Original subtitles

\h\h\hOREGON--IT’S A LAND OF SURPRISING CONTRASTS.

\h\h\h\hIN THE WEST, A PRIMEVAL LANDSCAPE

AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.

TO THE EAST, MILES OF HIGH-ALTITUDE DESERT

TOO DESOLATE FOR LIFE TO THRIVE.

BUT EVERYWHERE, EVIDENCE OF A RICH VOLCANIC PAST--

\h\h\h\h\h\hA LAVA FLOW WHERE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS TRAINED

TO WALK ON THE MOON,

A VAST CRATER WITH THE DEEPEST LAKE IN NORTH AMERICA,

AND PAINTED HILLS THAT \h\h\hHOLD THE FOSSILS

OF AMAZING ANCIENT CREATURES.

OREGON HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN

FOR THE HOPEFUL SPIRIT \h\h\h\hOF ITS PIONEERS

\h\h\hAND THE SUCCESS OF ITS ENTREPRENEURS.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS HERE WHERE A COLLEGE ATHLETE AND HIS COACH

TURNED A SIMPLE IDEA \hFOR A RUNNING SHOE

\h\h\h\h\hINTO THE BEST-KNOWN SPORTSWEAR BRAND OF ALL TIME,

\h\hAND WHERE A WHERE A YOUNG WINEMAKER SURPRISED THE WORLD

BY GROWING AWARD-WINNING \h\h\h\h\hOREGON GRAPES.

IT’S A PLACE WHERE ADRENALINE \h\h\hJUNKIES TAKE TO THE AIR

ON ONE OF THE GREATEST \h\hRIVERS IN THE WEST.

EVEN THE ENERGY HERE \h\h\hIS ALTERNATIVE.

\hSO PROUD IS THIS STATE OF ITS INNOVATIVE SPIRIT,

\h\h\h\h\h\hIT COINED THE MOTTO "SHE FLIES WITH HER OWN WINGS."

THIS IS OREGON.

OUR JOURNEY ACROSS OREGON \h\h\h\hBEGINS IN A PLACE

THAT DEFIES A SIMPLE \h\h\h\hDESCRIPTION--

THE CITY OF PORTLAND CAN’T \h\hBE EASILY PINNED DOWN.

INDIVIDUALITY, ECCENTRICITY AND BEING DIFFERENT--DELIBERATELY--

\h\h\h\h\h\hA UNIQUE MIX THAT’S INTRINSICALLY "MADE IN OREGON."

\h\h\h\hIT’S A PLACE WITH A NON-CONFORMIST STREAK.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE SIMPSONS’ CREATOR, MATT GROENING,

\h\hAND THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF GRUNGE ROCKER COURTNEY LOVE.

\h\h\hHERE, PUBS DON’T JUST SERVE BEER, THEY’RE LIKELY TO BREW IT.

IT’S THE UNOFFICIAL CAPITAL \hOF THE CRAFT BEER CRAZE,

\hAND HOME TO MORE TATTOO SHOPS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER CITY.

BUT ONLY FROM THE AIR IS \hIT POSSIBLE TO DISCOVER

\h\h\hHOW PORTLAND TRULY TURNS THINGS UPSIDE DOWN.

\h\h\hGARDENS GROW ON 27 ACRES OF ROOFTOP.

THEY’RE SURPRISING BUT SENSIBLE, CAPTURING RAINFALL

THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE WASTED AS RUNOFF,

REDUCING POLLUTION AND SAVING ENERGY.

REINVENTING GREEN SPACES \h\h\h\h\hIS JUST ONE WAY

OREGONIANS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

\h\h\h\hAND KEEP ALIVE THE ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT

\h\hOF THE STATE’S ORIGINAL PIONEERS.

\hTO UNDERSTAND HOW ONE OF AMERICA’S QUIRKIEST CITIES

GOT THIS WAY

REQUIRES TRAVELING \h\h\hBACK IN TIME,

\h\h\hSTARTING AT ONE OF OREGON’S WILDEST PLACES.

\hAT THE CENTER OF THIS STATE IS AN UNUSUAL GATHERING PLACE

\h\hIN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE OCHOCO MOUNTAINS--

ONE THAT SEEMS TO \hBREATHE THE AIR

OF OREGON’S PIONEERING SPIRIT.

THE APPROPRIATELY NAMED \h\h\h\h\hCROOKED RIVER

\h\hTWISTS AND TURNS THROUGH STEEP SLOPES

TO THE TOWERING SPIRES \h\h\h\hOF SMITH ROCK.

THIS CASTLE OF CRAGGY PEAKS

\h\h\h\h\hDATES BACK TO A CATASTROPHIC ERUPTION

NEARLY 20 MILLION YEARS AGO.

\hHOT ASH, LAVA, AND CHUNKS OF ROCK SURGED

\hLIKE AN ANCIENT OIL GUSHER, EVENTUALLY COOLING IN PLACE,

\hAND OVER TIME WEATHERING INTO GREAT STONE PINNACLES.

\hIN SOME CULTURES, PLACES LIKE THIS ATTRACT MYSTICS.

IN OREGON, IT’S A HAVEN \h\h\hFOR ADVENTURERS.

WELCOME TO ONE OF THE HOTTEST \h\hSPOTS FOR SPORT CLIMBING

IN NORTH AMERICA, CHALLENGING \h\h\h\hTHE BEST IN THE WORLD

\h\h\h\hTO FIND NEW ROUTES UP ITS MOST DEMANDING SURFACES.

\hTHE TOUGHEST ONE OF ALL IS A 300-FOOT-HIGH PILLAR

THAT LOOMS ABOVE THE VALLEY.

IT’S CALLED MONKEY FACE.

FOR THESE HARD CORE \h\hSPORT CLIMBERS,

IT ISN’T JUST ABOUT REACHING \hTHE TOP, IT’S ABOUT FINDING

THE TOUGHEST POSSIBLE ROUTE \h\hUP AND DOWN THE PEAK--

SCALING NEAR-VERTICAL WALLS,

SUSPENDING FROM A SINGLE ROPE,

AND RAPPELLING INTO THE ABYSS.

THE ULTIMATE ACHIEVEMENT-- TO BE THE FIRST TO TAKE ON

A NEWER, HARDER ROUTE

AND EARN THE PRIVILEGE \h\h\h\h\hOF NAMING IT.

IN 1992, MONKEY FACE BECAME \h\h\hAN INTERNATIONAL ICON

\hWHEN FRENCH CLIMBER JEAN BAPTISTE TRIBOUT

\hMADE THE FIRST ASCENT UP THE OVERHANGING EAST WALL.

\h\hIT INSTANTLY ECLIPSED EVEN THE TOUGHEST CLIMBS

IN NORTH AMERICA.

HE NAMED THE ROUTE "JUST DO IT."

\h\hONCE CLIMBERS REACH THE TOP OF SMITH ROCK,

MANY TAKE A MOMENT \hTO SAVOR THE VIEW

\h\h\h\hOF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST REMARKABLE LANDSCAPES.

MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES AGO, \h\h\hA COUPLE OF ADVENTURERS

WERE TAKING IN THEIR FIRST \hVIEWS OF THIS TERRITORY.

\h\h\h\hIN 1805, LEWIS AND CLARK TRAVELED DOWN THE COLUMBIA RIVER

AND FINALLY LAID EYES ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

\h\h\h\h\hIT WAS NOVEMBER, AND WITH WINTER COMING ON,

\hTHEY STARTED BUILDING A CAMP HERE IN A STAND OF EVERGREENS,

NAMING IT FORT CLATSOP,

AFTER ONE OF THE LOCAL NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES.

\h\h\h\hWILLIAM CLARK SET OFF WITH A PARTY

DOWN THE COAST TO SEARCH \h\h\h\h\hFOR PROVISIONS.

IN THE FALL, THIS COAST IS NOW A POPULAR PLACE

\h\h\hTO SPOT GRAY WHALES ON THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATION

BETWEEN THE BERING SEA \h\h\h\h\h\hAND MEXICO.

\hA LITTLE FURTHER ON, CLARK CLAMBERED UP THE STEEP BLUFFS

\hOF TILLAMOOK HEAD, WHICH HE DESCRIBED IN HIS JOURNAL

AS "THE STEEPEST, WORST, \h\hAND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN

I EVER ASCENDED."

