Oregon Secretary of State

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Helment with eyes says "he's watching you". Man looking oddly at cigarette. Drawing of nurses. Drawing of boy & wagon.
Clockwise from top left: A poster warning about spies; This man's cigarette tastes odd, a possible sign of an enemy gas attack; A poster calling on women to get involved in the war effort as cadet nurses; a "Paper Trooper" on a salvage drive.
Overview

Welcome to Life on the Home Front — an exhibit and learning resource that explores the experiences of ordinary Oregonians on the home front during World War II, seen primarily through the records of the Oregon State Defense Council and records at the Oregon State Archives.  This exhibit consists of the equivalent of over 400 printed pages of narrative text augmented by hundreds of images and thousands of pages of original documents describing Oregon before, during, and after World War II.

Contents

Introduction — Get a bird's eye scope and content view of the exhibit
Before the war  — Explore Oregon and the world before Pearl Harbor
Threats real and perceived — Discover how fears of attack affected us
Civilian protection — See the efforts to safeguard Oregon from attack
Civilian war services — Examine how Oregonians helped the war effort
Oregon home front life — Experience life in the state during the war
After the war — Learn about Oregon and the world after the guns fell silent
Learn more — Continue your research with further resources and links

Navigation

Use the > link at the bottom of each page to move through the exhibit in sequence. Or, use the sidebar to find tables of contents for each section.