July 26 set for Oregon Encyclopedia in Selma
From our weekly issue dated July 16, 2008
Kerbyville Trading Post circa 1853
Oregon’s on-line encyclopedia is coming to Selma.
Where did the name “Oregon” come from? What was the Roseburg Blast of 1959? How did the Pendleton Roundup get started? When did Mt. Mazama last erupt? What was Vortex?
For the first time, those who want answers to these questions will have a single, authoritative place to look.
The Oregon Historical Society and Portland State University invite the public to “open their minds to Oregon” and contribute their knowledge of local history and culture to The Oregon Encyclopedia, a new on-line resource where information on the state’s significant people, places, events, institutions, and similar data will be available via the Web at oregonencyclopedia.org.
Right now, visitors to the Website won’t find answers to everything they search for, but content will be added to the site every week. By fall 2009 -- timed to commemorate the Oregon Statehood Sesquicentennial -- The Oregon Encyclopedia will have up to 3,000 entries and essays, plus additional features such as photographs, maps, and other engaging materials from the Oregon Historical Society and other sources.
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A public community meeting about the project will be held Saturday, July 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at Selma Community & Education Center, 18255 Redwood Hwy., a short distance north of Ray’s Food Place.
The meeting will provide information about The Oregon Encyclopedia and gather information for the project. Facilitating the meeting will be Ulrich Hardt, editor-in-chief of the cncyclopedia, who also is a professor at Portland State University, and managing editor of the award-winning, six-volume Oregon Literature Series, He’ll be assisted by Bill Robbins, distinguished Professor Emeritus at Oregon State University at Corvallis, and author and editor of many books about Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, including Landscapes of Promise: The Oregon Story, 1800-1940 and Oregon, This Storied Land.
The Oregon Encyclopedia grew out of the recognized need for a single, definitive source of information about Oregon’s history and culture. The more than 20 scholars and specialists on the editorial board from across the state advise on editorial policy, help determine content, write entries and essays, and encourage submissions.
The Oregon Encyclopedia will include entries on all parts of the state, with special attention to smaller communities. It will include information on Oregon history, art, architecture, literature, anthropology, ethnology, folklore, and more. Encyclopedia editors and staff will involve as many communities as possible by gathering information through community meetings.
Throughout 2008 and into spring 2009, local historians and those with knowledge of community history and culture can gather to share their local knowledge. Working with libraries, historical societies, and museums, these community meetings will provide lists of topics and information that will make The Oregon Encyclopedia a truly comprehensive and unique resource. Visit the events page of oregonencyclopedia.org to view the full community meeting calendar listing.
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"Identifying, documenting, and preserving information about Oregon’s rich history and culture is what’s behind this project,” said William Lang, one of three editors-in-chief for The Oregon Encyclopedia. “All Oregon towns have a rich and varied history, and it is essential that a resource as important as The Oregon Encyclopedia find ways to involve Oregonians in identifying the significant people, places, events, and institutions that have played such an important role in shaping and reshaping their communities.”
Added Hardt, “The OEP will create an expansive database of existing information but expand it to include new developments across the state, such as concentrations of ethnic groups, and it will focus on often ignored information about our smaller communities and the contributions made by women throughout our history.”
Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society are the institutional partners for The Oregon Encyclopedia. The project also is supported by a collaborative of the state’s five cultural partners -- the Oregon Arts Council, Oregon Council for the Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, and the State Historic Preservation Office -- with funding from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
The Oregon Council of Teachers of English, and the Oregon Heritage Commission have provided additional support.
The Oregon Encyclopedia is an official Sesquicentennial Partner Project of Oregon 150.
