Hello!
I’m Mark Eifler
. . . and Welcome to My History Office!
I am a retired historian, after thirty years of university teaching. But I still like to research, write, and talk about history! I have written and had published several books, many articles, professional book reviews, and have been interviewed for television and podcasts.
I currently give talks on history in and around Portland, Oregon. You can contact me to book a talk, or just ask a question, at markeifler@mac.com
Brief Biography
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and have lived in California, Nebraska, and Oregon. I have traveled and worked extensively in the United States and Europe and China. I received my PhD in American History in 1992 at the University of California at Berkeley. At that time I was especially interested in the American West, Native American History, and Colonial American History. I have since then developed deep interests in the Pacific Rim, The American Revolution, The Civil War, American Military History (which I taught for the ROTC), Environmental History, Urban History, and the Cold War Era in America and Europe. I was fortunate enough to teach advanced level courses on all of these topics over my career, giving me a deeper understanding of American History.
Now that I am retired, I have two research projects that I am working on rather leisurely:one on how the California gold rush shaped the lives of four ordinary families, and one on the geopolitical aspects of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I live in Portland with my wife, Karen, who has also recently retired from academia, and my two dogs–Pippin and Milo–who usually serve as my research staff.
In addition to history, I enjoy reading, photography, and music.
Meet my research staff:
Pippin (top) and Milo.
My History Notes 