Oregon History 101: “Looks Like a Good Beginning”: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Exclusion in Oregon, 1850-1910. will be presented by Dr. Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd Ave) on 1 December 2014 at 7 PM.
Oregon History 101 is a nine-month public history program series designed to give Oregonians a basic understanding of the state’s significant people, places, and events. Each month, historians will present a chapter of Oregon History, beginning with the earliest peoples and ending with the turn of the twenty-first century. The series will emphasize Oregon’s connection to historical themes in American History, including Native history, early exploration, western expansion, race, gender, and social justice, and the post-industrial economy.
The 101 series was designed by Dr. Carl Abbott and Dr. William Lang. Each presentation features images from the Oregon Historical Society archives and will be filmed and made available online (watch September’s presentation on Native Life and Pre-Contact here). The Oregon Encyclopedia and Oregon History Project are also preparing research guides and other digitized material for the project.
Presenter Dr. Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis is Emeritus Professor of History, Washington State University. This all ages event is free and open to the public.
Hey Dave just found you today … In researching my noir novel set in Portland’s underworld circa 1951, I have a couple of theories and associated questions and I’m hoping friends on this site might help with ideas or areas of research. First the theory: the importation and distribution of (white) heroin through the port of Portland fueled the cities criminal underworld – including the wholesale corruption of PDX politics and police – in a more dynamic way than generally understood. It’s interesting that the old Portland police HQ on Oak street was directly across the street from a Chinese restaurant ( Dragon Garden? – the name escapes me at the moment) and that this site was known for the distribution and packaging of heroin. In addition, Wayne Fong ( husband of Sherry Fong) worked at the restaurant after closing his own place in Madras. Wayne and Sherry Fong were implicated in the death of 16 yr old Diane Hank from barbituate overdose. In the trial and re-trial of Sherry, testimony was given that Sherry wanted the girl silenced because Diane had talked too much about the Fongs narcotics trafficking.
While characters like Portland boss Big Jim Elkins – a low level drug user himself – made money on gambling, booze, protection, prostitution and he was central to the distribution of bribes throughout the Portland government – he is not really mentioned in association with heroin trafficking. On the contrary, his criminal enterprise is often regarded w/ a snicker as being driven by ‘pin ball machines’ …hardly Murder Inc.
Also, Portland heroin of the time is often related to the Jack Dragna gang in LA…I haven’t been able to find anything to suggest the Dragna’s had anything to do w/trafficking heroin up the coast to PDX.
As a former NY’r I’m very familiar w/ New York’s Five Families and their involvement in New York’s waterfront scene. Their alliances w/ the unions made NY waterfront easy pickings and what wasn’t stolen directly as it was unloaded, was hijacked later as it traversed the city in trucks. As for Portland…is anyone aware of Elkins (who had good relations w/ the unions via Seattle connections) or anyone else being involved stealing or hijacking goods from the PDX waterfront?
Thirdly…Ruth Barnett, the ‘Abortion Queen’ of Portland ( of he NW actually). Any information regarding her association w/ Elkins or any others in the PDX underworld?
Also, any information or knowledge regarding the Chinese community- ‘the grandfathers’ as they were known in NY – and their involvement w/ organized crime and the importation for sale and distribution of heroin and opium?