A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788-1940

By Elizabeth McLagan

Book Overview

Second Edition,

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870712217
• ISBN13: 9780870712210
• Release Date: November 2022
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Peculiar Paradise

I understand now from a friend it is a text book that was required reading at PSU for some time- because of the nature of the book it is dry and while I enjoy history- it is dry- I am not finished with it yet- but determined to finish- I here from another friend there is some illumination or nugget in it so I am going to continue to mine it.

If you live in Oregon: Find this book & read it!

McLagan's book is out of print now. And no wonder, it addresses a small audience. In spite of that, "A Peculiar Paradise" is a book that every Oregonian should read and should be included in every school library.As an immigrant to Oregon in 1982 from an integrated neighborhood in Michigan, the first thing I noticed on arriving was what seemed to be the "whitest" state I'd ever seen. In the city of Medford where we lived for 5 years before coming to Portland, I'm sure there were no more than 5 black people in 40,000 during those first years.If you want to understand why, start by reading this book. Then go to the Library and dig into the Oregon Historical Quarterlies from the turn of the century. It will confirm what McLagan shows: that Oregon almost entered statehood as a Confederate member. Perhaps all that saved it from that was the fear of it's original southern pioneer settlers that a move to slave-holding would jeapordize their ability to compete economically (they had left the South for that reason). Additionally, in the 1920's there were as many as 250 thousand Klan members in the state and at one point even a Klan governor was elected. Well into the century, laws excluded blacks from owning land or even technically living in the state.McLagan presents a view of Oregon history seldom seen. If you cannot find a used copy, be sure to check this one out at the public library.