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Voices of Gresham: A New Podcast

A podcast about Gresham history, told through the voices of those who have lived it. Join us as we bring Gresham's past to life - from the Japanese American experience to Prohibition and  speakeasies. Hosted and co-written by Stephanie Vallance and Melissa Bevency, in partnership with GHS. 

Stream Season 1

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Listen to Episode 1

Episode 2: Cultivating Community

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Listen to Episode 2

Episode 3: Road to Minidoka

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Episode 4: Relocation to Idaho

Listen to Episode 3

Episode 4: Relocation to Idaho

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon

Episode 4: Relocation to Idaho

Listen to Episode 4

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Listen to Episode 5

Episode 6: Reparations and Moving Forward

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Listen to Episode 6

Episode 7: Spirits and Speakeasies

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Episode 7: Spirits and Speakeasies

Listen to Episode 7

Episode 8: Currents of Change

Episode 5: Coming Home: Life After Internment

Episode 7: Spirits and Speakeasies

Listen to Episode 8

Episode 9: Women's Work

Episode 10: Historic Homes

Episode 10: Historic Homes

Listen to Episode 9

Episode 10: Historic Homes

Episode 10: Historic Homes

Episode 10: Historic Homes

Listen to Episode 10
Other places to listen
Apple PodcastsSpotify

Creating "Voices of Gresham"

Read about host Stephanie Vallance's journey through the annals of local history and the museum archives. Voices of Gresham is a production almost 50 years in the making. 

Read the Blog Post

Press Coverage

“Voices of Gresham” podcast puts the ‘story in history’

Chris Keizur, Gresham Outlook 7/26/2024

On a hot summer day, Japanese Americans, many of whom had settled in the Gresham area, were told they were being relocated. 

They had been kept over the summer at the Portland Assembly Center, not knowing of the furious construction that had been going on in the high desert of Idaho.

“We were told to pack up and hop on a train.”

Read more...

Debut episode of ‘Voices of Gresham’ explores the pioneer ‘Western Empress’

Chris Keizur, Portland Tribune 7/10/2024; also published on KOIN, 7/12/2024

Gresham has a long history of commemorating important figures/families from its early history by naming roads and landmarks after them: Powell,  Roberts, Eastman, Cleveland.

But for decades a prominent woman whose role in the city’s early development was no less  influential was all but forgotten. Miyo Iwakoshi does not have her name enshrined on any local street signs. In fact, for decades  she was buried in an unmarked grave, leaving behind a mystery for local historians to unspool with her family killed or dispersed to the far corners of the world. 

Read more...

History Podcast to Amplify 'Voices of Gresham'

Chris Keizur, Gresham Outlook 6/24/2024

A new podcast is launching this weekend that amplifies the many voices of local residents through the decades.

“Voices of Gresham” is a lively, one-of-a-kind podcast based on oral history recollections of Gresham residents past and present.

Using interviews conducted in the last 40-plus years, hosts Stephanie Vallance and Melissa Bevency explore themes including farming, nightlife and the Japanese American experience. Read more...

Gresham Historical Society to launch podcast celebrating ‘Voices of Gresham’

Chris Keizur, Gresham Outlook 4/1/2024

Local  history buffs will get to explore East Multnomah County’s past through a series of oral histories that will be shared via a new platform.

The Gresham Historical Society is leveraging an $18,000 grant, courtesy the Oregon Heritage Commission, to launch “Voices of Gresham” podcast, which will share unique perspectives of the many people who have called this town home.

Read more...

4/4/2024 Press Release

The Oregon Heritage Commission has awarded the Gresham Historical Society (GHS) an $18,000 grant to launch a unique podcast that tells the Gresham experience from the perspective of those who have lived it.


The Voices of Gresham podcast will be written and directed by Stephanie Vallance, GHS’s public historian, whose position has been funded through the City of Gresham Community Enhancement Grant since 2022. Over the past year and a half, she has developed a robust oral history interview program, which will form the basis for this podcast. Voices of Gresham will also integrate oral histories recorded on cassette tapes by GHS volunteers in the 1980s and 1990s, plus a handful of interviews filmed between 2013 and 2015. The initial episode of a planned first season of 10 episodes will be released at a free launch party on June 29, 2024.


Episodes will be organized around themes in Gresham’s history and will place these stories in the context of regional and national events, such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II—the subject of a planned five-episode arc in the first season. Other possible themes include displacement and migration, agriculture, urbanization,  environment, and commerce. Each episode will incorporate research done by GHS staff and volunteers, along with narration by Vallance and various guests. The primary focus, however, will be on the recollections of Gresham residents and others with a story to share about local history.


Voices of Gresham is intended to nourish a sense of our shared past by removing barriers to access. People who are unable to visit a museum exhibit for any of a variety of reasons will have an opportunity to engage with local heritage through the podcast. Voices of Gresham will be available for free on Apple Podcasts and other leading platforms and will receive a dedicated page on the GHS website, greshamhistorical.org.

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Support

Lectures and Documentaries

Lectures and Documentaries

 Gifts and contributions to the Gresham Historical Society support the continued preservation and sharing of our local history. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

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Lectures and Documentaries

Lectures and Documentaries

Lectures and Documentaries

GHS volunteers and staff are working hard to find great local history stories and share them with you.  Check out their research on our YouTube channel and learn about upcoming lectures at the museum.

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Research and Collections

Lectures and Documentaries

Research and Collections

What's your history mystery? Search for the answer in our archives! Resources include over 70 years of the Gresham Outlook (our local newspaper) as well as thousands  of historic documents and photos. You can also browse a portion of our collection online.

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Lectures and Documentaries

Research and Collections

Join us for upcoming events, including lectures, tours, and fundraisers. Monthly history talks, walking tours of historic cemeteries, and family-friendly workshops are just some of what we have to offer.

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410 N Main Ave - PO Box 65 - Gresham, OR 97030

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