Posts by History Department
Lucille, Leonora, and the Ringler’s Dance Card
In 2023, native Portlander Lucille Pierce, born in 1921, found a slice of local history among her family keepsakes and kindly shared the artifact with McMenamins. While going through her late mother’s belongings, Lucille discovered a punch card for dance lessons at Ringler’s Dancing Academy at the Cotillion Hall, signed by Montrose Ringler, himself! Lucille…
Read MoreWelcome Visitors: Lyle Hehn’s History of Hotel Oregon
You may have wondered about the surreal and dreamlike imagery in the artwork throughout McMenamins locations, especially if you have noticed the work of artist Lyle Hehn. This painting, Welcome Visitors at Hotel Oregon, is filled with clues to Hotel Oregon’s history in McMinnville and the characters who have floated in and out of this…
Read MoreWorking for the Railroad
Tales of Roseburg’s Rich Rail Culture As Told by Those Who Lived It “The human element just isn’t there any more. I mean, where you have a hundred-car train and an engineer and conductor sitting up there in the head end and a red light back on the end of the train . . .…
Read MoreBealey Military Academy for Boys
When McMenamins Edgefield first opened in 1991, a marching band of bagpipers in kilts played “Amazing Grace” to herald a new era for the former Multnomah County Poor Farm. This pomp and circumstance was an echo of the past, reminiscent of the military band drills that high school cadets practiced at the Bealey Military Academy,…
Read MoreNo-No Boy: A Journey Through History, Music, and Sound
Music can be a key into another place and time. For No-No Boy, songs contain clues to follow, like a sonic time capsule. Portland-based singer, songwriter, and scholar Julian Saporiti is the mind and heart behind No-No Boy. This music-meets-history project is the manifestation of Julian’s doctorate dissertation at Brown University, from where he holds…
Read MoreThe History of the 1950 Trent UFO Sighting in McMinnville, Oregon
The very first McMenamins UFO Festival took place on May 11th, 2000 at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, Oregon. Ufologist Dr. Bruce Maccabee, the expert on the Trent case, was invited as a guest speaker and presented on the famous UFO sighting by Paul and Evelyn Trent in 1950, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of…
Read MoreJitney Dancing at the Hippodrome
Like moths to a flame, the lights of the Hippodrome were irresistible to the people of Bend, Oregon, over a century ago. This painting by Jenny Joyce sets the lively scene, displayed at McMenamins Old St. Francis School. The original definition of “hippodrome” is an arena for horse chariot racing in ancient Greece. Over the…
Read MoreThe Daffodil Festival in Tacoma
Spring has sprung! This cheery painting of Tacoma’s Daffodil Festival by artist Mary Mann is displayed at McMenamins Elks Temple. This year marks the 90th year of the parade and on April 1st, the Tacoma Daffodil Parade starts just blocks away from Elks Temple. Making up the painting’s border are images inspired by the earliest…
Read MoreThe Amazing Life of Hugh O’Kane
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend, Oregon has a pub named after Hugh O’Kane, a daring Irishman with a life story so unbelievable, it could be a blockbuster movie. O’Kane was born in 1854 at Bushmills, County Antrim, Ireland, just around the corner from the Bushmills Distillery. As a youngster,…
Read MoreThe Roots, the Crystal Ballroom, and the James Brown Connection
The Roots are playing McMenamins Crystal Ballroom in Portland on February 21st. Can you believe it? It’s nothing short of magical when such a wildly popular and acclaimed band plays the Crystal. Compared with larger stages, such as Edgefield’s outdoor amphitheater (which the Roots played in 2019), the experience of seeing a huge artist in…
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