\h\h\h\h\h\hHE ALSO CAME UPON THE SKELETON OF A BLUE WHALE

THAT HE AND HIS PARTY MEASURED TO BE OVER 100 FEET LONG.

\h\hAND THE EXPLORERS WERE ABLE TO PROCURE

300 POUNDS OF WHALE BLUBBER

\h\h\h\h\hFROM MEMBERS OF THE TILLAMOOK TRIBE.

THEY’D BEEN EATING DRIED ELK \hFOR WEEKS, AND CLARK WROTE,

"THANK PROVIDENCE FOR DIRECTING THE WHALE TO US."

TODAY, THE BONES OF ANOTHER SKELETON LIE ON THIS SHORE,

A VICTIM OF THE PERILOUS SEAS OFF OREGON’S COAST.

THIS IS THE STEEL HULL \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hPETER IREDALE,

\hA FOUR-MASTED VESSEL FROM ENGLAND THAT REMAINS WEDGED

IN THE BREAKERS JUST AS IT FIRST DID THAT WINDY DAY IN 1906.

WRENCHED BY WIND AND CURRENT, \h\h\h\h\h\hSHE RAN AGROUND,

\h\h\hHITTING SO HARD, THREE OF HER MASTS SNAPPED UPON IMPACT.

ALL ABOARD WERE RESCUED,

\h\hAND IN THANKS, THE CAPTAIN BID HIS SHIP FAREWELL, SAYING,

"MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND MAY YOUR BONES BLEACH IN THESE SANDS."

WHICH THEY HAVE,

\h\h\h\h\hAND STILL ATTRACT CURIOUS BEACHCOMBERS TODAY.

BEFORE THE ERA OF GPS AND RADAR,

FISHERMEN SAILING ALONG \hTHIS STRETCH OF COAST

COULD FIND THEIR WAY \h\h\hTHROUGH THE FOG

BY LISTENING FOR THE BIRDS \h\h\h\h\hON HAYSTACK ROCK.

THIS 235-FOOT PLUG OF LAVA

IS THE THIRD TALLEST INTERTIDAL ROCK FORMATION IN THE WORLD,

AND A YEAR-ROUND NESTING SPOT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR SEABIRDS.

\hIT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THE CRIES OF BIRDS

COULD SAVE SHIPS FROM CALAMITY,

\h\hBUT EVIDENCE OF JUST HOW DANGEROUS THESE WATERS CAN BE

LIES FURTHER NORTH.

THE 17-MILE-WIDE ENTRANCE \h\hTO THE COLUMBIA RIVER

\h\h\h\h\hIS AN AREA KNOWN AS THE GRAVEYARD OF THE PACIFIC.

\h\h\hITS WATERS LOOK CALM, BUT BENEATH THEIR SURFACE,

POWERFUL RIVER CURRENTS CLASH

WITH FIERCE INCOMING \h\h\h\hOCEAN SWELLS,

CAUSING UNDERWATER SANDBARS \h\hTO SHIFT UNPREDICTABLY

AND TREACHEROUS CONDITIONS \h\h\h\h\hTHAT CAN DECEIVE

\h\h\h\hEVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED CAPTAINS.

OVER THE YEARS, 2,000 SHIPS \h\h\hHAVE GONE DOWN HERE,

BRINGING WITH THEM 700 LIVES.

IT’S WHY THIS AREA IS HOME

TO THE LARGEST U.S. COAST GUARD FLEET ON THE NORTHWEST COAST.

BUT SURGING CURRENTS HAVEN’T \h\h\h\hBEEN THE ONLY THREAT

LURKING BENEATH THESE WATERS.

JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT \h\hON JUNE 21, 1942,

A JAPANESE SUBMARINE JUST 8 MILES OFFSHORE

FIRED 17 SHELLS AT AMERICAN SOIL

BEFORE QUICKLY DISAPPEARING \h\h\h\hBACK INTO THE SEA.

\hTHOSE SHELLS LANDED HERE AT FORT STEVENS.

IT WAS THE ONLY ATTACK AGAINST A MILITARY INSTALLATION

ON THE U.S. MAINLAND DURING WORLD WAR II.

\h\hTODAY’S VISITORS EXPLORE THE BATTERIES

WHERE FORT STEVENS’ SOLDIERS \h\h\h\hSCRAMBLED IN THE DARK

TO THEIR POSTS, READY TO REPULSE THE JAPANESE ATTACK.

BUT BEFORE THEY COULD,

OFFICERS DEEMED THE SUB \hTOO FAR OUT OF RANGE.

\h\h\hFORT STEVENS WAS DECOMMISSIONED IN 1947,

\hBUT STILL STANDS GUARD AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA--

THE GATEWAY FOR SHIPS \hHEADED TO PORTLAND.

\h\h\h10 MILES UPRIVER, THEY PASS UNDER THE ASTORIA-MEGLER BRIDGE.

STRETCHING MORE THAN FOUR MILES,

IT’S THE LARGEST CONTINUOUS \hTRUSS BRIDGE IN AMERICA.

\h\h\hDESIGNED TO EXPLOIT THE REMARKABLE STABILITY

OF TRIANGLES OF BOLTED STEEL, IT WAS AN ENGINEERING MARVEL

WHEN IT FINALLY OPENED \hFOR TRAFFIC IN 1966.

THIS IS THE VERY NORTHWEST \h\h\h\h\hCORNER OF OREGON.

THE TOWN OF ASTORIA IS \hPERCHED ON ITS EDGE.

IT’S NOW HOME TO 10,000,

\h\hBUT ASTORIA BEGAN AS A SMALL FUR-TRADING POST,

\h\h\hAND NOT LONG AFTER LEWIS AND CLARK’S ARRIVAL

\h\hBECAME THE FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTHWEST.

WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED AT THE PACIFIC IN 1805,

\hLEWIS AND CLARK CARVED THEIR INITIALS IN A TREE.

\h\h\h\hTHAT TREE IS GONE, BUT ASTORIA IS KNOWN TODAY

FOR ANOTHER SET OF CARVINGS.

THE ASTORIA COLUMN, \hERECTED IN 1926,

\h\h\h\h\h\hCELEBRATES THE WESTWARD EXPANSION

OF OREGON’S EARLY SETTLERS,

\h\hTHEIR FIRST CONTACT WITH NATIVE AMERICANS,

AND KEY EVENTS IN THE JOURNEY \h\h\h\h\hOF LEWIS AND CLARK.

AS THESE CARVINGS ILLUSTRATE,

MANY MORE FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hINCLUDING THE OREGON TRAIL PIONEERS.

\hIN THE EARLY TO MID 19th CENTURY,

\h\hMORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE ARRIVED INTO THE TERRITORY

VIA THE OREGON TRAIL.

THIS OVERLAND ROUTE \hBROUGHT PIONEERS

\h\hINTO EASTERN OREGON AT TODAY’S IDAHO BORDER

AND THROUGH THE STATE’S EASTERN DESERT ON THEIR JOURNEY WEST.

\h\hONE OF THE PIONEERS WHO MADE THE HARD SLOG

\hTHROUGH OREGON’S DRY SCRUBLAND WAS A WOMAN NAMED AMELIA KNIGHT.

AMELIA, HER HUSBAND, \hAND SEVEN CHILDREN

\hHAD ALREADY TRAVELED 1,250 MILES FROM IOWA.

ON AUGUST 12, 1853, SHE MADE \h\hAN ENTRY INTO HER DIARY:

"WE WERE TRAVELING SLOWLY

WHEN OUR OXEN DROPPED DEAD \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE YOKE.

I COULD HARDLY HELP \h\hSHEDDING TEARS.

\h\h\h\hTHIS POOR OX WHO HAD HELPED US ALL ALONG THUS FAR,

\h\hAND HAD GIVEN US HIS VERY LAST STEP."

\h\h\h\h\hBUT THE KNIGHT FAMILY PRESSED ON, DRIVEN BY A BELIEF

THAT A BETTER LIFE \h\hWAS JUST AHEAD.

SOON AFTER CROSSING INTO THE TERRITORY,

THE OREGON TRAIL SWUNG NORTH \h\hTHROUGH SCRUB, WOODLAND,

\h\h\h\hAND THEN FOLLOWED THE COLUMBIA RIVER WEST.

THIS DETOUR NORTH WAS CRITICAL.

\h\h\h\h\hGOING STRAIGHT, THROUGH CENTRAL OREGON, WOULD HAVE MEANT

\h\hCONFRONTING SOME OF THE MOST UNUSUAL AND INHOSPITABLE TERRAIN

IN AMERICA.

