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Civilian Conservation Corps, Eugene District (Or.) photograph album

  • Album 380
  • Collection
  • 1933-1934

Photograph album documenting the history and activities of the Eugene (Oregon) District of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from May 1933 to May 1934. The album was assembled by Leo R. T. Burton of the Skinner Butte Camp for the Headquarters Detachment and contains photographs of district camps and surrounding scenery, construction activities, and CCC officers and personnel. Also includes maps of each camp, monthly service reports, and work progress reports. Includes camps at Belknap, Bradford, Brice Creek, Cape Creek, Coquille, Crane Prairie, Devils Flat, Drew, Fall Creek, Gunter, Loon Lake, Mapleton, Maury, McKinley, Melrose, Oakridge, Powers, Reedsport, Remote, Rigdon, Seven-Mile Hill, Sisters, Sitkum, Steamboat, Tyee, Walker, and Wolf Creek.

Burton, Leo R. T. (Leo Rigel Taylor)

The Bo's'n's Whistle

  • BW-OSC
  • Collection
  • 1941 - 1946

The Bo's'n's Whistle was a publication distributed to the employees of the Kaiser Shipyards in Oregon and Washington between 1941 and 1946. The first publication was released on July 18, 1941 under the editorial direction of Chick Johnson, and was given its distinctive name by Edgar Kaiser the General Manager of the shipyard. Subsequent issues released bi-weekly, along with a special issue on September 27, 1941 commemorating the launch of the "Star of Oregon". Distribution expanded to the Vancouver and Swan Island Shipyards in April 1942, with Hal Babbit, director of public relations for Kaiser Company serving as editorial supervisor.

The format of the Bo's'n's Whistle changed from a magazine to a weekly newspaper beginning March 10, 1944, with separate editions for each of the three shipyards - Oregon Shipyard, Swan Island, and Vancouver. On September 7, 1945 The Bo's'n's Whistle was again consolidated into one edition for all three shipyards, and on January 1, 1946 it was moved to a twice-monthly publication schedule. The final issue of The Bo's'n's Whistle was published on May 24, 1946. At its peak, The Bo's'n's Whistle was circulated to 90,000 employees, with over 4,000,000 copies distributed over its lifespan.

Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation

Mount Tabor Villa broadside

  • Coll 101
  • Collection
  • 1889

Advertising broadside for the Mount Tabor Villa subdivision of Portland, Oregon, sold by the Hart-Royal Company, including a colored plat map. Mount Tabor Villa is today part of the Montavilla neighborhood.

A. Anderson & Co. Lithography (Portland, Or.)

Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church collection, 1940-2015

  • Coll 189
  • Collection
  • 1940 - 2015

The collection covers various aspects of the history of the church and of its leader, Rev. O.B. Williams, and his wife Willa Jackson Williams. It includes a variety of photographs, with a large percentage of the images relating to the various church groups, including choirs, youth groups, and ushers. A large collection of members’ memorial cards, the pastoral anniversaries of Rev. Williams, some bibles and hymnals (many annotated by Rev. Williams, including two dated 1867 and 1890), church financial records and meeting minutes, and a collection of materials from Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1961 visit are included. A small collection of the Williams’ personal photographs and ephemera can also be found in collection.

Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church (Portland, Or.)

Delazon Smith family papers

  • Coll 26
  • Collection
  • 1848-2004

Papers of Delazon Smith, an early Oregon journalist and political figure in Linn County, Or., who served briefly as one of the first U.S. Senators from the state. Includes letters from Delazon Smith to his wife Mary, some of which detail Smith's journey to the east coast in 1858 and admission of Oregon to the Union in 1859. Also included are letters from Smith family members, including Delavan Smith, a soldier in the Civil War; legal documents and speeches; and transcripts of Delazon's Smith's letters to the Oregon Weekly Times describing conditions in the state and providing advice to overland travelers.

Smith, Delazon

Theodore Roosevelt letter to George Himes, 1900 Feb 21

  • Coll 301
  • Collection
  • 1900

Typed note, signed, from Theodore Roosevelt when governor of New York, to George H. Himes, assistant secretary of the Oregon Historical Society, complimenting Himes and the Society on their work. This letter was a response to Himes' letter of February 13th, 1900, a transcript of which is included.

