🔥 Worst Wildfire Year on Record

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2026 · ISSUE NO. 15

📜 THIS WEEK IN OREGON HISTORY

August 2, 1873 - On this date 153 years ago, the Great Fire of 1873 spread through downtown Portland and destroyed 22 city blocks. The blaze destroyed hundreds of buildings and caused an estimated $1.3m in damage.

With another two months remaining in this year’s wildfire season, Oregon has already surpassed the 2024 season for the most acreage burned in a year. Fires have now scorched over 2m acres and, unfortunately, there will likely be many more over the coming weeks. (More)

A few weeks back, we shared our love for the fire lookouts scattered around the state. Unfortunately, one of the publicly available lookouts, Flag Point Lookout, was lost in the Grasshopper Fire. Crews did their best to secure the site, but the fire ended up overtaking the structure, which was built in 1973 (the original lookout at the site was built in 1923). (More)

The planned sale of a 32-acre parcel of state land outside of Salem to a data center company is on the ropes after Governor Tina Kotek ordered the state to halt the process. The $5 billion project was going to be built by Verrus, a California company. (More)

Tired of paying big bucks to visit state parks? Rep. Cyrus Javadi from Tillamook has proposed a bill that would make parking at state parks free for Oregon residents. Details are still being discussed on how they would make up the funding gap if this plan moved forward. (More)

Portland’s 82 year run of being the production home for Freightliner trucks is coming to an end as Daimler Truck North America announced that the company’s Swan Island factory would be closing and production moved to the Carolinas. 375 workers will be laid off as a result. (More)

Declining enrollment at Salem’s elementary schools (they’ve lost nearly 5,000 students since 2020) has resulted in the district making plans to close up to eight elementary schools in 2027/2028. This comes on the back of Portland announcing that they plan on closing up to ten schools. (More)

The vacant Centennial Mills warehouse along Portland’s waterfront caught fire and burned all eight stories. While the walls are still standing, the building remains at a high risk of collapse. (More)

Astoria, and more specifically, the Columbia River Jetty, will be highlighted in an upcoming documentary called Taming The Mouth. It tells the stories of building the jetty and the history of the bar. You can find it on both Amazon Video and Apple TV. (More)

Which Oregon river was once in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the shortest river in the world?

Answer at the bottom of today’s newsletter

🎡 County Fair Roundup

It’s County Fair weekend (#2) around Oregon, as there another six options to choose from. Fair season will start to slow down significantly after this week as we start to shift towards the second half of August.

🧄 Elephant Garlic Festival

We’ve featured a number of fruit-related festivals recently, so why not mix it up with a celebration of something a little less sweet? North Plains is hosting its annual Elephant Garlic Fest, which should feature plenty of…you guessed it…garlic.

🚣 Astoria Regatta Festival

Hit the water in Astoria for a weekend that will feature both a land and water parade. There will also be dragon boat rides, the queen's coronation, a family fun day, and plenty more!

🏴‍☠ Pirates of the Pacific Festival

Yo-ho-ho! Throw on your best pirate garb and prepare to walk the plank, ye scurvy dogs! Argh! In English - swing down to the southern Oregon coastal town of Brookings for three days of pirate-themed fun.

⛺ The Campout Arts & Music Fest

Last week, we highlighted the music-fest-on-a-farm, Pickathon. This week brings us another farm-hosted event as The Campout is back with a weekend full of electronic music under the stars.

🧑‍🌾 Dufur Threshing Bee

See how farming looked back in the old-timey days as the Dufur Living History Museum breaks out its old equipment to thresh some fields. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, there is also a petting zoo, tractor parade, and quilt show.

🌼 Swan Island Dahlia Festival

Flower season is in full bloom (see what I did there) across Oregon, and what better way to experience it than with a pair of flower-themed festivals? First up is the Swan Island Dahlia Festival, which features over 40 acres and 370 varieties of dahlias.

🌻 Lee Farms Sunflower Festival

Want your flowers to stand taller than you? Then head to Tualatin for the Lee Farms Sunflower Festival. You even get to take home a fresh-cut flower with admission.

🏐 Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament

The largest beach volleyball tournament in America lands in Seaside this weekend. Join the 40,000 folks who come to town to watch everyone from amateurs to professionals battle it out on the sand.

It’s shaping up to be a smoky week across Oregon with the winds shifting and smoke pouring into the otherwise clear western portions of the state.

If you want to escape to the coast for a little fresh air, you might want to think about bringing your mountain bike, as in recent years several surprisingly excellent trail systems have popped up. This means that you can still find plenty of that sweet, sweet hero dirt while Central Oregon trails turn into moon dust.

Here are a few of the standouts if you want to get your gears turning:

Klootchy Creek (Seaside) - Miles of trails right off Highway 26, the North Coast's anchor riding spot, and often the first stop for Portland riders heading west.

Whiskey Run (Bandon/Coos Bay) - When complete, this trail network will include thirty-plus miles (it’s currently at over a dozen) of loamy, flowy singletrack cut through a forest between Bandon & Coos Bay.

Big Creek (Newport) - The newest and smallest of the three main systems, nine trails and about 13 miles right inside the city limits, built to be fast, flowy, and beginner-friendly.

Buzzard Butte (Pacific City) - A brand-new public system built by the Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance, opening up a stretch of the coast long known for private, expert-only freeride terrain to everyday riders for the first time.