Heroes and Rascals of Old Oregon

Since 2008 the Offbeat Oregon History syndicated newspaper column has entertained and informed Oregonians with the weirdest, quirkiest, funniest, and most outrageous true stories in the surprisingly long history of their young state.

Now, for the first time, those stories have been collected together, re-researched, augmented with freshly discovered information, and presented to readers in book form -- starting with this volume, in which we've selected the most inspirational heroes, the most scurrilous rascals, and the most hilariously quirky mavericks of our state.

Joel Munson, lighthouse keeper: When a deadly shipwreck threw a battered lifeboat up on the beach, he restored it and used it to start Oregon's first surf-rescue service.

Mary G. Leonard, attorney: After being accused and acquitted of murdering her husband, this erstwhile housewife became the first female attorney in Oregon - and, effectively, its first law clinic for the poor.

Capt. Robert Pamphlet, rumrunner: With a hold full of Scotch, at the height of Prohibition, he took the risk of sailing into American waters to rescue a lifeboat full of shipwrecked sailors ... and paid for his heroism with a prison sentence.

"Uncle Joab" Powell, circuit preacher: He was the most famous preacher on the West Coast, so when Oregon's first Legislature convened and started looking for a chaplain, they naturally thought of him. They soon wished they hadn't.

Joe Knowles, wilderness-survival guru: Joe was the Bear Grylls of the 1910s, but was dogged by rumors that he'd cheated on the "naked in the woods" stunt that made him famous. So he came to Oregon for a rematch with Mother Nature ...

Art Lacey, gas-station owner: Art heard the government was selling war surplus B-17s for super cheap, so he went to Arkansas and bought one. But getting the big bird home to Milwaukie would be the adventure of a lifetime.

James Lappeus, gambler, liquor peddler and police chief: Portland's first (and, arguably, most colorful) chief of police was the owner of a fine saloon, theater and gambling palace that was rumored to also employ prostitutes.

Maud Myrtle Johnson, actress and insurance fraudster: She made so much money faking injuries on passenger railroads that the claims agents formed a professional association just to catch her ... which they finally did.

Harry Virtue, doctor impersonator: He was getting by as an itinerant fake veterinarian when Harry heard an acquaintance, Dr. Richard Barber, had died heroically while racing to save a patient. So he moved far away, assumed his identity, and went into the doctoring business.

Paul Remaley & al., bootleggers: Their boat had hit a rock, the feds had seized their liquor, and their friends were locked in the county jail awaiting trial. Paul's mission: Break them out -- and save the booze, too.