The James G. Blaine Society was founded in the early 1960s by Stewart Holbrook, an author and journalist who wrote a regular column for The Oregonian.

[1][2][3][4] To highlight his concerns about Oregon's population growth and related issues, Holbrook created the fictional James G. Blaine Society.

He highlighted its purpose in a humorous article in the 27 March 1962 edition of Look magazine, originally calling the organization the James G. Blaine Association.

[1][2][6] Sharing Holbrook's concern that Oregon's rapidly growing population would have a negative impact on the state's environment, a significant number of Oregonians came to identify themselves as members of the James G. Blaine Society.

[8][9] Over time, the society took on a life of its own despite the fact that it had no formal organization, no leaders, no membership roster, held no meetings, and collected no dues.

However, the success of this tongue-in-cheek group underscored real concerns within the state for issues arising from rapid and uncontrolled population growth.

Actually what happens in the summer when tourists come is that we paint our hills green, put up false silhouettes for mountains, borrow a few lakes from Washington and California, and hire some actors to look cheerful.

[12]In 1971, the James G. Blaine Society got a big boost when Governor Tom McCall invited tourists to visit Oregon, but then added "but for heaven's sake don't stay.

The governor's "come visit, but don't stay" remark as well as the ungreeting cards and bumper stickers articulated the values of the James G. Blaine Society.

[15][16] In the early 1970s, a freelance writer from Portland named Ron Abell made an attempt to officially organize the James G. Blaine Society.