\h\hIMAGINE TRYING TO DRIVE A COVERED WAGON OVER THIS.

ENCOUNTERING THE PAINTED HILLS IN NORTH-CENTRAL OREGON

CAN MAKE ONE FEEL LIKE THEY’VE BEEN TRANSPORTED TO MARS.

IN FACT, THIS SCENIC MARVEL IS AN EXTRAORDINARY RECORD

OF THE PAST 40 MILLION YEARS--

A LOGBOOK OF CHANGES IN CLIMATE, PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE.

\h\hIT’S THE STORY OF OREGON’S ANCIENT PAST

TOLD IN COLORED SOILS...

\hRED FROM THE RESIDUE OF WET PRIMEVAL FORESTS

OF SEQUOIA AND OAK,

YELLOW FROM A TIME WHEN THE CLIMATE TURNED DRY.

AND EVERYTHING PRESERVED IN A DUSTING OF VOLCANIC ASH,

TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD,

THAT’S KEPT THESE HILLS FREE OF VEGETATION FOR ALL TO SEE.

\h\hPREHISTORIC BEASTS ONCE WALKED HERE, TOO--

\h\hTHREE-TOED HORSES, PIGS THE SIZE OF BISON,

AND RHINOS.

MANY THOUSANDS OF THEIR FOSSILS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED.

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY HAS DRAMATICALLY CHANGED

THE FACE OF OREGON.

MOLTEN MAGMA HAS BUILT MANY OF ITS MOUNTAINS,

AND FRESH LAVA FLOWS BLANKET \h\hHUNDREDS OF SQUARE MILES.

THESE ARE OREGON’S \hHIGH LAVA PLAINS,

\h\hHOME TO SOME OF THE YOUNGEST AND MOST DRAMATIC VOLCANIC SITES

IN THE STATE.

RISING 500 FEET FROM A TREE-COVERED PLAIN

STANDS LAVA BUTTE, A TYPE OF VOLCANO CALLED A CINDER CONE

THAT FORMED 7,000 YEARS AGO.

\hA FIRE STATION STANDS ON ITS RIM, LOOKING OUT

\h\h\hOVER THE FIELD OF LAVA THAT’S SEEPED FROM THE BUTTE.

GIANT LAVA FLOWS ARE EVERYWHERE IN OREGON.

BUT THERE’S NOTHING \h\hLIKE THIS ONE--

\h\h\h\h\hIT’S KNOWN AS THE BIG OBSIDIAN FLOW.

\h\h\h\h1,300 YEARS AGO, A NEARBY VOLCANO BELCHED

\h\h170 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF LIQUID VOLCANIC GLASS--

ENOUGH TO PAVE A ROAD CIRCLING THE EARTH THREE TIMES.

IN ITS HARDENED STATE, OBSIDIAN IS PERFECT FOR MAKING TOOLS.

THE CUTTING EDGE OF AN OBSIDIAN KNIFE IS SHARPER THAN STEEL.

IT’S NOT EXACTLY EASY TERRAIN.

IN THE 1960s, NASA DISCOVERED \h\h\hTHAT THE MOON’S SURFACE

LOOKED A LOT LIKE \hTHIS LAVA FLOW.

\h\h\h\hAPOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS NEIL ARMSTRONG, BUZZ ALDRIN,

AND MICHAEL COLLINS CAME HERE

\h\hTO PRACTICE WALKING ACROSS JAGGED, UNPREDICTABLE TERRAIN,

\h\h\h\hSO THEY WOULDN’T TEAR THEIR SPACESUITS ON THE MOON.

\h\hOREGONIANS HAVE MADE THEMSELVES QUITE AT HOME

ON THESE LAVA LANDS.

\hTHE CITY OF BEND IS ONE OF ONLY A FEW IN THE U.S.

THAT ACTUALLY HAS A VOLCANO \h\hWITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.

\h\hPILOT BUTTE WAS A GUIDING LANDMARK TO NATIVE AMERICANS

AND EARLY WHITE EXPLORERS

\h\h\h\h\hTRAVELING ACROSS THE CENTRAL OREGON PLATEAU.

\h\hTODAY, THE BUTTE IS A POPULAR LOOKOUT SPOT.

WITH 300 DAYS A YEAR \h\h\h\hOF SUNSHINE,

\hBEND IS A CENTER OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITY AND A STAGING PLACE

FOR SKIERS HEADING \hTO NEARBY PEAKS.

PADDLE-BOARDING IS THE LATEST \h\h\hSPORT TO CATCH ON HERE,

IMPORTED TO OREGON FROM HAWAII

BY A COUPLE OF NORTH SHORE \h\h\h\h\hSURFERS IN 2001.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBEND MAY BE A RECREATION HUB TODAY,

\hBUT THESE RISING SILVER SMOKESTACKS

\hBROADCAST THE CITY’S ROOTS AS A HARDWORKING LUMBER TOWN.

BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1910s, \h\h\hTHIS OLD MILL DISTRICT

WAS HOME TO SOME OF THE LARGEST PINE SAWMILLS IN THE WORLD,

\h\hAT THEIR PEAK PRODUCING SOME 500 MILLION BOARD FEET

OF LUMBER A YEAR.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE FUEL FOR THIS INDUSTRIAL ENGINE?

PONDEROSA PINE.

\hTHESE GIANTS THRIVE IN THE DRY, VOLCANIC SOIL OF CENTRAL OREGON.

THEIR LONG ROOTS CAN REACH \hDEEP TO MOIST SOIL BELOW.

AND THEIR STRAIGHT, LIGHTWEIGHT HARDWOOD WAS IN HEAVY DEMAND

\hFOR SHIP BUILDING DURING WORLD WAR I.

OREGON’S EARLIEST PIONEERS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTEERED CLEAR

OF THIS PART OF THE STATE.

BUT IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, DEVELOPERS TRIED TO SETTLE

AN AREA CALLED FORT ROCK.

THIS GIANT RING FORMED ABOUT \hA HALF A MILLION YEARS AGO,

\h\h\hWHEN LAVA BUBBLED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ANCIENT LAKE

THAT ONCE COVERED THESE DESERTS.

\h\hEXPLOSIVE ASH MAY HAVE BUILT THESE WALLS OF ROCK,

BUT IT WAS WIND-DRIVEN WAVES \h\h\hTHAT SCOURED THEM DOWN,

DAY AFTER DAY.

NEARBY, A SERIES OF RAMSHACKLE BUILDINGS ARE ALL THAT REMAIN

OF A TURN OF THE CENTURY SCAM.

DEVELOPERS SOLD A PROMISE \h\hOF UNDERGROUND WATER,

AND A POTENTIAL BRANCH SPUR \h\h\hTO THE RAILROAD LINE.

\h\h\hNEITHER HAPPENED, LEAVING A GHOST TOWN OF BROKEN DREAMS.

VAST STRETCHES OF THIS STATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hREMAIN REMOTE

AND PRACTICALLY UNINHABITABLE.

BUT TO SOME, THAT’S ALSO \h\hBEEN OREGON’S APPEAL.

TODAY, THE TOWN OF ANTELOPE IS HOME TO A CHRISTIAN YOUTH CAMP.

BUT IN THE EARLY 1980s, \h\h\hA GURU FROM INDIA

NAMED BHAGWAN SHREE RAJNEESH

TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE TOWN.

HIS 64,000-ACRE RANCH, \hCALLED RAJNEESHPURAM,

\hWAS THE CENTER OF OPERATIONS FOR HIS THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS,

KNOWN AS RAJNEESHEES.

THEY CLEARED 3,000 ACRES \h\hOF LAND ON THE RANCH

TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD

AND BUILT A 10-MEGAWATT \h\h\h\hPOWER STATION.

\h\h\hJOINING THE COMMUNE MEANT DONATING EVERYTHING YOU OWNED,

INCLUDING YOUR BANK ACCOUNT.

PERHAPS THAT IS WHAT \h\hALLOWED RAJNEESH

TO HAVE HIS OWN FLEET \h\hOF ROLLS-ROYCES.

IT’S ALSO BEEN REPORTED THAT THE GROUP AMASSED SO MANY WEAPONS,

THEY HAD MORE FIREPOWER THAN \hALL THE OREGON STATE POLICE

EAST OF THE CASCADES.

