, Valentine’s Day; I know, we don’t look a day over 100, do we? Given that more than 80 percent of Heart, Humor & Hope readers are Oregonians and that one in four people who live here arrived after 2005, and might need some context, I thought some book recommendations might be in order.

Here, in no particular order, are 16 books that will help newcomers understand the state — and help refresh the memories of longtime Oregonians:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, 2016

No business has reinvented Oregon as Nike has. From the rise of Beaverton as the world headquarters to the rise of Knight’s alma mater, the University of Oregon, because of Phil’s extravagant donations, Nike is a force in this state. Shoe Dog is a well-written account of Knight’s rise to fame, beginning in 1962 when the newly minted UO grad borrowed $50 from his father to start some little import shoe company.

Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water, by Kathleen Dean Moore, 1995

Moore, a professor emeritus in Oregon State’s School of History, Philosophy & Religion, is among the state’s finest writers on the environment. Riverwalking takes us to Northwest rivers and streams, where Moore waxes poetic about cultural and spiritual values in the natural world. She’s at her best when she leans toward the people side of the people-nature spectrum, but that’s a bias of mine that shouldn’t preclude readers from enjoying her deep dives into the environment itself.

Exploring Oregon’s History by Bill Sullivan, 2021

Few people know this state, particularly off the beaten path, better than hiking guru Sullivan, who lives only a softball toss from the University of Oregon’s Jane Sanders Stadium. From Chief Joseph and the trail of tears to ghosts at Heceta Head Lighthouse, Sullivan offers insightful stories of Oregon’s historical nooks and crannies.

Oregon: This Storied Land by William Robbins, 2005

In this 2005 Oregon Book Award finalist, the former OSU prof offers a historical analysis of the state without getting all gushy.

Atlas of Oregon, edited by William Loy G. Loy, Stuart Allan, Aileen R. Buckley and James E. Meacham, 2001

In words, maps, tables and graphs, this 301-page gem is a feast for the eyes of the Oregon curious, examining the state from every angle except Percent of Oregonians Who Saw Steve Prefontaine hold off OSU’s Hailu Ebba in the 1500 meters in 1972.

Oregon Geographic Names, edited by Lewis A. McArthur and Lewis L. McArthur, 2003

An exhaustive explanation of how the state’s cities, counties, rivers, creeks, streams, mountains, hills, buttes, valleys, et al. got their names — more than 6,200 such explanations in the 7^th Edition. Among them is Deathball Rock near Blue River, named for a surveying party’s biscuits that turned out hard. This book, which goes back to 1928, is a must for serious day-trippers.