Oregon didn’t wake up one morning and decide to abandon people with serious mental illness. The truth is harder than that. For generations, this state locked thousands of people inside sprawling institutions. Some residents received care they couldn’t find anywhere...
There is something wonderfully Oregon about finding an old covered bridge where you least expect one. Drive east from Eugene and Springfield on Highway 58, following the road toward the forested foothills of the Cascades, and the scenery gradually loosens its grip on...
Most Oregonians and tourists have driven right past them without a second thought. You've fished and boated there. Swam and picniced nearby. Beneath the deep blue water of some of Oregon's most familiar reservoirs lie hidden old roads, railroad grades, farm fields,...
There’s something about Oregon that feels like it was designed for a treasure hunt. Maybe it’s the fog curling through the Coast Range. Maybe it’s the abandoned mining roads disappearing beneath sword ferns, the black-sand beaches, the ghost towns, the deep canyons,...
Smoke had drifted into Lane County again, turning the sky a sickly-yellow and the surrounding hills into indistinct hazy blue, when I found myself remembering an old newspaper clipping I’d saved during some research into western Oregon history. The clipping came from...
Part two of two. Read Part One here. At the bottom of Crabtree Valley, the argument seems impossibly far away. Crabtree Lake lies dark beneath the trees. Water gathers along fallen logs. Moss hangs from branches and spreads across the forest floor, softening the...
Ten years ago, That Oregon Life introduced readers to the Salmonberry corridor, a place that seemed to exist somewhere between Oregon history and an outdoor legend. Back in 2016, the old railroad through the Coast Range was known for rusting tracks, dark tunnels,...
For a lot of Oregonians, the drive to the coast has never just been about the destination. It's about the traditions. It's the excitement of packing up the car before sunrise. The smell of Douglas fir drifting through an open window as Highway 26 winds through the...
There are certain places in Oregon that become part of your family's story. Not because they're famous. Not because they're trendy. But because they were simply there, year after year, waiting for you on the journey. For me, the Elderberry Inn is one of those places....
There’s something deeply comforting about a basket of crispy tater tots next to a perfectly golden corn dog. It's giving county fairs, little league games, school cafeterias, and childhood lunches. But what if we told you Oregon may have gifted the world both? Most...
Spend enough time in Oregon and eventually the wolf debate finds its way into the conversation. Maybe it starts around a campfire in Eastern Oregon. Maybe it shows up in the comments section online. Maybe it comes up after someone spots tracks near their property, or...
For most of us, Oregon exists as a collection of familiar things. Highways winding toward the coast. Farm fields stretching across the Willamette Valley. Neighborhood streets in Portland. Tiny eastern high desert towns. Fences separating properties. Addresses stamped...