\h\hBUT IN 1985, ONE OF THE COMMUNITY’S LEADERS

TRIED TO RIG THE COUNTY ELECTION WITH AN OUTRAGEOUS ATTACK--

PLANTING SALMONELLA \h\h\hIN SALAD BARS

AT TEN LOCAL RESTAURANTS.

\hIT WAS THE FIRST ACT OF BIOTERRORISM IN THE U.S.

\h\hONE YEAR LATER, THE DREAM WAS OVER,

AND RAJNEESHPURUM LAY ABANDONED.

THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, \hOREGON HAS LURED MANY

SEEKING ALTERNATIVE \h\hWAYS OF LIFE--

FROM HARDSCRABBLE PIONEERS \h\h\h\hTO SPORT CLIMBERS,

SCALING ITS VOLCANIC PEAKS.

\hBUT THESE DAYS, IT’S ALSO HOME TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

AND A FAST-GROWING FOREST \h\h\h\hOF GIANT MACHINES

THAT RUN ON THE WIND.

IT LOOKS LIKE A GARDEN \h\hOF GIANT PINWHEELS

SPROUTING ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE,

DOMINATING THE HORIZON \hABOVE THE WHEAT FARMS

OF OREGON’S WASCO COUNTY.

THIS IS THE HEART OF OREGON’S \h\h\h\hWIND ENERGY INDUSTRY.

\hTHE PYLONS TOWER 65 FEET IN THE AIR.

\hTHE ARC OF THEIR BLADES SPANS MORE THAN 200 FEET.

\h\h\h\hEACH OF THESE TURBINES GENERATES UP TO 2.4 MEGAWATTS,

ENOUGH TO POWER 420 HOMES.

WIND POWER CURRENTLY PROVIDES MORE THAN 6%

\hOF OREGON’S TOTAL ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.

\h\h\h\hTHE WIND IS FREE, BUT THE TURBINE TECHNOLOGY ISN’T.

TOWERS, ROTORS AND BLADES ARE BUILT INTERNATIONALLY

AND THEN SHIPPED TO OREGON.

THE STATE NOW HAS NEARLY \h\h\h1,200 WIND TURBINES

ON MORE THAN A DOZEN WIND FARMS.

AS THESE TOWERS MULTIPLY, \h\hSO DO THEIR CRITICS--

INCESSANT NOISE, RUINED VISTAS, THREATS TO BIRDS.

THE COMPLAINTS ARE MOUNTING, \h\h\hBUT THERE’S NO QUESTION

\hTHAT WIND IS PROVIDING AN IMPORTANT ALTERNATIVE

TO OREGON’S TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF ELECTRICITY.

\hAND THE DEMAND FOR POWER IS INCREASING IN THE STATE,

ESPECIALLY FROM OREGON’S \h\h\hRECENTLY DEVELOPING

DIGITAL ECONOMY.

\hYOU’D NEVER KNOW BY LOOKING AT THEM,

BUT THESE UNMARKED BUILDINGS ARE THE TRUE HEART OF THE INTERNET.

WHEN YOU GOOGLE JUSTIN BEIBER, LADY GAGA, OR TSUNAMI JAPAN,

\hCHANCES ARE YOUR SEARCH IS ROUTED THROUGH THIS FACILITY,

ALONG WITH MILLIONS OF OTHER \hSEARCH REQUESTS AND EMAILS.

\h\h\h\h\hIT’S KNOWN AS THE GOOGLE SERVER FARM,

AND ITS LOCATION HERE NEAR THE COLUMBIA RIVER IS NO ACCIDENT.

THE SERVER FARM’S COOLING TOWERS

REQUIRE AS MUCH AS \h\h100 MEGAWATTS,

\hENOUGH TO POWER MORE THAN 40 MILLION IPADS.

\h\h\h\h\hAND IT’S THE NEARBY DALLES HYDROELECTRIC STATION,

\h\h\h\h\hWITH ITS HALF-MILE-LONG POWERHOUSE, THAT SUPPLIES GOOGLE

WITH A STEADY SOURCE OF CHEAP, RENEWABLE POWER.

\h\hTHE BASIC TECHNOLOGY OF HYDROPOWER HAS BEEN AROUND

SINCE ANCIENT TIMES--

BACK UP WATER BEHIND A DAM,

\h\hTHEN FUNNEL THE PRESSURIZED STREAM PAST A SPINNING TURBINE.

\h\hTHE PROMISE OF THE COLUMBIA AS A SOURCE OF RENEWABLE POWER

\h\hHAS TRANSFORMED THIS MIGHTY RIVER.

THE DALLES DAM IS ONE OF MANY HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HERE.

\h\h\hCOMPLETED IN 1938, THE BONNEVILLE DAM WAS THE FIRST.

\h\hSINCE THEN, 14 MORE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS

HAVE BEEN BUILT ON THE COLUMBIA.

BUT THEIR POWER HAS COME WITH A PRICE.

THE DAMS MADE LIFE FOR OREGON’S SALMON NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.

THEY’VE ALSO FLOODED \h\h\h\hAND DESTROYED

TRADITIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN \h\h\h\h\hFISHING GROUNDS.

ONE OF THESE WAS A LEGENDARY \h\h\h\hSERIES OF WATERFALLS

NATIVE AMERICANS CALLED "CELILO."

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE FALLS ARE GONE, AND SO ARE THE FISH DRYING HUTS

THAT ONCE LINED THE RIVER.

\h\h\h\hBUT THE RISE OF A NEW TRIBAL LONGHOUSE

MARKS A REVIVAL OF ONE CELILO VILLAGE.

\h\h\h\hBUILT WITH HELP FROM THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS,

IT’S A PLACE WHERE MEMBERS \h\h\h\h\hOF COLUMBIA BASIN

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES GATHER.

WHEN LEWIS AND CLARK JOURNEYED DOWN THE RIVER IN 1805,

THEY ESTIMATED THERE COULD BE

\h\h\hAS MANY AS 10,000 NATIVE AMERICANS HERE,

\h\h\h\hTWICE THE POPULATION OF WASHINGTON, D.C., AT THE TIME.

\h\hHISTORIANS THINK THIS REGION HELD SOME

OF THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS \h\h\h\h\hOF NATIVE AMERICANS

ON THE CONTINENT,

AND MUCH OF THEIR ECONOMIC \h\h\h\h\h\hAND SOCIAL LIFE

\h\h\h\h\h\hCENTERED ON COLUMBIA RIVER SALMON.

JUST LIKE THE STATE’S \h\h\hEARLY PIONEERS,

\h\h\h\hSALMON ARE ANOTHER OF OREGON’S TENACIOUS TRAVELERS.

\h\h\h\hFROM THEIR BIRTH ON THE COLUMBIA, THEY HEAD DOWNSTREAM

TO THE PACIFIC, WHERE THEY \hSPEND FOUR TO FIVE YEARS.

THEN, THEIR NATURAL INSTINCT \h\h\h\hIS TO RETURN UPSTREAM

TO LAY EGGS IN THE PLACE \h\h\h\h\hTHEY WERE BORN.

\h\hBUT THESE DAMS MAKE THAT JOURNEY DIFFICULT.

TO TRY AND MITIGATE \hTHE DAM’S EFFECT,

FISH LADDERS WERE BUILT

SO THAT SALMON COULD LEAP \h\h\hFROM POOL TO POOL,

AND FIND THEIR WAY UP \h\h\hAND OVER A DAM

\hTO REACH THEIR SPAWNING GROUNDS.

\h\h\hSOME OF THE LADDERS HAVE EXHAUSTED AND KILLED MORE FISH

THAN THEY’VE CONVEYED.

BUT A MILLION SALMON \h\h\h\hSTILL MANAGE

TO MAKE IT UPSTREAM EACH YEAR.

\h\hONCE, HYDROPOWER ON THE COLUMBIA WAS HAILED

\h\hAS A GREAT SOURCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY.

\h\h\h\hBUT RECENTLY, CRITICS HAVE CHARGED

THAT THIS ONCE MIGHTY \h\hRIVER HAS BECOME

\h\h\hMERELY A SERIES OF RESERVOIRS BETWEEN DAMS.

DESPITE THE DAMS AND LOSS OF \hTRADITIONAL FISHING SPOTS,

\hSALMON CONTINUE TO BE OF GREAT ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE

TO THE COLUMBIA BASIN TRIBES.

