Volga Germans in Oregon

03/23/2026

Many of you were members or are familiar with the former Zion Congregational Church on NE 9th and Fremont. The current owners, Door of Hope, are raising funds to restore and preserve the building. If you can assist in preserving one of our Volga German churches, follow this link:

Introduction and How to HelpOn Sunday, 8/3 we announced that we have an agreement to purchase our beloved church building on 831 NE Fremont and with that comes the privilege and challenge of addressing roughly $617,000 of deferred maintenance over the next few years. We sprinted to see if we could r...

08/05/2025

Our local newspaper, The Bee, recently featured an article about Portland history, which included a photograph of John Nagel and his dairy wagon. I knew that Nagel is a family name often found in Norka, Russia. We know many people from Norka came to Portland. I did a little research, and here is what I found. Please follow this page if you find it of interest! https://www.volgagermansportland.info/john-nagel-dairyman.html

07/07/2025

Many thanks to Ron Deering for sharing his memories of hop picking

https://www.volgagermansportland.info/working-the-hop-fields.html

in the Willamette Valley.

People > Stories > Working the Hop Fields

06/01/2025

Today, I posted a short biography of Johannes and Christina Wacker, who migrated from Norka, Russia, and settled in Portland.

https://www.volgagermansportland.info/johannes-and-christina-wacker.html

If you are a descendant of this family, please let me know if you spot any errors or if you have more information to add.

People > Our People > Johannes and Christina Wacker

05/26/2025

Many members of the Volga German community in Portland served in the U.S. military during World War I and World War II.

https://www.volgagermansportland.info/world-war-ii.html

Let's take time to remember them today.

History > World War II

03/24/2025

This page's purpose is to serve as a forum to discuss, document, and preserve the history, culture, and traditions of the Volga Germans in Portland and, more broadly, in the State of Oregon and SW Washington. Please join the conversation!