About Historical Markers

Oregon Travel Experience (OTE) is the Oregon Historical Marker Program administrator. Oregon’s historical markers have a history all their own; many were built by the Oregon Department of Transportation in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Iconic Port Orford cedar signs are still hand-routed by volunteer master craftsmen based in Salem, Oregon.

Oregon Travel Experience adopted the program in 1991 and is currently restoring old markers with artisan volunteers from Salemtowne. New markers display historic events using colorful panels mounted on cedar frames. Both old and new markers tell Oregon’s stories and reflect the changing perspective of our state’s history.

Oregon Historical Marker Committee

Members of the Historical Marker Committee bring their vision to the table alongside their expertise in the fields of geology, history, education, archeology and traffic safety. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact us for more information.

The following members serve Oregon proudly:

David Bogan (Chair), Richard Engeman (Vice Chair), Robert Keeler, Eliza Canty-Jones, George Forbes, Marty Klug, Stan McDonald, Clark Niewendorp, Wayne Sharp, Beverly Vogt (Advisor)

Upcoming meetings

The following are proposed dates for 2012 (Please contact OTE for confirmation and location.)

• February 14, 2012
• May 2012

Meeting minutes

You may read the minutes from past committee meetings in PDF format:

• August 2011
• June 2011
• February 2011

Technical resources

Nomination: Want to nominate an historical marker? Read more about the two-step process.

Sponsorship: Sponsoring a marker is another option for communities, cities or organizations. Learn more about sponsorship.

Regional markers: Regional markers are collaborative projects between businesses and city or county government and other organizations. Oregon Travel Experience is actively seeking sponsorship for the Willamette Valley, Eastern Oregon and other locations across the state. Visit our regional marker page for more information.

“Friend” us on Facebook

Oregon Travel Experience’s heritage programs Facebook page is an excellent way to learn about special events and glean historical nuggets about heritage trees and historical markers. You can follow us by clicking on the Facebook icon.