\h\h\hTHIS MORNING, FISHERS ARE PULLING UP THEIR LONG GILLNETS,

WHICH HAVE FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF CHINOOK SALMON OVERNIGHT.

THE ROOTS OF THEIR EXPERTISE ARE IN THE FISHING PRACTICES

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT WERE ESTABLISHED LONG BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED.

\hTRADITIONALLY, MEN HAVE WORKED THE GILLNET LINES.

BUT THESE DAYS, MEN WITH NO SONS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOFTEN TEACH THEIR DAUGHTERS TO FISH.

\hNATIVE AMERICANS HAVE THE EXCLUSIVE

COMMERCIAL FISHING RIGHTS ON THIS STRETCH OF RIVER.

AND NOT ALL THE SALMON \hTHEY CATCH ARE EQUAL.

COHO, SOCKEYE, CHUM \h\hARE ALL SALMON,

BUT THE BEST IS CHINOOK, \h\h\h\h\hOR KING SALMON.

IT’S PRIZED FOR ITS SIZE \h\hAND FIRM, RED FLESH,

\h\h\h\h\hAND IT’S ALSO THE OREGON STATE FISH.

\h\hTHERE’S NO BETTER PLACE TO VIEW THIS MAJESTIC RIVER

THAN FROM HERE...

VISTA POINT.

ONE ENGINEER CALLED IT

\h"AN OBSERVATORY FROM WHICH THE COLUMBIA COULD BE VIEWED

IN SILENT COMMUNION WITH THE INFINITE."

VISTA POINT WAS BUILT IN 1916,

AS PART OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER \h\h\h\h\h\hHIGHWAY PROJECT--

THE FIRST PLANNED SCENIC HIGHWAY IN THE UNITED STATES.

IT TRAVELS FOR 40 MILES \h\h\hALONG THE RIVER,

HUGGING EVERY TWIST AND TURN.

WHEN IT OPENED IN 1916,

\h\hTHE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS CALLED IT "THE KING OF ROADS."

THE HIGH WALLS THAT TOWER \h\h\hABOVE THIS HIGHWAY

HELP FUNNEL POWERFUL WINDS \h\h\h\hTHROUGH THE GORGE.

AND IT’S THESE WINDS THAT \hARE LURING KITE SURFERS

TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER FROM AROUND THE WORLD

TO CATCH ITS WAVES.

\hREGULAR SURFERS RELY ON THE POWER OF WAVES.

BUT THESE ADRENALINE JUNKIES \h\h\h\hARE TETHERED TO KITES

AND FLY WITH THE WIND.

\h\hA KITE SURFER’S SPEED AND DIRECTION

\h\h\h\h\h\hALL DEPEND ON HOW HE OR SHE CONTROLS THE KITE.

\hIN STRONG WINDS LIKE THESE, IT CAN BE A DANGEROUSLY FAST SPORT,

ESPECIALLY IF THE SURFER DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO TURN THE KITE

AGAINST THE WIND TO SLOW DOWN.

IT’S TAKEN MILLIONS OF YEARS \hAND GIANT GEOLOGICAL EVENTS

\h\hTO CREATE THE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE THE COLUMBIA RIVER

PERFECT FOR THIS SPORT.

STARTING 17 MILLION YEARS AGO, A SERIES OF LAVA FLOWS

PUSHED THROUGH HERE, COOLING \h\hTO FORM LAYERS OF BASALT.

MUCH LATER, THE COLUMBIA RIVER STARTED TO CARVE ITS WAY

THROUGH THOSE LAYERS, CREATING WALLS HUNDREDS OF FEET HIGH.

FROM THESE ROCK WALLS, \h77 WATERFALLS CASCADE

\h\h\hINTO THE GORGE ON THE OREGON SIDE ALONE.

BUT THE GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL IS MULTNOMAH FALLS.

IT DROPS A TOTAL OF 620 FEET.

IT’S THE PERFECT PLACE \h\h\h\h\h\hTO WITNESS

OREGON’S GEOLOGICAL HISTORY.

FIVE DIFFERENT LAVA FLOWS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hARE EXPOSED

IN THE FACE OF THE FALLS.

\h\h\hMANY VISITORS TRAVEL THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY

JUST TO CATCH A GLIMPSE \hOF THIS AMAZING SITE.

VOLCANIC EVENTS MAY HAVE HELPED CREATE THIS GORGE,

BUT DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,

IT WAS INUNDATED BY A SERIES \hOF UNIMAGINABLE TORRENTS--

\hTHE MOTHER OF ALL GUSHERS, KNOWN AS THE MISSOULA FLOODS.

A MASSIVE GLACIAL LAKE \h\h\h\h\h\hIN MONTANA

BROKE THROUGH A DAM OF ICE,

AND SENT A WALL OF WATER \hIN BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

DOWN THE COLUMBIA RIVER.

\h\h\hGEOLOGISTS THINK IT FILLED THE ENTIRE GORGE TO OVERFLOWING,

AND IT KEPT GOING.

\h\h\hTOWARD THE END OF ITS 1,000-MILE JOURNEY,

THE WALL OF WATER SPREAD OUT \hINTO THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY,

DUMPING NOT ONLY WATER,

BUT TENS OF MILLIONS OF TONS \h\h\h\h\h\hOF RICH SEDIMENT.

FARMERS WORKING THESE \hOREGON FIELDS TODAY

ARE ACTUALLY PLOWING \h\h\h\hMONTANA SOIL.

REPORTS OF THIS FERTILE LAND \h\h\h\h\h\h\hLURED SETTLERS

\h\h\h\hAS FAR BACK AS THE EARLY 19th CENTURY.

\hBUT FOR MANY, GETTING HERE MEANT HAVING TO CROSS ON FOOT

\h\h\h\hONE OF THE GREATEST MOUNTAIN RANGES IN AMERICA.

\h\h\h\hRISING HIGH ABOVE OREGON’S WESTERN VALLEYS

ARE THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS--

JAGGED MONUMENTS TO THE POWER \h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF MOLTEN LAVA.

THEY’RE PART OF A STUNNING \h\h\h\h\h\hRANGE OF PEAKS

\h\hTHAT EXTENDS FROM CANADA TO CALIFORNIA.

\h\h\hMANY ARE EASILY RECOGNIZED FROM AFAR.

AMONG THEM, THE THREE SISTERS.

\h\h\h\hAND THE SHARPEST PEAK OF THEM ALL--MOUNT THIELSEN.

RISING MORE THAN 9,000 FEET,

\h\h\h\h\hIT’S BEEN CALLED THE LIGHTNING ROD OF THE CASCADES.

150 YEARS AGO, THESE MOUNTAINS WERE THE LAST GREAT HURDLE

FOR OREGON’S EARLY PIONEERS \h\hON THEIR JOURNEY WEST.

\h\h\h\h\h\hONE, AMELIA KNIGHT, DESCRIBED THIS LEG OF THE TRIP

IN HER DIARY:

"WE TRAVELED OVER THE WORST ROAD THAT WAS EVER MADE,

\hWINDING ROUND STUMPS, LOGS AND FALLEN TREES.

THE HANDSOMEST TIMBER \h\h\h\hIN THE WORLD

MUST BE HERE IN THESE \hCASCADE MOUNTAINS."

LOGGING PROSPECTORS AGREED.

THE MASSIVE CONIFERS WERE UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY’D SEEN BACK EAST.

THE FIRST LOGGING OPERATIONS \h\h\h\hIN OREGON WERE SET UP

IN THE MID 19th CENTURY, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL 1938

THAT THE STATE SURPASSED \hITS NEIGHBOR WASHINGTON

\h\h\hAS THE NATION’S TOP TIMBER PRODUCER,

A POSITION IT HOLDS TO THIS DAY.

ANCIENT FORESTS OF DOUGLAS FIR AND SITKA SPRUCE

\h\h\hHAVE BEEN REPLACED BY A PATCHWORK OF CLEAR-CUTS.

\hONCE HARVESTED, THE TIMBER IS HAULED TO MILLS FOR PROCESSING.

IT WASN’T TIMBER THAT THE OREGON TRAIL PIONEERS WERE AFTER.

THEIR PROMISED LAND WAS A FERTILE RIVER VALLEY

CALLED THE WILLAMETTE.

IT STRETCHES FROM PORTLAND, SOUTH TO EUGENE AND BEYOND.

