Dave Knows Portland

Archives for March 2011

March 13, 1881: Oregon Destined Ring-necked Pheasants Arrive From China

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PheasantOregon pioneer Owen Hall Denny emigrated from Ohio to the Oregon Territory in 1852. Owen did well for himself; he worked the family farm, put himself through school, and became a lawyer and a judge. In 1877 he was named U.S. consul to Tientsin, China.

Owen and his wife Gertrude Jane Hall Denny (also an emigrant to Oregon, and a survivor of the Whitman Massacre) spent three years in Tientsin, and also some time in Shanghai. At some point they decided it was a good idea to to see if they could establish a population of Chinese ring-necked pheasants in Oregon. “These birds are delicious eating and very game and will furnish fine sport” he wrote a friend.

The first shipment of these delicious, very game birds arrived in Port Townsend, Washington on March 13, 1881. Most survived the ocean voyage, but the rough trip to Oregon from Washington proved too much for many. A few survivors were released on Sauvie Island. The Dennys had several more shipments of pheasants sent the following years, and these populated the Willamette Valley. This species of introduced bird is now quite common in much of North America.

March 12, 1778: Captain Cook Spots Cape Arago

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South Cove Cape AragoBreathtaking views of Cape Arago greet you at the end of the road out of Coos Bay, Oregon.

The first European visitors were the Spanish, around 1542 (Native Americans, of course, have known of this scenic headland for eons). Sir Francis Drake stopped by 1579 – in fact he sheltered his ship in the south cove during a storm. Nearly two hundred years later Captain James Cook visited the Oregon coast on his way to the Sandwich Islands (and his death), assigning names to landmarks such as Cape Foulweather and Cape Perpetua that have endured to this day. On March 12, 1778 he spotted a cape near Coos Bay he dubbed Cape Gregory. That name, did not however stick, and we know it now as Cape Arago.

March 11, 1844: Oregon’s First Militia, the Oregon Rangers, Established

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Thomas Dove Keizur - first captain of the Oregon RangersAmericans have a long history of facing irrational or out of proportion fears with force of arms.

In the days after the Cockstock Incident the Oregon Country’s anxious pioneers endeavored to establish a militia to combat “hostile” Indians. On March 11, 1844 the provisional government passed a bill establishing the Oregon Rangers.

Pioneer Thomas Dove Keizur (or Keizer – sources differ), for whom Keizer, Oregon is named, was the first captain.

The Oregon Rangers, Oregon’s first organized militia, were a fifteen man force which trained but never saw action.

Rolling Stones Pinball Release Party (10-March-2011)

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Stern Rolling Stones Pinball MachineCelebrate the release of Stern Pinball‘s Rolling Stones Pinball machine tonight! Stern and the International Flipper Pinball Association are throwing nine launch parties across the country, and Portland’s Slingshot Lounge (5532 SE Center) is one of the venues.

Flying Flipper Fingers has the details on the cash prize tournament:

It is $5 to enter and you get one game to record your best score. The top 4 players will then play one 4-player game to determine the winner, 5-8 will also play off for $10.

1st place – Trophy, 40% of the cash pot
2nd place – 30% of the cash pot
3rd place – 20% of the cash pot
4th place – 10% of the cash pot

In addition to the tournament machine, two Rolling Stone pinball machines will be set to free play!

Video Interlude: City Life

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City Life from Jeffery Frankenhauser on Vimeo.

Here’s another nice city scape time lapse (is there anything more visually compelling than a cloudy sky time lapse?).

Creator Jeffery Frankenhauser explains the short film Vimeo:

I’m an office assistant on campus for PSU’s Extended Studies. The office is located on the top floor of the Market Square Building and has some fantastic views of the city. The thing is, the places where I spend 95% of my time at work are in front of a computer in windowless rooms. So this video is about my feelings on that.