Theculture of Oregon has had a diverse and distinct character from before European settlement until the modern day. Some 80 Native American tribes were living inOregon before the establishment ofEuropean American settlements and ultimately a widespread displacement of the local indigenous tribes.[1] Trappers and traders were the harbingers of the coming migration of Europeans. Many of these settlers traveled along the nationally renownedOregon Trail, with estimates of around 53,000 using the trail between 1840 and 1850.[2] Much has been written about Oregon's founding as a "racist white utopia," as many original laws were passed to keep Black Americans out of the state.[3][4] Indeed, in 2019 the population was still 87% white and 2% Black.[3]
World War I stimulated the shipyards and timber trades in Oregon, especially Portland, which is still an integral part of the Northwest economy. In the 1930s,New Deal programs such as theWorks Projects Administration and theCivilian Conservation Corps built many projects around the state, includingTimberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Hydroelectric dams and roads were also built at this time, improving the quality of life of many Oregonians. This encouraged settlement, and irrigation water from theColumbia River aided agricultural development. TheBonneville Dam was a plentiful and cheap source of power, which stimulated the development of industries such as aluminum plants duringWorld War II. Food production, shipbuilding and the lumber were also greatly enhanced by the needs of the nation during World War II.
In recent years, electronics and tourism have broadened its economic base. Tourism is now the state's third largest source of revenue, afterlumber and agriculture. In agriculture, Oregon is one of the top producers in such crops as greenhouse and nursery products, Christmas trees, grass seed,peppermint,blackberries andfilberts. Other crops produced in Oregon are wheat, potatoes, pears, onions, snap beans andsweet corn. The products of Oregon wineries are nationally known, especially the chardonnay and pinot noir fromYamhill andWashington counties. The diversity of berries produced there (strawberries, blueberries,raspberries and many other varieties of cane berries) make summer an eagerly awaited season in Oregon.[1]
Today, there are statewide groups, such as the Oregon Cultural Trust, that raise new funds to invest in Oregon's arts, humanities and heritage. The annualOregon State Fair is a major event which has been held since 1861. Farm, garden and floral competitions are held.[5][6]
Oregon has a diverse Indigenous culture with approximately 80 Native American tribes living in Oregon before the establishment of Europeanpioneer settlements. There are seven reservations in Oregon that belong to seven of the nine federally recognized Oregon tribes:[7]
TheJordan Schnitzer Museum on theUniversity of Oregon campus has been a part of Oregon's culture since it opened on June 10, 1933. The museum was built to house the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art—more than 3,000 objects given to the university byGertrude Bass Warner, the museum's first director and "curator for life."[15] It is accredited by theAmerican Alliance of Museums. Another major art museum in Oregon is thePortland Art Museum (PAM). Founded in late 1892, the Portland Art Museum is the seventh oldest museum in the United States and the oldest in the Pacific Northwest. The museum is internationally recognized for its permanent collection and ambitious special exhibitions, drawn from the museum's holdings and the world's finest public and private collections. With a membership of over 23,000 households and serving more than 350,000 visitors annually, the museum is a premier venue for education in the visual arts.[16]
Another major interest in Oregon is the performing arts. The most notable event for the performing arts in Oregon is theOregon Shakespeare Festival, a cultural event that has been running inAshland, Oregon since 1935.[17] ThePortland Opera is another walk of the performing arts culture of Oregon and was the world premiere location for bothBernard Herrmann'sWuthering Heights[18] andChristopher Drobny'sLucy's Lapses.[19]Shanghaied in Astoria is a musical melodrama that is performed by the Astor Street Opry Company every summer inAstoria since 1984.[20]
TheOregon Symphony currently ranks among the largest orchestras in the nation and as one of the largest arts organizations in the Northwest. Their special event concerts and presentations to an audiences totaling around 320,000 annually.[21]
One major outlet of music in Oregon is theOregon Festival of American Music.[22] The Oregon Festival of American Music is an eclectic, thematically based two-week summer music festival that has been held annually inEugene since 1992 and has been produced byThe John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts. Other music festivals in Oregon include theWaterfront Blues Festival in Portland, theOregon Bach Festival in Eugene, and theMt. Hood Jazz Festival inGresham.
Portland is known for its strong indie music scene, and has produced numerous indie musicians such asThe Decemberists,Gossip,The Dandy Warhols,M. Ward,Logan Lynn,Storm Large,Pink Martini,Elliott Smith, andFloater. Other notable musicians have relocated to Portland from other areas, includingModest Mouse,Sleater-Kinney,The Shins,Spoon, formerPavement leaderStephen Malkmus, singer-songwriterPatterson Hood, and formerR.E.M. guitaristPeter Buck.
Several songs mention or reference the state, including "Eugene, Oregon" byDolly Parton and "Lumberjack" byJohnny Cash.Carrie & Lowell, aconcept album bySufjan Stevens, mentions several locations in the state, including Eugene,Roseburg, Cottage Grove,Sea Lion Caves, andJohn Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
The non-profit arts and culture sector of the economic generates more than $680 million annually for Oregon.[23] The state government alongside the non-profitLiterary Arts sponsors theOregon Book Awards, which honors literary excellence in writing and publishing since the 1980s. These factors, alongside a community of independent booksellers such asPowell's Books, has attracted many writers to the area, includingTom Spanbauer (who has been called "the Godfather of Portland's Writing Scene"),[24]Omar El Akkad,Jean Auel,[25]David Biespiel,Matthew Dickman,Ian Doescher,Dorianne Laux,Elena Passarello,Matthew Minicucci,Karen Russell,[26]Kim Stafford,Cheryl Strayed,Mary Szybist, andLidia Yuknavitch, among others.