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Oregon Imprints collection

  • Coll 400
  • Collection
  • 1846-1870 (bulk)

This collection, assembled by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, primarily consists of printed material that was either produced in or closely relates to the Oregon Territory and to Oregon's early statehood. Almost all of these items were listed in George Belknap's 1968 bibliography, "Oregon Imprints, 1845-1870."

The materials in this collection include legal and judicial documents such as legislative bills, reports, and proceedings; records of associations, including masonic organizations, temperance organizations, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and religious organizations; announcements and proclamations; event invitations, announcements, and programs, including for Fourth of July celebrations and the Oregon State Fair; advertisements; newspaper pages; and almanacs. The collection also includes some materials relating to conflicts between Euro-Americans and Native peoples, such as the Rogue River War of 1855-1856.

With some exceptions, materials are listed in this collection guide in numerical order based on numbers Belknap assigned to each item in his bibliography. Not all items that appear in Belknap's bibliography are included in this collection, and so some item numbers are skipped. Item numbers are typically handwritten on the documents themselves or on enclosing envelopes; sometimes these also show an earlier number that Douglas C. McMurtrie had assigned. The collection also includes a handful of items that were not cataloged by Belknap, but which also date from the mid-19th century.

Other materials in the collection include copies of Belknap's "Oregon Imprints, 1845-1870," supplements to "Oregon Imprints, 1847-1870" and to "Oregon Imprints, 1845-1870," and Belknap's correspondence and writings relating to early Oregon imprints.

Catholic Ladders collection

  • Coll 51
  • Collection
  • 1840-1896

Collection consists of hand-drawn and commercially printed Catholic ladders designed by Francis Norbert Blanchet between 1840 and 1859. The hand-drawn 1840 ladder is believed to have been drawn by Blanchet. The ladder matches extant examples of Blanchet’s handwriting and is addressed to his brother A. M. A. Blanchet at Cedars parish in Canada. Also included in the collection are three printed lithograph ladders with instructions written in French (1846-47 ladder), Spanish (1856 ladder), and English (1859 ladder). There are also photostatic copies of two additional early examples of Blanchet ladders. The collection also includes one Pictorial Catechism printed in 1896 that was designed by Albert Lacombe based off Blanchet’s ladders.

Blanchet, Francis Norbert, 1795-1883

Herman Bohlman lecture notes, circa 1900-1920

  • Coll 542
  • Collection
  • 1900 - 1920

The collection consists of notes for lectures given by the nature photographer Herman T. Bohlman. Lectures include talks on birds in the Crater Lake region, on the California Condor, and wintertime birds. The collection additionally contains a handwritten schedule of talks, loose notes, the envelopes in which the notes were originally stored, and a photograph by Bohlman of a black chickadee family which was found with the notes.

Bohlman, Herman

Broadside of Western Defense Command instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry

  • Coll 619
  • Collection
  • 1942-05

The collection consists of a broadside detailing the provisions of Civilian Exclusion Order No. 46 issued by General J. L. Dewitt on May 6, 1942. The order directs all Japanese and Japanese Americans living in Clackamas and eastern Multnomah counties to be evacuated to Civil Control Stations for forced incarceration during World War II.

United States. Army. Western Defense Command

Robertson, Burns, and Failing families papers

  • Coll 784
  • Collection
  • 1786-1988

Many of Portland's early settling families created long-lasting ties with one another through marriage and business relationships. Often leaving areas such as New England and San Francisco, the first generation of transplants found Portland to be a small town of new opportunities for trade and business from 1840-1855. Family relationships, such as those seen between the Robertson, Corbett, and Failing families beginning in the 1850s, often lasted for generations. Starting with the joint venture between Henry Winslow Corbett and brother-in-law Thomas Robertson (1817-1900), multiple other partnerships were later formed, including Robertson Heavy Hardware, Corbett, Failing and Company, Foster and Robertson and Corbett, Failing, and Robertson.

