Oregonians have a long history of participating in outdoor recreational activities. Oregonians and visitors alike have skied, fished, hiked, boated, biked or camped across our beautiful state. For 2017, the Oregon Blue Book focused on outdoor recreational activities in the Oregon Cascades. The secretary of state encouraged our elementary and middle school students to participate in the second ever Oregon Blue Book essay contest. The 2017 essay questions were:

(75-150 words): What is your favorite thing to do in Oregon’s great outdoors? Describe a fun memory of spending time outdoors in Oregon.

(100-200 words): Oregon is a great place to play outdoors. You can camp, raft, ski, hike, boat, surf, or just take a walk. If you have a friend coming to visit you in Oregon who has never been here before, where would you take them for a fun outdoor activity and what would you do?

 

This exhibit features the winning essays and finalists in each category. The essays are displayed as written. Most are illustrated by images from the Oregon State Archives. 

Note: Some images have been tinted for exhibit purposes.