Dark myths, and a sometimes darker historical past, haunt Oregon’s waterfronts
Portland's early waterfront has become the center for legendary stories of an illicit past. Some of those stories are even true.
Latest Stories

New OPB documentary examines the troubling history of Fairview, Oregon’s primary institution for those with developmental disabilities
OPB's new documentary exposes the complex and often shocking history of one of Oregon’s most notorious institutions — the Fairview Training Center. For many residents, it was the only home they ever knew. For others, it was a living nightmare.

‘In the Shadow of Fairview’
Twenty years ago, the last resident left Fairview Training Center. It closed in 2000 amid lawsuits and investigations. But for nearly 100 years, Fairview was Oregon's primary institution for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For many residents, it was the only home they ever knew. For others, it was a living nightmare.
Oregon’s Moon Country
The next Oregon Experience returns to Central Oregon's Moon Country, where NASA astronauts trained to walk on the moon.
Fern Hobbs and the Snake River showdown
The year was 1913. In Eastern Oregon, the town of Copperfield was known for heavy drinking, corrupt local politics, daytime brawls and nighttime brothels. To the west of the Cascades, Fern Hobbs was developing her own reputation, as the first Oregon woman to receive an important political appointment after the state granted women the right to vote.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/opb/S7AQX6EGNFGZXDR7LW3OBHOOBE.jpg)
Oregon’s Japanese Americans: Beyond the wire
By the 1920s Oregon had well-established Japanese American communities in Portland and Hood River. Immigrant pioneers managed businesses, thriving farms and orchards with their American-born children. Pearl Harbor changed everything.

Oregon’s Black Pioneers
From fur trappers and explorers to farmers and merchants, African-Americans have helped shape the state, even as white settlers tried to force them out. "Oregon Experience" examines the largely unknown history of Oregon's black pioneers.

Oregon State University: 150 Years As Oregon's Land-Grant Institution
Since its founding in 1868, Oregon State University's mission has been to be a school for the people of the state, offering research, outreach and instruction to residents in every county.

Fort Vancouver: A Historic Trade Post Of The Pacific Northwest
At one time, the largest landowner in North America was the Hudson's Bay Company, a vast British trading enterprise. In the early 1800s, Fort Vancouver served as the HBC headquarters in the Oregon Country employing hundreds of people from over 35 different ethnic groups. This unique, vibrant, multicultural community prevailed for more than 20 years. Fort Vancouver is the story of the people, the place and the changes that the Hudson's Bay Company brought to the Pacific Northwest.

Watch Now: 'The Vietnam War Oregon Remembers,' An 'Oregon Experience' Documentary
A new OPB documentary explores how the Vietnam War still deeply affects Oregonians, even nearly 50 years after the end of combat operations in Vietnam.

'The Vietnam War Oregon Remembers'
"The Vietnam War Oregon Remembers" illuminates widely divergent viewpoints of a volatile time in American and Oregon history.