The Robertson family represented a crossroads of Portland familial relationships. Beginning with the arrival of Thomas Robertson and his wife Mary Freeland (Corbett) Robertson, from New York, multiple generations of the Robertson family went on to marry into different branches of other old Portland families, such Couch, Lewis, and Reed. Through these relationships, they also gained ties with several family lineages from the East Coast. Individuals in these families later attended elite schools, traveled widely and participated in family businesses to great success. They also contributed to Portland's civic life, becoming city or state officials, and serving as early supporters for institutions such as the Portland Art Museum and Reed College.

Robertson family

James F. Failing family papers

  • Coll 799
  • Collection
  • 1850-2009

James Frederick Failing was born in New York on March 24, 1842 to Josiah Failing and Henrietta Legge Ellison. His father and older brothers, Henry and John William, arrived in Portland in 1851, followed two years later in 1853 by James, their mother, and sister, Elizabeth. James completed his education at Portland Academy, then joined J. Failing and Co. as a clerk. The company was a wholesale hardware business started by Josiah and Henry Failing at the corner of first and Oak Streets. James later became a partner at Corbett, Failing and Company. The company operated under this name for 22 years, before later becoming Failing-McCalman Company, operated in part by James's three sons.

In 1877, James Failing became a director of the First National Bank in Portland, remaining a senior director until his death in 1920. He married Jane Johnson Conner in 1880. She was born in Albany, Oregon on February 14, 1855 to merchant John Conner (1820-1902) and his first wife, Martha Mariea Bancroft Whittlesey (1827-1861). Later, John Conner married James's sister, Elizabeth Ann Failing in 1863. Jane Conner and James F. Failing had five children: Edward Josiah (1881-1936), Kate Whittlesey (1883-1971), John Conner (1886-1951), Frederick Ellison (1892-1929), and Henrietta Chase, 1895-1989). Kate and Henrietta participated regularly in Portland civic life, volunteering with numerous organizations.

James Failing and his family were members of the First Baptist Church of Portland. He was involved in the development and construction of the church's Taylor Street building between 1892 and 1893, and was both a trustee and a deacon. His daughter Kate created scrapbooks documenting the history of the church. He was also a director of the Young Men's Christian Association and a trustee for McMinnville College (later known as Linfield College), and an active member of the Oregon Pioneer Society and the Auld Lang Syne Society. Both his father, Josiah, and brother Henry served as mayors of Portland. While James never held public office, he was regarded as a prominent individual in the Portland business and civic communities.

Failing, James F. (James Frederick), 1842-1920

Portland Jobs with Justice records

  • Coll 827
  • Collection
  • 1988 - 2019

Collection consists of the records of the Portland, Oregon coalition of Jobs with Justice, a national non-profit organization advocating for workers' rights. The records document several campaigns and other activities of the Portland branch from the tenure of its first executive director, Margaret Butler, from its founding in 1991 through 2016, and cover labor issues and actions primarily in the Pacific Northwest but also across the nation and the world.

Portland Jobs with Justice

Coronation of Womanhood posters

  • Coll 839
  • Collection
  • 1884-1885

The collection consists of two copies of a poster entitled “Coronation of Womanhood” and a single copy of an identification key to the people depicted in the poster. The posters are printed from a photo crayon lithograph engraving. At the front center of the image, the goddess of Liberty is crowning a kneeling female figure representing womanhood. Below them is a banner reading, “Coronation of Womanhood.” Arranged in a half-circle above Liberty and Womanhood at the top of the poster are the portraits of Edward Dickinson Baker, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and James A. Garfield. Flanking either side of the image is a dais draped in bunting featuring the state crests of New York, California, Oregon, Nebraska, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. Seated at the dais are 17 women of the suffrage movement: Martha C. Wright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Frances Wright, Lucretia Coffin Mott, Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, Susan B. Anthony, Abigail Scott Duniway, Dr. Clemence S. Lozier, Helen M. Gouger, Sarah L. Knox Goodrich, Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, Mary J. Collins, Julia Ward Howe, Lillie Devereux Black, Matilda Jocelyn Gage, and Ernestine L. Rose. Below the dais, there is an audience of 275 additional men recognized as supporters of women’s enfranchisement. The men depicted in the scene include Matthew Deady, Stephen F. Chadwick, Rockey Preston Earhart, Joseph N. Dolph, Melvin Clark George, Samuel Royal Thurston, and William S. Ladd. A full listing of the depicted individuals is accessible via the identification key. The inscription at the bottom of the poster reads, “Respectfully dedicated to the loyal subjects of liberty who paved the way to woman’s enfranchisement in the Pacific Northwest, United States of America, anno domini one thousand eight hundred eighty three.”

