Oregon Trivia & Tidbits - Page 6

Looking for Oregon trivia? Try our list Oregon little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded athletic company Nike in the 1960s—originally calling it Blue Ribbon Sports—after they met at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Bowerman developed the company’s distinctive waffle-soled running shoes by experimenting with liquid rubber poured into his wife’s waffle iron. In 1971, the company was re-named for Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

The central attraction at Seaside Carousel Mall in Seaside (pop. 5,900) is a 24-animal carousel created by Barrango Inc. of San Francisco. Each animal is an artful reproduction of originals from the early 1900s displayed by the San Francisco Carousel Museum. The working carousel at Seaside plays pipe organ arrangements of popular classic tunes.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

At 24 feet wide, the Lowell Covered Bridge near Lowell (pop. 857) is one of the state’s widest covered bridges, and the only one to span a reservoir. It was built over the Middle Fork of the Willamette River in 1945, covered in 1947 and raised by 6 feet in 1953 to accommodate Dexter Dam’s expansion of the river into a lake. The bridge replaced the original 1907 structure, knocked out of alignment by a truck.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

During World War II, Japan sent some 9,000 bomb-bearing balloons across the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 1,000 of the hydrogen-filled balloons reportedly reached North America, including one that killed a woman and five children near Lakeview (pop. 2,474) on May 5, 1945. The balloons landed as far north as Alaska and Canada and as far south as Mexico.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

In 1915, stonemasons who hailed from Europe’s Basque region began building the Pelota Fronton, or ball court, in Jordan Valley (pop. 239) from hand-hewn blocks of local stone. Pelota is a game similar to handball, in which players bounce a ball off the wall with their hands, a racket or bat. The structure was restored in 1997.

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Medford’s sister-city relationship with Alba, Italy, dates to 1960, emphasizing friendship between people and encouraging exchanges such as student trips. Though their languages and cultures differ, the cities share a similar climate, agricultural heritage and river valley geography. Alba, in northern Italy, is known for its white truffles, wine grapes, hazelnuts and fruit.

first appeared: 2/26/2006

From appetizer to dessert, wild mushrooms are ingredients in almost every dish served at the Joel Palmer House restaurant in Dayton (pop. 2,119). In 1996, mushroom expert Jack Czarnecki and his wife, Heidi, bought the 1850s home, built by and named for a local pioneer. The couple opened the restaurant in 1997 and combines mushroom hunting with fine wine.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

Measuring more than 600 square miles, one of the nation’s largest wireless regional broadband networks, or "hotspots," can be found near Hermiston (pop. 13,154). The towers of EZ Wireless allow anyone with wireless-compatible computers to watch TV online, surf the Internet and check their e-mail—at speeds equivalent to computers using fixed-line Internet access—even from inside moving vehicles.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

Hikers, boaters and scuba divers can see what remains of a forest under the surface of Clear Lake, west of Sisters (pop. 959). The lake was formed some 3,000 years ago, when lava from a volcanic eruption blocked part of the upper McKenzie River valley and submerged the trees. The lake is known for its chilly 30- to 40-degree water year-round.

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS OREGON 2006—Lucy Fleck is an intern at a Portland law firm, a student at the University of Portland and a dancer who’s earned three national dance scholarships. She’s also a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and is working on her own fund-raising event called Dance For Life, which combines her love of dance and commitment to raise awareness of breast cancer.

first appeared: 1/8/2006

Jason Havens, a rodeo cowboy from Bend (pop. 52,029), has discovered a novel—and virtually free—way to fuel his truck as he travels the circuit: used vegetable oil from restaurants. He bought a conversion kit with a 90-gallon tank to outfit his vehicle and says he gets about 16 to 17 miles per gallon—similar to diesel mileage.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

Red Rock, a red brindle Brahma-Hereford bull born in 1976 on a ranch in Sisters (pop. 959), is considered one of the most successful bucking bulls in rodeo history. Named the World Champion Bucking Bull in 1987, Red Rock threw off every rider except champion cowboy Lane Frost, who rode him the required eight seconds in 1988 during a series of special challenges.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

The Carlton (pop. 1,514) Winemakers Studio, a co-op for Oregon vintners, is reported to be one of the nation’s "greenest" wineries. Environmentally friendly features include clear roofing materials that let in natural light, the use of gravity to move the wine and night air to cool the facility, and plenty of recycled and re-used materials, from paint to sinks and countertops.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

When the site for Timberline Lodge, east of Sandy (pop. 5,385), was surveyed in the spring of 1936, it was beneath 14 feet of snow. The lodge sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet on Mount Hood and features rough stone masonry and heavy timber construction. Workers from the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps completed all the work by hand in 1937.

first appeared: 11/20/2005

Frank Kidd’s interest in toy cars and trucks came naturally, given his family’s automotive parts business. Today, more than 10,000 of his toys—some dating back to the 1800s—line the shelves at Kidd’s Toy Museum in Portland, next door to his auto-parts store. The mostly vintage toys include mechanical banks, planes, trains and plenty of die-cast vehicles.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

Hangar B at the Tillamook Air Museum is one of the world’s largest wooden structures, measuring 1,072 feet long, 192 feet high and 296 feet wide, and covering more than seven acres. Built in 1943 at the Tillamook (pop. 4,352) Naval Air Station, Hangar B housed K-class blimps that patrolled the coast during World War II.

first appeared: 10/23/2005

More than 2,000 lavender plants grow on the Shooting Star Lavender Farm near Clatskanie (pop. 1,528). Named for the shooting stars often seen in the northern sky there, the farm was established in 2000.

first appeared: 10/9/2005

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife named Haystack Rock, a 235-foot monolith in Cannon Beach (pop. 1,588), a "marine garden" in 1990 to protect the diversity of life there—starfish, anemones, crabs, and birds.

first appeared: 10/9/2005

The grave of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau—the son of Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian, and Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian interpreter—lies near Jordan Valley (pop. 239). Born at Fort Mandan, in present-day North Dakota, on Feb. 11, 1805, Jean Baptiste accompanied his parents on the Lewis and Clark’s expedition and was nicknamed "Pomp" by William Clark, who took a liking to the lad and later became his guardian in St. Louis. After joining the California gold rush and working as a hotel clerk, Charbonneau died on May 16, 1866, apparently from pneumonia caught after crossing the Owyhee River on his way to the gold fields of Virginia City, Mont.

first appeared: 9/25/2005

In 1995, House Majority Leader Bev Clarno of Bend (pop. 52,029) became the first Republican woman to serve as Speaker of the House. After Clarno was elected to the Senate in 2000, she was named Senate Republican Leader, thus becoming the first woman to serve in party leadership positions in both state legislative chambers.

first appeared: 9/18/2005

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