McMenamins History Pubs: Uncover Oregon’s People and Places

Photo by Merve Şahin

McMenamins History Pub invites you to explore Oregon and Pacific Northwest history.

Enjoy an evening with local experts, scholars, first-person experiencers and historians who dive into topics from Lewis and Clark to shipwrecks, hop growing to women pioneers and beyond.

McMenamins History Pub is like attending a college lecture with a stiff drink and full menu of tasty food.

Here are the upcoming events.

Upcoming McMenamins History Pub Events

Lost Ski Areas of Oregon

Oregon has 13 downhill ski areas, yet there used to be several more throughout the state’s mountainous landscape. Steven Stenkamp chronicles the history of Taft Mountain, Idlewild, Oregon Trail, Tomahawk, Santiam Lodge and others.

Steven Stenkamp, is a longtime Bend resident, retired firefighter and teacher, and former mayor of Bend, created the”Lost Ski Areas of Oregon” on Facebook and has downhill skied for 60 seasons. 

This event is Wednesday, January 8, at the Grand Lodge, 3505 Pacific Ave. in Forest Grove.

Tickets are $5 in advance. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event starts at 7 p.m.

Simon Benson: Lumber King and Civic Leader

Does Simon Benson’s last name ring a bell? The Benson Bridge, Benson Hotel, Benson Polytechnic High School, the Simon Benson House and the Benson bubblers are familiar Portland landmarks bearing his name. Learn more about this historic figure and how his contributions shaped our region.

Historian Sig Unander, writer, historian and public speaker from Portland, presents on Benson’s role in building the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway, the World Forestry Center and more.

This event is Monday, January 13, at Edgefield’s Blackberry Hall, 2126 SW Halsey St. in Troutdale.

Tickets are $5 in advance. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event starts at 7 p.m.

50 People, Places, and Things that Transformed Portland Since 1974

When Willamette Week turned 50 years old last November, co-editor Audrey van Buskirk distilled five decades of local history into the special edition 50 People, Places, and Things that Transformed Portland Since 1974. In this talk, discover an entertaining and informative combination of local culture and history as well as tips to experience Portland’s innovations and creativity today. 

Audrey van Buskirk has spent the last 20 years uncovering Portland’s hottest restaurants, coolest bars, quirkiest monuments and wildest places.

This event is Monday, January 27, at Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave. in Portland. 

Tickets are $5 in advance. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event starts at 7 p.m.

Oregon’s Others: Gender, Civil Liberties and the Surveillance State

In the aftermath of WWI, the quest to identify, restrict and punish enemy “others,” combined with eugenic thinking, impacted the civil liberties of people in Oregon. Professor Kimberly Jensen shares research from her new book “Oregon’s Others: Gender, Civil Liberties, and the Surveillance State in the Early Twentieth Century” through the lens of gender, gender identity and presentation, ability, race, ethnicity and class.

Kimberly Jensen is professor of history and gender studies at Western Oregon University and a member of the executive and editorial boards of the Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture.

This event is Monday, February 10, at Edgefield’s Blackberry Hall, 2126 SW Halsey St. in Troutdale.

Tickets are $5 in advance. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event starts at 7 p.m.

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