Slide Show: Future History

OHS board president Jerry Hudson (left) and interim executive director Kerry Tymchuck inside the “Oregon Vault.”

Fox Theatre Booth: This box office began life at the Heilig, a 1908 vaudeville theater that helped define Portland’s glitzy Art Deco theater row. In 1954, the building became the Fox Theatre, and in 1979 part of a growing movie house

Fox Theatre Booth: This box office began life at the Heilig, a 1908 vaudeville theater that helped define Portland’s glitzy Art Deco theater row. In 1954, the building became the Fox Theatre, and in 1979 part of a growing movie house

Diving Suit: Portland-born F. Harold Maiken (1912–1991), an ex-marine and longtime diver, not only pioneered the use of underwater cameras and televisions, he built this diving suit himself in his garage. His company, Commerical Diver

Diving Suit: Portland-born F. Harold Maiken (1912–1991), an ex-marine and longtime diver, not only pioneered the use of underwater cameras and televisions, he built this diving suit himself in his garage. His company, Commerical Diver

Architectural Model: Long before computer-aided design, architects and planners used models, scores of which are archived by OHS. This one from 1982 shows a segment of the MAX light-

Architectural Model: Long before computer-aided design, architects and planners used models, scores of which are archived by OHS. This one from 1982 shows a segment of the MAX light-

Trojan Control Panel: Salvaged from the plant that had once put “2,500 atomic bombs worth of radiation at Portland’s doorstep,” this control panel stands as a monument to a failed phase of Oregon energy policy. In 1968 the Trojan powe

Trojan Control Panel: Salvaged from the plant that had once put “2,500 atomic bombs worth of radiation at Portland’s doorstep,” this control panel stands as a monument to a failed phase of Oregon energy policy. In 1968 the Trojan powe

Body Wagon: Donated in 1986 with a wicker casket still inside, wagons like this were used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to transport corpses from the place of death to the embalming table. When the body was ready for the funera

Body Wagon: Donated in 1986 with a wicker casket still inside, wagons like this were used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to transport corpses from the place of death to the embalming table. When the body was ready for the funera

Tom McCall’s Desk & Typewriter: Few workstations have played more pivotal roles in our history than this rolltop and its accompanying Royal typewriter. Here, during two terms as governor, 1967–75, Tom McCall authored a legacy of e

Tom McCall’s Desk & Typewriter: Few workstations have played more pivotal roles in our history than this rolltop and its accompanying Royal typewriter. Here, during two terms as governor, 1967–75, Tom McCall authored a legacy of e

Tuna Canning Machine: In 1899, the humble Columbia River Packers Associations in Astoria began feeding Portland’s appetite with fresh-packed salmon. But when the Great Depression brought Alaska salmon runs to a screeching halt, the co

Tuna Canning Machine: In 1899, the humble Columbia River Packers Associations in Astoria began feeding Portland’s appetite with fresh-packed salmon. But when the Great Depression brought Alaska salmon runs to a screeching halt, the co

Ledger: This account ledger from the Yasui family’s general store in Hood River is an uncomfortable reminder of FDR’s infamous Executive Order 9066, which sent thousands of local Japanese immigrants and children to internment camps in

Ledger: This account ledger from the Yasui family’s general store in Hood River is an uncomfortable reminder of FDR’s infamous Executive Order 9066, which sent thousands of local Japanese immigrants and children to internment camps in