Offbeat Oregon History podcast

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Lava Lake murders still officially unsolved, but ...

The evidence against Charles Kimzey was circumstantial, but police had the goods on him for an attempted murder the year before, so he was sent up the river on a life stretch. But clearly two men had done the killing -- and no one ever really got a line on who his partner might have been. (Big Lava Lake, Deschutes County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1904d.trapper-murders-lava-lake-part2-545.html)

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  Oregonians had the jump on California Gold Rush

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  Palatial riverboat caught in hurricane on open sea

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  Drunk looting party broke out at scene of shipwreck

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  Civil War plotters hoped to get West Coast to secede

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  Buster Keaton brought Hollywood to Cottage Grove (Part 2 of 2)

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  Buster Keaton brought Hollywood to Cottage Grove (Part 1 of 2)

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  Prohibition sting ended with a deadly gunfight

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  Town’s emergency wood money is still legal tender

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  Bunny-massacre parties were big social events

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  Corvallis man found cows make lousy boat engines

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  Alcoholic shipmate drank snake-preserving whiskey

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  Schemers’ plans to exploit Multnomah Falls failed

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  Shanghai tunnels mostly a myth...or are they?

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  Tarzan fans are grateful for gold miner’s failure

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  Riverboat party turned out to be shanghaiing trick

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  Skipper doubled down on a bad bet ... and lost it all