Source: The Idaho Semi-Weekly World. February 20, 1885.

Duniway, Abigail Scott, 1834-1915

Gerry Frank scrapbooks and memorabilia

  • Coll 855
  • Collection
  • Circa 1880-2018

Scrapbooks, photograph albums, photographs, papers, and ephemera compiled by or relating to Gerald W. "Gerry" Frank (1923-). Frank is a businessman from Oregon who worked at the department store Meier & Frank; opened a dessert shop in Salem, Oregon, named Gerry Frank's Konditerei; and was U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield's chief of staff.

Northwest Women's History Project records and interviews

  • Coll 883
  • Collection
  • 1943-2021

This collection consists of the records of Northwest Women's History Project and audio recordings of oral history interviews the organization conducted with women who had worked in shipyards in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, during World War II.

Digitized materials available online in OHS Digital Collections consist of the interview audio recordings and, when available, completed interview transcripts. The interviews explore issues such as sexual harassment, sexism and racism in unions and on the job, child care, on-the-job training, and life after the war.

Undigitized materials available for use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library consist of the Northwest Women's History Project records in the collection. The bulk of these records relate to the interviews with women shipyard workers and a resulting presentation, titled "Good Work, Sister!" The records include grant documents, telephone questionnaires, transcripts and excerpts of in-person interviews, photographic slides of interviewees who were featured in "Good Work, Sister!" and photographs and records relating to "Good Work, Sister!" events. Also included are some photographs, clippings, ephemera, and memorabilia relating to women shipyard workers in World War II. Other undigitized materials include administrative records, materials relating to the organization's later projects, and materials about the re-release of "Good Work, Sister!" on DVD.

Northwest Women's History Project

Land Program Recreational Project, Columbia Gorge

  • Coll 927
  • Collection
  • 1935-06

The collection consists of a report with appendices authored by John Yeon, chair of the Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission's Columbia Gorge Committee. In the report, Yeon argues in favor of establishing an interstate park in the Columbia River Gorge on both sides of the river; describes specific areas of the Gorge, such as the Cape Horn area and the Beacon Rock area; and discusses lands that would need to be purchased to establish the park. The appendices, which make up the bulk of the collection, include fold-out maps showing areas of the Gorge, population density in Pacific Northwest, railroad facilities in the region, land ownership in the Gorge, and soil types in the Gorge; a list of currently owned properties in the Gorge; lists of delinquent taxes for properties to be purchased; photographs; and copies of statements and correspondence of officials regarding the proposed purchase of lands for a park.

Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission. Columbia Gorge Committee

Masuo Yasui letter to Sagoro Asai, 1946 January 18

  • Coll 956
  • Collection
  • 1946-01-18

The collection consists of a three-page letter, in Japanese, from Masuo Yasui to Sagoro Asai, written shortly after Yasui was released from incarceration in January 1946. In the letter, Yasui thanks Asai for his friendship, and describes his sadness over the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. He makes reference to an incident in which the American Legion post in Hood River, Oregon, removed the names of Japanese American soldiers from a local monument. He praises Asai's son Masami for having served in the U.S. military and for returning to Hood River despite white residents' opposition to the return of any Japanese Americans. He also shares his own hope to return to Hood River.

In addition to the original letter and its envelope, the collection includes transcripts in the pre-World War II Japanese writing system and modern Japanese characters, and a translation to English, all of which were made by Yoko Gulde in 2022.

