COMPLETE GUIDE TO OREGON

The State of Oregon is as proud of its past as it is of its present. Detailed descriptions of both can be found in the "Oregon Blue Book," published by the Secretary of State's office every two years.

According to The Oregonian, Oregon's largest newspaper, the Blue Book has been around since 1911, when it was born out of Oregon's Progressive movement and reformers' urge to reveal who was playing partisan patty-cake with whom in the smoke-filled, liquor-lubricated back rooms of the state Capitol and Salem's Marion Hotel. Over the years, it has evolved into a premier source not only for governmental goings-on but also for state history, peculiarities and publicly anointed personalities.

Today, there are two versions of the Oregon Blue Book. There's an online edition -- about 2,500 pages! -- and a 560+ page print version. The first can be found at
"www.bluebook.state.or.us": for the printed verson, write the "Office of the Secretary of State, Salem OR."

Both versions contain a state history, a chronology of important events since 1543, when one Bartolome Ferrelo supposedly planted the first white man's feet on its soil. In the opening section, there's an almanac alphabetizing significant but oft-neglected facts about Oregon, e.g., the official state animal (beaver), mushroom (golden chanterelle), nut (not one of our legislators but rather the hazelnut, also called the filbert), and rock (thunderegg).

The reason the on-line edition is so much longer is that it contains features not found in the printed edition: subsections like "Oregon oddities" -- trivia from all over the state; "Quiet on the set" -- trivial facts about movies with a connection to Oregon; "Put me in, Coach" -- facts about Oregon sports and those who play them; "What's in a name?" -- odd names of actual geographic places in Oregon, like "Gouge Eye" or "Boo Boo Lake": and for those suffering from sleeplessness, a 50-page rendition of the Oregon Constitution.

One of the best things about Oregon -- a reason in itself to visit us and shop in Portland -- is that there is NO SALES TAX. The Fulton House is a half-block from buses that take you downtown, so you can shop at major stores like Nordstrom and Macy's without the expense or hassle of parking; also, once you get downtown, light rail is free.