\h\h\h\h\hIT LIES BETWEEN THE CASCADES TO THE EAST,

AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN \h\h\h\hTO THE WEST.

THE WILLAMETTE IS THE MOST \hPOPULATED AREA OF OREGON.

FOR CENTURIES, ITS FERTILE LAND HAS BEEN LURING THOUSANDS

WITH THE PROMISE OF PROSPERITY.

\h\h\h\hON SEPTEMBER 13, 1853, AFTER TRAVELING FOR FIVE MONTHS

AND 2,000 MILES, THE KNIGHT \h\h\hFAMILY FINALLY FOUND

A SUITABLE SPOT FOR A FARM.

\h\h\hFOUR DAYS LATER, AFTER AMELIA KNIGHT HAD GIVEN BIRTH

TO HER EIGHTH CHILD,

HER HUSBAND TRADED THEIR TEAM OF OXEN

\h\hFOR "A HALF-ACRE PLANTED WITH POTATOES

AND A SMALL LOG CABIN \h\hWITH NO WINDOWS."

FARMERS AND RANCHERS CONTINUE \hTO TAP THIS FERTILE VALLEY

WITH ALL KINDS OF NEW CROPS \h\h\h\h\h\hAND CREATURES.

IT SEEMED LIKE A LONG SHOT IN 1990 WHEN THE CAMPBELL FAMILY

DECIDED TO EXPERIMENT \h\h\h\hWITH RAISING

SOUTH AMERICAN ALPACA HERE.

\h\hBUT TODAY, THEIR RANCH, CALLED "ALPACAS OF OREGON,"

\h\h\h\h\h\hIS ONE OF TEN OF ITS KIND IN THE AREA.

ONE REASON ALPACAS ARE PREFERRED BY TODAY’S ECO-RANCHERS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS THAT THEY’RE HIGHLY RESISTANT TO DISEASE,

\h\h\h\h\hEAT A TENTH OF WHAT A HORSE DOES, AND EACH YEAR,

A SINGLE ALPACA PRODUCES $400 WORTH OF HIGH-QUALITY FLEECE.

THEY’RE THE PERFECT RENEWABLE RESOURCE.

NEARBY, ANOTHER IMPORTED \h\hSPECIES IS THRIVING.

THESE ARE THE DUNDEE HILLS, \h\hHOME TO RICH, RED SOILS

\hTHAT HAVE PROVED TO BE INVALUABLE TO WINEMAKERS.

THE RICH FLAVOR AND COMPLEXITY OF WILLAMETTE GRAPES

IS DUE TO A DISTINCTIVE MIX OF SLOPE, SOIL AND CLIMATE

THAT IMPART A SENSE OF PLACE \h\h\h\hDEEP WITHIN THE WINE.

\hIN 1965, WHEN PIONEERING YOUNG WINEMAKER DAVID LETT

CAME TO THE DUNDEE HILLS \h\h\h\h\hFROM CALIFORNIA

WITH 3,000 STARTER VINES,

MANY WERE CONVINCED \h\h\hHE WAS CRAZY.

THEY THOUGHT OREGON’S \h\hCOOL, WET WINTERS

\hAND WARM, DRY SUMMERS WOULDN’T WORK FOR WINE.

BUT WHEN HIS PINOT WINES TOOK TOP HONORS IN FRANCE IN 1979,

CONNOISSEURS WERE \hFORCED TO ADMIT

THAT OREGON WAS A SUPERIOR \hSETTING FOR GROWING WINE.

\h\hAND IT’S LED TO AN EXPLOSION IN THE NUMBER OF VINEYARDS HERE,

FROM JUST FIVE IN THE 1960s \h\hTO MORE THAN 300 TODAY.

\hTHIS VINEYARD COVERS MORE THAN 1,000 ACRES,

GROWING CERTIFIED \hORGANIC GRAPES.

\hCLEARLY, WINE DOES JUST FINE IN OREGON.

BUT NOT ALL INDUSTRIES \hHERE ARE SO POPULAR.

THIS GIANT PULP MILL \hLIES NEAR THE BANKS

OF THE WILLAMETTE RIVER.

HUGE AMOUNTS OF FRESH WATER \hAND CHEMICALS ARE NEEDED

TO TURN WOOD CHIPS INTO PAPER.

\h\h\h\h\hBUT TOXIC WASTE FROM PLANTS LIKE THIS ONE

\hHAS BEEN SEEPING BACK INTO THE RIVER

AND CAUSING GENETIC DEFECTS \hIN SALMON AND OTHER FISH.

THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY HAS BEEN

OREGON’S INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL HEARTLAND

EVER SINCE IT WAS SETTLED.

\h\h\h\hIT’S ALSO HOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON,

\h\hWHICH BEGAN OFFERING CLASSES NEAR THE CITY OF EUGENE IN 1872.

LOCALS CALL IT THE U OF O.

ITS CHEER IS "GO DUCKS," AFTER ITS BELOVED WEB-FOOTED MASCOT.

\hONE OF THE U OF O’S CLAIMS TO FAME CAN BE FOUND ACROSS CAMPUS

AT THE OMEGA FRATERNITY, \h\h\hWHICH WAS FEATURED

IN THE NATIONAL LAMPOON MOVIE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hANIMAL HOUSE.

\hSADLY, THERE ARE NO LONGER TOGA PARTIES AT DELTA HOUSE--

IT WAS TORN DOWN IN 1986.

BUT THE CAMPUS STILL ENJOYS A REPUTATION FOR A LIBERAL,

QUESTION-AUTHORITY APPROACH \h\h\hTO HIGHER EDUCATION.

THE CAMPUS IS ALSO HOME \h\h\hTO HAYWARD FIELD,

NICKNAMED "TRACK TOWN, USA."

IT’S PRODUCED MANY OLYMPIC \h\hTRACK AND FIELD STARS,

\h\h\hINCLUDING OREGON’S OWN REMARKABLE STEVE PREFONTAINE,

WHO SET 15 AMERICAN RECORDS.

AND IT WAS AT HAYWARD IN 1964

THAT A TALENTED COLLEGE RUNNER AND HIS COACH

HAD THE IDEA THAT LAUNCHED

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SPORTSWEAR COMPANY OF ALL TIME.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hNIKE FOUNDERS BILL BOWERMAN AND PHIL KNIGHT

STARTED WITH AN ORDER \h\h\h\hFOR 300 SHOES

THAT THEY SOLD FROM THE TRUNK \h\h\hOF A PLYMOUTH VALIANT.

THE SWOOSH AND THE AIR JORDANS CAME LATER.

\h\hNIKE SHOES ARE NOW MANUFACTURED OVERSEAS,

\hBUT HERE AT THE COMPANY’S HEADQUARTERS IN BEAVERTON,

THEY’VE BEEN TRYING TO PRODUCE BETTER RUNNERS.

TOP ATHLETES HAVE BEEN \hINVITED TO TRAIN HERE

AND IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS \h\hIN CUTTING-EDGE LABS

\h\h\h\hTHAT CAN SIMULATE HIGH-ALTITUDE CONDITIONS.

THE CAMPUS’ 17 BUILDINGS

ARE NAMED FOR SPORTS LEGENDS \hTHE COMPANY HAS SPONSORED,

INCLUDING MICHAEL JORDAN,

LANCE ARMSTRONG, MIA HAMM, \h\h\h\h\hAND JOHN McENROE.

THE SIX-ACRE LAKE IN THE MIDDLE IS HOME TO MIGRATORY DUCKS,

AND THAT’S APPROPRIATE, SINCE NIKE WAS STARTED

\h\h\h\h\hBY A COUPLE OF DUCKS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON.

\h\hWHEN OREGON FINALLY BECAME A STATE IN 1859,

\hTHE TOWN OF SALEM, WHICH LIES IN THE HEART OF THE WILLAMETTE,

WAS A LOGICAL CHOICE \h\hFOR ITS CAPITAL.

\h\hITS STATE HOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1938,

REFLECTING THE ART DECO STYLE

SIMILAR TO ROCKEFELLER CENTER \h\h\h\h\h\hIN NEW YORK CITY.

RATHER THAN A TRADITIONAL DOME,

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ARCHITECTS, TROWBRIDGE AND LIVINGSTON,

DESIGNED A ROTUNDA \h\h160 FEET HIGH.

