Exhibits

Champion skier Hjalmar Hvam performs a gelandesprung, a type of jump used to clear obstacles, January 1937. OHS Research Library, 011221.

Current Exhibit

Freeze the Day! A History of Winter Sports in Oregon

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

This original exhibition celebrates the history of outdoor recreation in Oregon, sharing stories that illustrate the emotional draw of winter sports, highlighting champion athletes and innovators, and honoring Oregon’s natural resources and beauty.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Researchers
  • Teachers
“Vista House and Columbia River Gorge from Women’s Forum State Scenic Viewpoint.” Photograph by Peter Marbach.

Current Exhibit

A Century of Wonder: 100 Years of Oregon State Parks

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

In celebration of the centennial of Oregon State Parks, OHS commissioned photographer Peter Marbach to document the beauty and geographic diversity of many of Oregon’s 254 state parks. These contemporary photographs show how the park system has preserved these breathtaking natural spaces.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Teachers
  • Researchers
Interior view of the Blanchet House dining room in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of Blanchet House of Hospitality.

Current Exhibit

Blanchet House of Hospitality: 70 Years

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

This exhibit explores the 70-year history of Blanchet House of Hospitality, a nonprofit organization that works to address homelessness in the Portland area.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Researchers
  • Teachers
Governor Tom McCall and Secretary of State Clay Myers empty a bag of aluminum cans during the Bottle Bill campaign, 1971. OHS Research Library, Org Lot 353, box 2, folder 4.

Current Exhibit,Traveling Exhibit

Many Happy Returns: 50 Years of the Oregon Bottle Bill

Independence Heritage Museum
281 S. 2nd Street
Independence, Oregon 97351

This traveling exhibit highlights the 50th anniversary of the Beverage Container Act or Bottle Bill and the environmental concerns of the 1960s and 1970s.

  • Family-friendly
  • Researchers
  • Teachers
  • Free for Members
Experience Oregon opening banner

Permanent Exhibit

Experience Oregon

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

Visitors of all ages, and from all parts of the world, come to the Oregon Historical Society each year to learn about Oregon. Whether you were born here, have chosen to make this place home, or are just passing through, it is undeniable that there is something special about this state. From its varied geography to its innovative legislation, Oregon is complex and distinctive, filled with people whose stories are the foundation of the state we see today. A dynamic educational space, Experience Oregon allows visitors to learn about the countless people, places, and events that have shaped this place.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Teachers
  • Researchers
Children at Swan Island refugee center set up by the Red Cross after the Vanport Flood, 1948. OrHi 90661. Photographs: Portland - NE Neighborhoods - Vanport [graphic]; Photo file #1689-A; 1948/05

Permanent Exhibit

History Hub

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

History Hub is an exhibit where Oregon’s youth, students, and families can explore the topic of diversity through fun, hands-on interactives, objects, and pictures. History Hub is developed in partnership with an advisory committee of students, teachers, cultural organizations, and museums to tell the stories of people who live in Oregon, today and in the past. The content of History Hub spans grades K-12 with a focus on 4th – 8th grade.

  • Free for Members
  • Family-friendly
  • Teachers
Contemporary photograph of Junzo Jake Ohara, Takeshi Motoyasu, and Eddie Tetsuji Kato taken in Monterey Park, California, in 2013 by Paul Kitagaki, Jr. Courtesy of Paul Kitagaki, Jr.

Upcoming Exhibit

Gambatte! Legacy of an Enduring Spirit

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

Inspired by the Japanese concept of gambatte — to triumph over adversity — this exhibition features modern and historic photographs to present an intimate exploration of the lasting affect that the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II had on the nation and its citizens.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Researchers
  • Teachers
Fernando Carillo and Michael O’Shea, both active with Cascade AIDS Project, are photographed on the Burnside Bridge on World AIDS Day, December 1, circa 1995. Photo courtesy of Gay Monteverde.

Upcoming Exhibit

It’s Not Over: Forty Years of HIV/AIDS in Oregon

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

Nationwide, HIV/AIDS killed more than 700,000 Americans between 1981 and 2021; 4,613 of them lived in Oregon. This exhibit explores the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Oregon with a focus on the work of Cascade AIDS Project and Our House Portland.

  • Free for Members
  • Researchers
  • Teachers
  • Family-friendly
Members of the Portland Women’s Forum Save the Gorge committee on the trail in front of Latourell Falls in Guy W. Talbot State Park. OHS Research Library, Org. Lot 1284, box 41, 1964-9.

Upcoming Exhibit

A Walk in the Park: Historic Images of Oregon State Parks

Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Ave
Portland, Oregon 97205

Featuring photographs from OHS’s research library collections, this exhibition provides a historic look at Oregon State Parks over its 100-year history.

  • Family-friendly
  • Free for Members
  • Researchers
  • Teachers