N. Oregon Coast Presentation Takes on KKK's Local Presence Last Century

Published 10/14/25 at 6:25 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Nehalem, Oregon) – On Saturday, October 25, some truly unpleasant Oregon and coastal history is going to resurface.

On that date, the Nehalem Valley Historical Society will host David A. Horowitz, Portland State University's Professor Emeritus of History, giving a presentation on “Ghosts of Modern Culture War: The 1920s Ku Klux Klan in Oregon and Tillamook County.” It brings to light the conditions in this state a mere 100 years ago, when the KKK ran many aspects of the area.

The talk takes place at 3:30 pm at the North County Recreation District 36155 9th Street, Nehalem. It is $10 at the door, and all proceeds benefit NVHS education programs.

In the early 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan established a presence in Oregon during the rise of the second iteration of the organization. Its rapid expansion across the state was fueled by a predominantly white, Protestant population and longstanding racist and anti-immigrant attitudes embedded in the region – including the north Oregon coast.

Between 1921 and 1928, the Tillamook Chapter No. 8 of the Klan exerted significant influence, advancing an anti-Catholic agenda and supporting Prohibition. The chapter also played a prominent role in local governance, law enforcement, and the judicial system, using its position to shape public policy and community norms.

Indeed, according to writer Steve Law and Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Klan “overwhelmed Oregon politics.” Throughout the state they had helped install politicians that favored them.

“Ultimately, the struggles and decline of the Klan in Oregon coincided with the struggles and decline of the Klan in other states, and its activity faded in the 1930s,” Horowitz said.

Professor Horowitz offers a timely a presentation exploring the Klan’s impact in Oregon, with a particular focus on its activities in Tillamook County. The event invites attendees to learn more about this complex and troubling chapter in northwest history.

Popularity of the KKK surged in the early century, pushed along by D.W. Griffith’s morally depraved film, Birth of a Nation.

Horowitz's book Inside the Klavern is a unique look at that world. Instead of being a fully written-out narrative, it's a collection of meetings' minutes from the Ku Klux Klan in La Grande, Oregon, between 1922 and 1924. It shows what went on from the inside, known as the most complete set of Klan notes ever found.

“Through an extensive introduction and conclusion as well as brief notes previewing each installment of the minutes, David A. Horowitz places these unique documents in historical perspective,” writes one synopsis.

https://nehalemvalleyhistory.org/ MORE NEHALEM BAY BELOW

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