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About This Website
"History is the memory of things said and done." - Carl L. Becker
Documenting and studying history is essential for two reasons: for judgment, as the basis for making decisions, and for identity, as the basis for thinking about who we are. Nations, clans, and organizations draw on past experience to forge stories that define who they are or wish to be.
Many of us whose ethnic German ancestors came to Portland from the lower Volga region of Russia grew up perplexed about our identity. When I was a young boy living in the Albina neighborhood in Portland during the 1950s and 1960s, nearly all of my relatives spoke a German dialect. We all had grandparents who grew up in Russia and lived in an English-speaking country. Most of us never asked how this came to be. When life in "Russland" or "the old country" was discussed amongst our elders, it was typically with others who shared this experience and could speak the Volga German dialect. While they valued and held to their German heritage, influenced by their time in Russia, they were also proud to be Americans and wanted their children to be part of the New World culture.
Although their presence in and contributions to the Portland community have been significant, the Volga Germans, and more broadly, the German-Russians, have not been well documented by professional historians. Why is this the case? German-Russian historian and author Adam Geisinger provides some insight into this question in the following quote from his book titled from Catherine to Khrushchev:
Many of us whose ethnic German ancestors came to Portland from the lower Volga region of Russia grew up perplexed about our identity. When I was a young boy living in the Albina neighborhood in Portland during the 1950s and 1960s, nearly all of my relatives spoke a German dialect. We all had grandparents who grew up in Russia and lived in an English-speaking country. Most of us never asked how this came to be. When life in "Russland" or "the old country" was discussed amongst our elders, it was typically with others who shared this experience and could speak the Volga German dialect. While they valued and held to their German heritage, influenced by their time in Russia, they were also proud to be Americans and wanted their children to be part of the New World culture.
Although their presence in and contributions to the Portland community have been significant, the Volga Germans, and more broadly, the German-Russians, have not been well documented by professional historians. Why is this the case? German-Russian historian and author Adam Geisinger provides some insight into this question in the following quote from his book titled from Catherine to Khrushchev:
"The German-Russian "ethnic" group exists in a great variety of guises, as well as in large numbers, all through the American Middle West and in Canada's western provinces. Although the group is relatively large and has played an important role in the colonization of the prairies of North America, its history is little known or understood among us. Even the learned historians of western settlement usually dispose of it in a few vague sentences.
The group is not easily recognizable as such; because it lacks some of the homogeneity that one associates with an ethnic group. Moreover it is difficult to distinguish from other groups of the same mother tongue who came to America about the same time from other parts of central Europe. It has also been a singularly silent group, one that has generally preferred anonymity, because its ethnic character brought it hostility and discrimination, especially during the two world wars. Instead of flaunting its language and its culture and making special efforts to preserve them, a large group has tended to disguise its identity and, consciously or not, has sought rapid assimilation into the English speaking majority."
The purpose of this website is to document and preserve the heritage, history, beliefs, traditions, stories, and accomplishments of the Volga Germans settlers and their descendants, who lived in the greater Portland area and Willamette Valley. I also hope this website will help those with Volga German ancestry learn more about their families and themselves.
I am deeply indebted to those who worked to document the history of the Volga Germans in Portland before the creation of this website in the late 1990s. Conrad Brill's wonderful Memories of Portland and Memories of Norka provide rich details about life and the people in these communities. The historical writings of Emma Schwabenland Haynes, such as "My Mother's People" and "The History of the Volga Relief Society," are enormously valuable resources. Marie Trupp Krieger, William "Bill" Burbach, Joanne and Willis Krieger, and Ruth Williams collected materials and documented many aspects of Volga German history in Portland. They were also instrumental in establishing a library for the Oregon Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. The Oregon Chapter was founded in 1971 through the leadership of Peter Koch and Lucille Butts. Wanda June Byers Schwabauer wrote an excellent paper entitled "The Portland Community of Germans from Russia" in May 1974 as part of her coursework at Portland State University. This paper captures details about the local ethnic enclave that would have been otherwise lost to history. In 2018, Heather Viets published her master's thesis at Portland State University titled "Little Russia: Patterns in Migration, Settlement, and the Articulation of Ethnic Identity Among Portland's Volga Germans." I was fortunate to co-author an article with Heather for the Oregon Encyclopedia titled "Volga Germans in Oregon." For the first time, the Volga Germans became part of the official record of the Oregon Historical Society.
This website would not be possible without the contributions of many people, for whom I am very grateful. Please consider sharing your stories, information, and photographs.
Thank you,
Steve Schreiber
I am deeply indebted to those who worked to document the history of the Volga Germans in Portland before the creation of this website in the late 1990s. Conrad Brill's wonderful Memories of Portland and Memories of Norka provide rich details about life and the people in these communities. The historical writings of Emma Schwabenland Haynes, such as "My Mother's People" and "The History of the Volga Relief Society," are enormously valuable resources. Marie Trupp Krieger, William "Bill" Burbach, Joanne and Willis Krieger, and Ruth Williams collected materials and documented many aspects of Volga German history in Portland. They were also instrumental in establishing a library for the Oregon Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. The Oregon Chapter was founded in 1971 through the leadership of Peter Koch and Lucille Butts. Wanda June Byers Schwabauer wrote an excellent paper entitled "The Portland Community of Germans from Russia" in May 1974 as part of her coursework at Portland State University. This paper captures details about the local ethnic enclave that would have been otherwise lost to history. In 2018, Heather Viets published her master's thesis at Portland State University titled "Little Russia: Patterns in Migration, Settlement, and the Articulation of Ethnic Identity Among Portland's Volga Germans." I was fortunate to co-author an article with Heather for the Oregon Encyclopedia titled "Volga Germans in Oregon." For the first time, the Volga Germans became part of the official record of the Oregon Historical Society.
This website would not be possible without the contributions of many people, for whom I am very grateful. Please consider sharing your stories, information, and photographs.
Thank you,
Steve Schreiber
Disclosure Statement
Steve Schreiber created and maintains The Volga Germans in Portland website. The website is not affiliated with any organization, and I receive no compensation for this work.
Written material, audio recordings, images, and video recordings obtained from others are used and documented appropriately.
This website does not accept any advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. Links are provided to external websites where reference materials may be purchased. I receive no compensation from external organizations.
Unless otherwise noted, I wrote all articles on this site. I accept responsibility for any errors in the content presented and will correct them if you provide adequate documentation of alternative information.
If you have questions or comments about this website, please contact Steve Schreiber.
Written material, audio recordings, images, and video recordings obtained from others are used and documented appropriately.
This website does not accept any advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. Links are provided to external websites where reference materials may be purchased. I receive no compensation from external organizations.
Unless otherwise noted, I wrote all articles on this site. I accept responsibility for any errors in the content presented and will correct them if you provide adequate documentation of alternative information.
If you have questions or comments about this website, please contact Steve Schreiber.
Last updated January 12, 2025