175 Years of the Oregonian
Samantha Swindler, reporter with the Oregonian, will talk about the history of the newspaper, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary. The Oregonian was founded in 1850. It’s the oldest newspaper on the West Coast and one of Oregon’s oldest continuously operating businesses. The talk will include ties to Clackamas County, including the race between Portland and Milwaukie to see who would get a newspaper first, and Oregonian editor Thomas Dryer’s infamous feuds with Asahel Bush, editor of Oregon Statesman, originally founded in Oregon City.
About the Speaker
Samantha Swindler joined The Oregonian in 2013 as editor of the weekly Forest Grove Leader suburban newspaper and has since been a columnist, video producer, editor and reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Before moving to the Portland area, she was publisher of the Tillamook Headlight-Herald on the Oregon Coast, and served as editor of rural newspapers in Texas and Kentucky. In 2010, she received the Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism following a series of reports on corruption within an East Kentucky sheriff’s department. She currently covers news and features from Oregon City and other parts of Clackamas County, where she also lives.
THURSDAY, November 19, 2026
7 PM - 8 PM
Museum of the Oregon Territory - 2nd Floor (Murdock Gallery)
211 Tumwater Dr.
Oregon City, OR, 97045
ADMISSION
$10 FOR MEMBERS
$20 For Non-Members
Live, in-person, history programs are at the Museum of the Oregon Territory with the Look Back Lecture Series! See experts recount histories from our region, ranging from culture and community to nature and ecology. Click this link to see what lecture series are coming next.