Portland grew up drinking whiskey (washed down with skullduggery) in Wild West saloons. We came of age battling for cash, prestige, and principles. Worrying about “keeping the city weird?” Don’t. As these tales reveal, Portland has always been stranger, bloodier and more fascinating than you ever imagined.

In This Feature:

The Scandalous History of Booze in Portland

From the whiskey-swilling frontier days to Prohibition’s battling “dries” and rumrunners, booze formed Portland’s civic soul.

11/23/2015 By Zach Dundas

The Imperial Minister

As combat raged around the world, one Oregonian became a war criminal.

11/23/2015 By Bill Lascher

The American Pilot

The story of Hazel Ying Lee, first Chinese American woman to fly for the US military.

11/23/2015 By Bill Lascher

Which Portland Newspaper Magnate Climbed Mt Hood First?

Portland’s most awkward collegial dispute ever rages on, more than 150 years later: who conquered the mountain?

11/23/2015 By Rick Conrad

This is the Woman Who Saved Portland from the Black Death

Dr Esther Pohl endeavored to kill all of Portland's rats to save the city—and succeeded.

11/23/2015 By Merilee Karr

The Portland Newspaper Wars of the 1960s

At the dawn of modern media, a ruthless tycoon and a ragtag band of reporters waged a desperate battle for control of Portland’s news.

11/23/2015 By Caleb Diehl