\h\hIT’S BEEN CRITICIZED AS LOOKING LIKE A PAINT CAN--

WHEN IT’S NOTICED AT ALL--

UNDERNEATH THE CROWNING \h22-FOOT GILDED STATUE

REPRESENTING THE STATE’S \h\h\hEARLIEST SETTLERS.

THIS ANONYMOUS OREGON PIONEER \h\hHOLDS AN AXE IN ONE HAND,

A TARP FOR SHELTER IN THE OTHER, AND HE’S ALONE.

OF COURSE, MOST OF THE OREGON \h\hTRAIL PIONEERS WERE NOT.

THEY INCLUDED FAMILIES LIKE \h\hTHAT OF AMELIA KNIGHT,

\h\h\hAND NEIGHBORS WHO BANDED TOGETHER

TO SURVIVE THEIR HARSH LIFE \h\h\h\h\hIN THIS NEW LAND.

MANY TODAY ASSOCIATE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH FOG AND RAIN.

BUT COMPARED TO OTHER STATES, \hRAINFALL IN WESTERN OREGON

IS JUST ABOUT AVERAGE \h\h\h\hFOR THE U.S.

HOWEVER, THE RAIN HERE \h\h\h\h\h\hOFTEN FALLS

MORE GENTLY THAN ELSEWHERE, \h\hAND FOR LONGER PERIODS,

\hWHICH MEANS THAT IT CAN FEEL MORE RAINY THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.

\hTHE CASCADES HELP HOLD THIS MOISTURE

IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY,

\hWHICH HAS BEEN GOOD FOR OREGON’S FARMERS.

WHEN WHITE SETTLERS \h\h\hARRIVED HERE,

NATIVE AMERICANS HAD ALREADY STARTED CLEARING IT OF TREES

\hTO MAKE IT EASIER TO HUNT ANIMALS FOR FOOD.

\h\hBUT THE SETTLERS USED THE CLEARED LAND TO PLANT WHEAT,

\hWHICH IS STILL GROWN IN GREAT VOLUME TODAY.

HEAVY TRACTORS HAVE LONG SINCE REPLACED THE OXEN AND HORSES

USED BY 19th CENTURY FARMERS.

MOST OF THE BACKBREAKING JOBS \h\h\h\h\h\hOF GROWING WHEAT

\h\h\h\hARE NOW MECHANIZED, AND THE GAINS IN YIELD REMARKABLE.

IN 1850, OREGON FARMS PRODUCED SOME 280,000 BUSHELS OF WHEAT.

150 YEARS LATER, WITH MACHINES DOING THE PLOWING, PLANTING,

HARVESTING, AND THRESHING,

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHE ANNUAL YIELD IS OVER 50 MILLION BUSHELS--

\h\hENOUGH TO MAKE MORE THAN TWO BILLION LOAVES OF BREAD.

\hAND MOST OF IT IS BOUND FOR PORTLAND

AND INTERNATIONAL \hMARKETS BEYOND.

PORTLAND HARBOR IS THE LARGEST WHEAT EXPORT HUB IN THE U.S.

\h\h\hTHE MASSIVE HOLDS OF AN OCEAN-GOING BULK CARRIER

CAN ACCOMMODATE SOME 50,000 TONS OF SOFT WHITE WHEAT,

\h\hJUST THE KIND JAPAN NEEDS TO MAKE NOODLES AND CRACKERS.

\h\h\hTODAY, WHEAT PRODUCED ALL ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S.

COMES HERE TO PORTLAND \h\h\hTO BE SHIPPED OUT

\hTO THE COUNTRIES OF THE PACIFIC RIM.

\hTO HANDLE THE ENORMOUS FLOW, A RAPID-HANDLING GRAIN ELEVATOR

\hWAS BUILT ALONG 40 ACRES OF THE PORT AT TERMINAL 5.

GRAIN IS BROUGHT HERE BY TRAINS,

CLEANED AND FUNNELED INTO LOADING SPOUTS,

FILLING ANOTHER SHIP WITH NEARLY TWO MILLION BUSHELS OF WHEAT.

WHILE WHEAT IS DEPARTING \h\h\h\h\hFROM PORTLAND,

\h\hQUITE A DIFFERENT PRODUCT IS ENTERING.

IF YOU DRIVE A JAPANESE CAR,

CHANCES ARE ITS ODOMETER \h\hBEGAN SPINNING HERE.

\h\hPORTLAND’S TERMINAL 4 HANDLES THE MOST AUTOMOBILES OF ANY PORT

ON NORTH AMERICA’S WEST COAST, AND RANKS THIRD NATIONALLY,

\h\hCONVEYING MORE THAN 240,000 CARS IN A YEAR.

\hTHE FIRST LOAD OF CARS TO PORTLAND WAS IN 1956--

\h\h\hA SHIPMENT OF VOLKSWAGEN BEETLES.

TODAY, IT’S MORE LIKELY TO BE \h\hA TOYOTA, SCION OR LEXUS.

\h\h\hTHREE QUARTERS OF THE CARS ARRIVING HERE

ARE BOUND FOR DEALERSHIPS

\hIN STATES OUTSIDE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

BUT IT BEGS THE QUESTION, \hWHY WOULD CAR COMPANIES

\hCHOOSE A PORT MORE THAN 100 MILES FROM THE OCEAN

TO OFF-LOAD THEIR VEHICLES?

THE ANSWER?

SALT.

THE PORT OF PORTLAND’S INLAND LOCATION IS MUCH LESS EXPOSED

TO CORROSIVE, SALTY OCEAN AIR.

\h\h\hTHE PORT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED HERE IN 1850,

BECAUSE THIS WAS THE CLOSEST THAT SAILING SHIPS COULD GET

\hTO THE FARMLANDS OF THE WILLAMETTE.

IN THOSE DAYS, THIS AREA \h\h\h\hWAS NOT MUCH MORE

THAN A CLUSTER OF CABINS.

NOW, IT’S PORTLAND, \h\hA VIBRANT CITY

OF NEARLY 600,000 STRADDLING \h\h\h\hTHE WILLAMETTE RIVER.

IT’S NICKNAME?

BRIDGETOWN.

11 BRIDGES SPAN THE RIVER, \h\h\h\h\hAND WITHOUT THEM,

PORTLAND WOULD NOT BE \h\hWHAT IT IS TODAY.

IN THE 1880s, PORTLAND, OREGON, WAS A DIVIDED CITY.

ACTUALLY, IT WAS STILL \hTHREE SEPARATE TOWNS.

ON ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER \h\hWAS PORTLAND ITSELF,

\hAND ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE COMMUNITIES OF ALBINA

AND EAST PORTLAND.

BEFORE PORTLAND COULD COMPETE WITH SEATTLE

AS A REGIONAL POWER, IT HAD TO FIND A WAY TO UNITE ITSELF.

\h\h\hIN 1887, A DRAWBRIDGE WAS CONSTRUCTED AT MORRISON STREET,

THE FIRST OF PORTLAND’S BRIDGES.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA YEAR LATER, THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

BUILT THE FIRST STEEL BRIDGE ON THE ENTIRE PACIFIC COAST.

THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE WAS REPLACED WITH THIS ONE IN 1912.

IT’S A DOUBLE-DECKER, \hDOUBLE-LIFT BRIDGE

\h\hTHAT CAN BE RAISED TO A HEIGHT OF 163 FEET

\hFOR RIVER TRAFFIC TO PASS UNDERNEATH,

\h\hREQUIRING COUNTERWEIGHTS TOTALING NINE MILLION POUNDS.

\h\h\hIT CARRIES CARS AND LIGHT RAIL ABOVE,

AND TRAINS, PEDESTRIANS \h\h\hAND BIKES BELOW.

\h\h\h\h\h\hBY THE EARLY 1900s, THE ADVENT OF STRUCTURAL STEEL

\h\h\h\hENABLED ENGINEERS TO BUILD LONGER, HIGHER,

AND LIGHTER SPANS ACROSS RIVERS.

THANKS IN PART TO THAT,

PORTLAND BECAME A SINGLE CITY \h\h\h\h\hUNITED BY BRIDGES.

TODAY, THESE BRIDGES ARE POPULAR COMMUTING ROUTES

FOR MANY OF THE PORTLAND METRO AREA’S TWO MILLION RESIDENTS.

THE CITY’S DOWNTOWN COMPETES \hWITH ANY ON THE WEST COAST,

\h\h\hAND IT’S KNOWN AS ONE OF THE GREENEST CITIES IN AMERICA.

