The first episode of “Voices of Gresham” focuses on the pioneer “Western Empress”

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Gresham has long honored important figures/families of its early history by naming streets and landmarks after them: Powell, Roberts, Eastman, Cleveland.

Yet one prominent woman whose role in the city’s early development was no less influential was all but forgotten for decades. Miyo Iwakoshi’s name is not immortalized on any local street sign. In fact, she lay in an unmarked grave for decades, leaving a mystery for local historians as her family was killed or scattered to the far corners of the world.

Iwakoshi is the focus of the first episode of “Voices of Gresham,” the new podcast from the Gresham Historical Society. Hosted by Stephanie Vallance and Melissa Bevency, the podcast uses oral histories, recordings and interviews to uncover the many historical mysteries of East Multnomah County.

Episode 1: A Japanese Pioneer in Oregon delves into the Iwakoshi family and their matriarch. They were the first Japanese residents in Oregon, arriving in 1880. Fluent in English, they were instrumental in assisting other arrivals from Japan and creating a home for all in East County. For her role, Iwakoshi was nicknamed the “Empress of the West” due to her leadership in this community.

The episode also focuses on the effort to find her unmarked grave, with much airtime devoted to a trio of women who took on the challenge of uncovering Iwakoshi’s legacy in the 1970s and ’80s.

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