Frank Branch Riley (1875–1975) was an attorney based in Portland, Oregon, who was nationally known as a public speaker.
From 1918 until the mid-1960s, he traveled around the United States presenting illustrated lectures about the scenery and attractions of the Pacific Northwest, encouraging people to visit or move there.
[1] He was invited to give public speeches at local events such as the 1917 opening of the Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver, Washington,[6] and the 1918 dedication of Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge.
[7] In 1918, sponsored by local business interests, Riley began to deliver lectures around the United States to boost travel to the Pacific Northwest.
His typical talk ran for about 70 minutes, illustrated by as many as 375 hand-tinted lantern slides of Northwest scenery.
Then the blue shadows, ever darkening, creep up the long slope and with velvet fingers hide the warm light.
[15] An article in The Harvard Crimson described him as an expert on the national parks and an accomplished poet and musician.