UO History 101: Oregana

From 1910 to 1980, the Oregana was a staple for UO students. The yearbook, which was initially titled The Webfoot upon its creation 120 years ago in 1902, was an outlet for Ducks to reflect upon activities from the school year. Discover how the yearbook has evolved over the years.

1902
The original publication of The Webfoot was simple. The book was made up of poems from current students and alumni, stories about the curriculum, a page for each class, information about different literary societies, and a sparse collection of photos.

1907
The title of the yearbook was changed to Bulletin: a Class Book. It was essentially the same format as The Webfoot, but with a few more photos and many of the poems were replaced by stories about traditions, such as University Day.

1909
The title of the yearbook was changed, yet again. Then known as Beaver, the publication shifted to focus more on clubs, organizations, and sports at the university.

1910
The publication settled on naming the yearbook Oregana. In the 1910 Oregana, the junior class wrote that they considered changing the name back to Webfoot but claimed that it was a “poor advertisement for Oregon because it inferred that we have a much larger rainfall than is really the case.” They didn’t want to rename it Bulletin because of the connotation that the book would not be interesting. They liked the title Beaver but said that “since our friends at Corvallis have chosen to adopt the name, we will let them have the term and move ahead to one we think better.”

1980
The last volume of Oregana was published in 1980. Originally created by the junior class, the Associated Students took over the publication in 1915 until its end in 1980. The book consisted of fun stories about university traditions, many photos, and a look at campus through the year.

Issues of the Oregana can be found online.

-By Peyton Hall, UO Alumni Association Student Associate