Underground History

New archaeological research updates role of women in Oregon’s early timber industry

Archaeologists and citizen scientists teamed up to investigate the remains of the Baker White Pine Mill, revealing evidence of the families that supported Oregon’s timber

Digging into discoveries from Oregon field schools

Oregon archaeologists share discoveries and challenges from field schools at the Applegate House, Benton County and sites in Eastern Oregon.

Archaeologists and community historians on the trail of Chinese cowboys in Eastern Oregon

OPB's Jenn Chavez joins with Chelsea Rose, host of JPR's Underground History and director of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, to dig into the li

Chinese American doctor Ing Hay provided essential healthcare to Eastern Oregonians

Underground History host Chelsea Rose explores the healthy relationship between a Chinese doctor in eastern Oregon and pioneer settlers of the 19th century.

How archaeologists restored Zane Gray's century-old Rogue River cabin

Learn how BLM archaeologists restored Zane Gray's historic Rogue River cabin as it marks its 100th anniversary and why preserving it matters.

New archaeological research updates role of women in Oregon’s early timber industry

Archaeologists and citizen scientists teamed up to investigate the remains of the Baker White Pine Mill, revealing evidence of the families that supported Oregon’s timber

Oregon find may include world’s oldest sewn material, researchers say

Researchers analyzing artifacts from Oregon’s Great Basin say they may have identified the world’s oldest sewn material, dating back about 12,000 years, offering new insi

The cost of the 'cozy pioneer': unmasking genocide in the Pacific Northwest

Underground History host Chelsea Rose talks with Marc James Carpenter, author of "The War on Illahee: Genocide, Complicity, and Cover-Ups in the Pioneer Northwest."

Archaeologists and community historians on the trail of Chinese cowboys in Eastern Oregon

OPB's Jenn Chavez joins with Chelsea Rose, host of JPR's Underground History and director of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, to dig into the li

How a short-lived California commune left behind a musical time capsule

Chelsea Rose digs into the recent past in this episode of Underground History.

The scars of colonialism in the archaeological record of the PNW

Underground History digs deep into the colonial past of the Pacific Northwest.

Tribal members and archaeologists support elk conservation in Oregon’s Great Basin

Klamath Tribal Cultural and Heritage director Perry Chocktoot and archaeologist Richie Rosencrance join Chelsea Rose to discuss their article, "Collaborative Understandin

A new book challenges the myths of the American West

Historian Megan Kate Nelson discusses her book The Westerners and how mythmaking shaped the American West.

Oregon find may include world’s oldest sewn material, researchers say

Researchers analyzing artifacts from Oregon’s Great Basin say they may have identified the world’s oldest sewn material, dating back about 12,000 years, offering new insi

New book explores Chinese American life during the Exclusion Era

Underground History host Chelsea Rose talks with Beth Lew-Williams about her book and the research behind it.

The Siskiyou Line linked Ashland to northern California for 137 years

Chelsea Rose, host of Underground History, looks at the impact of a railroad that once linked southern Oregon and northern California over the Siskiyou mountains.

Legacy of 'The Oregon Trail' video game

Underground History host Chelsea Rose visits with "The Oregon Trail" Game Designer R. Philip Bouchard and Underground History Producer Charlie Zimmerman.

Unwinding complex legends about a presumed massacre of Chinese immigrants in the Pacific Northwest

Ana Maria Spagna and Eric Gleason join host Chelsea Rose on an investigative journey into a historic rumor, or true crime.

From Bigfoot to 'Rumpology' ... uncovering the truth of myths rooted in pseudoscience

Underground History host Chelsea Rose visits with Nate Pedersen, author of "Pseudo Science: An Amusing History of Crackpot Ideas and Why We Love Them."

Renowned cocktail historian chronicles 500 years of mixed drinks in a new comic book

Daily Beast columnist, award-winning author and renowned cocktail historian discusses his new book, "The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: Five Centuries of Mixing Drin