Children's authorBeverly Cleary was born inMcMinnville, Oregon in 1916, and attendedGrant High School, in northeast Portland. Although Cleary and her husband would eventually settle inCarmel-by-the-Sea, California, the author continued to write stories set in Portland, and used many references to the city in them.Henry Huggins, for instance, lived on Klickitat Street, whileRamona Quimby was named for Quimby Street.[27] In return, in 1995 fans of the author successfully raised funds to commemorate her work with the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden inGrant Park, which features many of her most famous characters.[28]
Ken Kesey, best known for his novelsOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (later adapted into anAcademy Award-winning film starringJack Nicholson) andSometimes a Great Notion, lived in Oregon for most of his life. Originally from Colorado, Kesey moved toEugene in 1957 to attend the University of Oregon. After spending six months incarcerated for marijuana possession inRedwood City, California, he settled permanently inPleasant Hill, Oregon, with his family 1966, where he resided until his death in 2001.[29] In 2017, the city of Eugene renamed the southeast corner of Broadway and Willamette StreetKesey Square in honor of the author.
Speculative fiction authorUrsula K. Le Guin lived in northwest Portland from 1958 until her death in 2018, having moved to the city after her husband, the historian Charles Le Guin, was hired as an instructor atPortland State University.[30]The Lathe of Heaven, one of LeGuin's most renowned novels, is set in a future Portland.
Fight Club authorChuck Palahniuk was born in the neighboring state of Washington, moving to Oregon in the early 1980s to attend theUniversity of Oregon. In interviews, he has stated that his inspiration for his first novel came in part from working as a diesel mechanic for the truck manufacturerFreightliner, a job which the author held from age 22 to 35.[31] In 2003, he published an alternative travelogue of the city titledFugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon.[32]
AuthorSteve Perry, writer of a number of movie adaptations, Batman cartoons, Conan novels, Star Wars novels, and a series called "The Man Who Never Missed" and numerous other projects and short stories. He enjoys teasing his editors by leaving situation references in his books from other works he has written. Scattered through a number of his works are the names from Portland and other locations throughout thePacific Northwest.
Other authors from Oregon includeVirginia Euwer Wolff,Daniel H. Wilson,John Gallaher,Walt Curtis,Phillip Margolin andCollen Houck.
Seven andZodiac directorDavid Fincher graduated fromAshland High School. DirectorBrad Bird graduated fromCorvallis High School.Simpsons creator and cartoonistMatt Groening graduated fromLincoln High School. DirectorTodd Haynes lives in Oregon.[33]
DirectorGus Van Sant has achieved commercial and critical acclaim for his films, includingMy Own Private Idaho,Drugstore Cowboy,Good Will Hunting (which earned Van Sant a best director Oscar nomination) andElephant (which won the Palme d'Or and a best director award at the Cannes Film Festival).
Will Vinton Studios, a famous producer of animated films (especially clay animation); noted for the feature film Return to Oz, the California Raisins television commercials of the 1980s, Eddie Murphy's television show The PJs.
Oregon has provided the setting for hundreds of films, includingThe Goonies,Stand By Me,One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, andMr. Holland's Opus. In addition, Oregon is a popular filming location, owing in part to the state's geographic diversity and natural beauty.Timberline Lodge onMount Hood was used for exterior shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel inThe Shining.Animal House was filmed on theUniversity of Oregon campus in Eugene, and in the nearby town ofCottage Grove.Twilight, while set inForks, Washington, was filmed in Portland andSt. Helens.
TheOregon Film Museum in Astoria showcases several films made in Oregon. It occupies the old Clatsop County Jail, which was used in the opening scene ofThe Goonies.
Oregon produces many fruits and berries, includingpears,blueberries,huckleberries, andblackberries.Marionberries, acultivar of blackberries, were developed by theUSDAARS breeding program in cooperation withOregon State University, and account for over half of all blackberries produced in Oregon. Oregon is also the nation's leading producer ofhazelnuts.
Seafood, such asDungeness crab, is also common.
Tater tots were developed by the frozen food companyOre-Ida inOntario, Oregon.
Voodoo Doughnut is a doughnut company based in Portland, known for its unusual ingredients such as breakfast cereal, bacon, and peanut butter. Portland is also home to the ice cream companySalt & Straw, known for its exotic flavors such as Bone Marrow with Bourbon Smoked Cherries and Arbequina Olive Oil.Tillamook, Oregon is home to theTillamook County Creamery Association, the 48th largest dairy manufacturer in North America. The company's Medium Cheddar Cheese won the gold medal in the 2010 World Cheese Championship Cheese Contest.[34]
Oregon has many natural landmarks, the most famous of those landmarks isCrater Lake and is the main feature ofCrater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m) deep caldera[35] that was formed around 7,700 (± 150)[36][failed verification] years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. Crater Lake is also the deepest lake in the U.S.A..
Other major natural landmarks areCrown Point, apromontory on theColumbia River Gorge,Fort Rock State Monument a volcanic landmark called a tuff ring,John Day Fossil Beds a 14,000-acre (5,700 ha) park that is world-renowned for its well preserved, remarkably complete record of fossil plants and animals, along with other natural wonders.
Oregon has a surplus of historic landmarks spread across the state. From historic dams, like theBonneville Dam that spans theColumbia River to theDeady and Villard Halls which are the two oldest buildings on the campus of theUniversity of Oregon. Along withHistoric Places all over the state such as theMonteith Historic District[37] inAlbany
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