THAT STARTED IN THE 1970s,

\h\h\hWHEN A COALITION OF YOUNG URBAN PLANNERS

\hDIVERTED FEDERAL FUNDS DESIGNATED FOR A FREEWAY

TO BUILD A LIGHT RAIL \h\h\h\hCALLED MAX--

METROPOLITAN AREA EXPRESS.

\hTODAY, THE PORTLAND AREA’S USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST \h\h\hIN THE NATION.

AND HIGH ABOVE STREET LEVEL, \h\h\hROOFTOP GARDENS ABOUND.

SOME BUILDINGS ARE EVEN POWERED BY THEIR OWN WINDMILLS.

BUT THERE’S NO GREEN SPACE IN PORTLAND QUITE LIKE THIS ONE.

THE INTERNATIONAL ROSE TEST GARDEN

IN THE HILLS ABOVE DOWNTOWN

\h\hIS AN EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN FOR GROWING HYBRID VARIETIES.

MORE THAN 400 TYPES OF \hROSES ARE GROWN HERE.

\h\h\h\hIT’S THE SITE OF THE ANNUAL ROSE FESTIVAL,

AN EVENT THAT’S EARNED PORTLAND THE NICKNAME,

"THE CITY OF ROSES."

\h\h\hTHE GARDEN IS A LEGACY OF GEORGIANA BURTON PITTOCK,

\h\hWHOSE LOVE OF ROSES LED HER TO HOST AN ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY

\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR HER FRIENDS TO SHOW OFF THEIR FLOWERS.

ONCE A YEAR, ROSE EXPERTS COME HERE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

\h\hTO BESTOW THE CITY’S ANNUAL AWARD FOR PORTLAND’S BEST ROSE.

GEORGIANA AND HER HUSBAND \h\h\h\h\h\hHENRY PITTOCK

LIVED JUST UP THE HILL \h\h\hIN THIS MANSION.

BOTH WERE PIONEERS WHO CAME HERE VIA THE OREGON TRAIL.

WHEN HENRY PITTOCK LANDED \h\hIN PORTLAND IN 1852,

HE WAS 17 YEARS OLD \h\hAND PENNILESS.

50 YEARS LATER, HE WAS A WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN,

\h\h\h\h\h\hPUBLISHER OF THE OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER,

AND ONE OF THE CITY’S \hGREATEST PROMOTERS.

\h\hPITTOCK WAS ALSO AN AVID OUTDOORSMAN,

AND WAS IN THE FIRST PARTY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO CLIMB

OREGON’S HIGHEST AND MOST ICONIC MOUNTAIN.

IT LIES 50 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN PORTLAND, BUT ITS PRESENCE

\h\hIN THE LIVES AND MINDS OF MANY OREGONIANS IS PROFOUND--

MOUNT HOOD.

THIS MONOLITH LOOMS OVER THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

\h\hAND ALL THE REST OF OREGON’S CASCADE PEAKS.

AFTER FIRST SETTING EYES \h\h\h\hON THE MOUNTAIN,

THE NATURALIST JOHN MUIR WROTE,

"THERE STOOD MOUNT HOOD \h\h\hIN ALL THE GLORY.

\h\h\hAND SO IMPRESSIVE THAT ONE WAS OVERAWED,

AS IF SUDDENLY BROUGHT BEFORE \h\h\h\h\hSOME SUPERIOR BEING

NEWLY ARRIVED FROM THE SKY."

\h\h\h\hTHE MOUNTAIN WAS NAMED FOR BRITISH ADMIRAL SAMUEL HOOD

IN 1792.

BUT CLIMBERS DIDN’T \hMANAGE TO CONQUER

ITS NEARLY VERTICAL UPPER SLOPES TO REACH THE SUMMIT

FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS.

\h\hABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO CLIMB MOUNT HOOD EACH YEAR.

130 HAVE DIED TRYING.

\hTHE MOUNTAIN HASN’T HAD A MAJOR ERUPTION FOR CLOSE TO 200 YEARS,

\hAND SCIENTISTS SAY THERE’S A SLIM CHANCE

\hIT WILL AWAKEN OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES.

\hMOUNT HOOD IS JUST ONE OF THE 16 VOLCANIC PEAKS

THAT LIE IN OREGON’S CASCADES.

THESE PEAKS STRETCH SOUTH

FROM OREGON’S NORTHERN BORDER \h\h\h\h\h\hWITH WASHINGTON.

FIVE OF THESE 16 MOUNTAINS

\h\h\h\hREMAIN POTENTIALLY ACTIVE VOLCANOES, INCLUDING MOUNT HOOD,

\hMOUNT JEFFERSON, THE THREE SISTERS,

AND THE NEWBURY CRATER.

\h\hBUT OREGON’S FIFTH AND SOUTHERNMOST VOLCANIC PEAK

\h\h\hISN’T KNOWN FOR ITS TOWERING HEIGHTS,

\h\h\hBUT RATHER ITS AWE-INSPIRING DEPTHS.

THIS IS CRATER LAKE.

\h\hFOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THE REGION’S NATIVE PEOPLES

REGARDED THIS PLACE \h\hWITH REVERENCE,

\hSUITABLE ONLY FOR SHAMAN AND CHIEFS.

\hTHE KLAMATH INDIANS CALLED IT TUM-SUM-NE,

"MOUNTAIN WITH THE TOP CUT OFF," INDICATING A FAMILIARITY

WITH THE CATASTROPHIC ERUPTION THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE HERE.

IN THE MID 1800s, GOLD PROSPECTORS

AND AMERICAN EXPLORERS \hFOUND THEIR WAY HERE

AND GOT A LOOK OVER \hTHE CRATER’S RIM.

BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL THE 1870s \hTHAT THE GREAT SUNKEN LAKE

MADE NATIONAL NEWS WHICH CHANGED THE COURSE OF ONE MAN’S LIFE.

WILLIAM STEEL WAS JUST 15 \h\h\hAND LIVING IN OHIO

WHEN HE READ ABOUT CRATER LAKE

IN A NEWSPAPER IN WHICH HIS LUNCH WAS WRAPPED.

HE LATER WROTE OF THE HOLD \h\h\hTHE STORY HAD ON HIM,

\h\h\h\h\h"AND THEN AND THERE I DETERMINED TO GO TO OREGON

\h\h\hAND TO VISIT THAT LAKE AND TO GO DOWN TO THE WATER."

AT FIRST, THE LAKE WAS BELIEVED TO BE BOTTOMLESS,

\hAND THAT ITS WALLS WERE TOO STEEP TO CLIMB DOWN.

IT’S NOW KNOWN THAT THE DEPTH \hOF THE LAKE IS 1,943 FEET,

MAKING IT THE DEEPEST LAKE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN AMERICA.

IT SITS IN A VOLCANIC BASIN \hCREATED 7,700 YEARS AGO,

\h\h\h\h\hWHEN THE TOP OF THE MOUNT MAZAMA VOLCANO

COLLAPSED AFTER ERUPTING.

\h\h\h\h\hON AUGUST 15, 1885, WILLIAM STEEL MANAGED TO GET

A SMALL CANOE OUT ON THE LAKE, AND NAMED THE CINDER CONE

THAT RISES SOME 767 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WIZARD ISLAND,

\hTHINKING IT LOOKED LIKE A WIZARD’S HAT.

STEEL MADE PROTECTING THE LAKE HIS LIFE’S WORK,

EFFORTS THAT HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT

TO ESTABLISH THE SITE AS A NATIONAL PARK IN 1902.

\h\h\h\h\hSTEEL WAS MADE THE PARK’S COMMISSIONER,

A POSITION HE HELD UP UNTIL \hTHE DAY HE DIED IN 1932.

\hHE’S BEEN KNOWN EVER SINCE AS THE FATHER OF CRATER LAKE.

\h\h\hCONSERVATIONISTS, ADVENTURERS, PIONEERS--

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO FORGED THE OREGON STORY.

THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES \hWHO FISH ITS GREAT RIVER,

THE HOPE-FILLED SETTLERS \h\hWHO CROSSED ITS PEAKS

TO REACH WILLAMETTE’S \h\h\hFERTILE PLAINS,

\hTHE HARDWORKING FARMERS WHO STILL TILL ITS SOIL,

AND THE THRILL SEEKERS

WHO KEEP OREGON’S SPIRIT \h\h\hOF ADVENTURE ALIVE.