The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
prepared by the
Oregon Secretary of State
The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, ch ...
and published by the Office of the Secretary's
Archives Division.
The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and online editions. The
Oregon Revised Statutes
The Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) is the codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen initiative. The statutes are subordinate to the Oregon Constitu ...
require the Secretary of State to publish the print edition "biennially on or about February 15 of the same year as the regular sessions of the
Legislative Assembly,"
[ which are during odd-numbered years; it has been so published since 1911. The online edition is updated regularly.]
Contents
The book contains information on the state, city, county, and federal governments in Oregon, educational institutions, finances, the economy, resources, population figures and demographics.
History
Secretary of State Ben Olcott published the first edition in 1911 in response to an "increased demand for information of a general character concerning Oregon".[ By 1937, copies cost 25 cents; in 1981 the book cost $4.
In 1953, a legislative ways and means subcommittee, headed by Representative Francis Ziegler, was going to confer with Secretary of State Earl T. Newbry about how to improve the ''Blue Book''.]Monroe Sweetland
Monroe Mark Sweetland (January 20, 1910 – September 10, 2006) was an American politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly starting in 1953 for a total of ten years. A De ...
that the book was "obsolete, carelessly edited, and only of limited use."[ Calling the book "an inferior job", Sweetland criticized the timing of book's publication long after elections, as well as the map in the back.][ As a result, the 1953 Legislative Assembly passed a law requiring the book be published soon after the legislature convenes.]erratum
An erratum or corrigendum (plurals: errata, corrigenda) (comes from la, errata corrige) is a correction of a published text. As a general rule, publishers issue an erratum for a production error (i.e., an error introduced during the publishing pro ...
.[ When ]Norma Paulus
Norma Jean Paulus (née Petersen; March 13, 1933 – February 28, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer. A Republican, she first h ...
was Secretary of State, she would send a free copy of the book to the first person to find a mistake in each new edition.[ The 1995–96 edition was reduced in size from its predecessors.][
]
Reviews
A 1995 ''Register-Guard
''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...
'' editorial called the book "indispensable".[
]
See also
*''The Oregon Encyclopedia
The ''Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' is a collaborative encyclopedia focused on the history and culture of the U.S. state of Oregon.
Description
The encyclopedia is a project of Portland State University's History Department, thOreg ...
''
References
{{Reflist
External links
Oregon Blue Book
(official website)
1911 non-fiction books
Blue Book
A blue book or bluebook is an almanac, buyer's guide or other compilation of statistics and information. The term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of England. The ...
Directories
1911 establishments in Oregon
Works about Oregon