Strange Oregon
In my travels through Oregon I’ve explored forests, mountains and high desert in search of historical relics and curiosities. These are some of the best hidden spots Oregon has to offer.
Bigfoot Trap
Jackson County, OR — In the forest near the California and Oregon border, hikers can find a strange artifact — the ruins of a trap meant to capture Bigfoot.
USS Plainview (AGEH-1)
Hungry Harbor, WA — Once the world’s largest hydrofoil, this experimental Navy research ship lays forgotten along the banks of the Columbia River.
Velkristan’s Nirvana
Portland, OR — Artifacts from the Kcymaerxthaere dimension can be found all over the world. The closest to me is Velkristan’s Nirvana, a place where the pure of heart can glimpse the Velkri Cane Springs.
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
Sumpter, OR — Sumpter is a town filled with relics of the gold rush era, including three mining dredges. One is restored and preserved in time. The other two were left to decay in the elements… if you know where to look.
International Outbreak Museum
Portland, OR — Infectious material, foodborne pathogens and bioterrorism artifacts. The International Outbreak Museum is one scientist’s personal collection of everything contagious.
Orenco Woods Nature Park
Hillsboro, OR — These stickwork sculptures would be mildly terrifying if you stumbled across them in the middle of the forest.
Kam Wah Chung & Co.
John Day, OR — The Kam Wah Chung & Co. building is a time capsule of a community mostly forgotten by history — Oregon’s early Chinese immigrants.
Pueblo Mountains B-24D Crash
Harney County, OR — On January 9th, 1945, a rancher in Eastern Oregon watched a bomber fly low over the Pueblo Mountains. Seconds later it crashed, killing all eleven men on board.
Derrick Cave
Lake County, OR — Derrick Cave is located on the edge of Deschutes National Forest in Central Oregon. Even in this remote location, this cave has had an unusual role in history.