Japanese American Oral History Project

  • Japanese American Oral History Project
  • Collection
  • 1992-1998

A series of oral history interviews conducted between 1992 and 1998 with Japanese Americans in Oregon. Loen Dozono of the Japanese American Citizen's League (JACL) collaborated with OHS on this project. The interviews were conducted by JACL and OHS staff and volunteers. They aimed to interview Issei (first generation Japanese Americans), and ultimately also interviewed several Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans).

KATU news footage

  • KATU
  • Collection
  • 1970-11-12 - 1980-06-20

News footage from the KATU Television station in Portland, Oregon.

KATU (Television station : Portland, Or.)

Tsuboi Family home movies

  • MI Tsuboi
  • Collection
  • 1925 - 1960

The collection contains home movies filmed by members of the Tsuboi Family circa 1925-1960. The films depict Japanese American family scenes and feature locations around Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia, including the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, downtown Portland, Pendleton Round-Up, the Oregon Coast, Seattle, Yosemite National Park, and Los Angeles. Also included in the collection is footage taken in Northeast China, Japan, and on voyages across the Pacific Ocean.

Tsuboi family

The Video Access Project video recordings

  • MIC 8
  • Collection
  • 1971-1990

The Video Access Project (TVAP) recordings consist of over 800 3/4" Umatic Video tapes and 1/2" Open Reel video tapes, most produced in the Portland Community Access facilities from the early 1980s into the 1990s. These programs were mainly produced and recorded in a television studio and covered various Portland related topics, including politics, music, art and social services. The collection also contains earlier video recordings that were not produced by TVAP. These videos, from the 1970s, were shot on location (not in a studio) and are more focused on art, sexuality, performance and neighborhoods in transition.

The Video Access Project (Portland, Or.)

Tim Smith films

  • MIC 9
  • Collection
  • 1962-1982

The collection contains satirical and comedic short films and early film experiments by Portland, Oregon, filmmaker Tim Smith. The collection includes 9 complete films (three on one reel) and one reel of assorted home movies, experiments and outtakes. The collection includes the following titles: "The Orange"; "Irritation and Frustration"; "Come and Get it"; "The Salmon Street Saga"; "This is Portland"; "Drugs: Killers or Dillers"; "The Case of the Kitchen Killer"; "Infernal Voyage"; "Hyperactivity: The Facts." All films are 16mm. The collection also includes various picture and audio production elements for some films, including A and B rolls, magnetic soundtracks, answer prints, negatives, and assorted lab and printing paperwork.

Smith, Tim (Timothy John), 1955-

William L. Finley Papers, 1899-1946

  • MSS Finley
  • Collection
  • 1899 - 1946

William L. Finley's papers primarily document his work as a wildlife conservationist, author, lecturer, photographer, and filmmaker from about 1900 to 1940. The collection also documents the work his wife Irene Finley and photography partner Herman Bohlman. The collection consists of published and unpublished manuscripts, lecture and field notes, reports, correspondence, photographs and motion picture films.

An addition to the collection (Accession 2014:062) is made up of correspondence and newspaper clippings documenting the wildlife conservation work of William and Irene Finley. Among the topics addressed in the correspondence include: song bird protection laws in Oregon, requests to Finley for use of his photographs, the forming of an Oregon Fish and Game Commission, biological surveys conducted by Finley, legislation in California repealing meadowlark protection, and letters by Finley to various organizations regarding the presentation of one of his lectures. A highlight among the correspondence is a thank you letter from Finley to President Theodore Roosevelt for his establishment of wild bird reservations. The clippings are newspaper articles written by Irene and William Finley about encounters with wildlife, nocturnal bird sounds, and their filming of wildlife at Paulina Lake. The four articles all appeared in editions of the "Oregon Sunday Journal."

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Early Oregon census and tax records, 1842-1880

  • Mss 1
  • Collection
  • 1842-1880

This collection consists of early census and tax records from the Oregon provisional and territorial governments and early Oregon statehood. The materials in this collection were gathered from early, mostly pre-1958, Oregon Historical Society Research Library accessions of census and tax related records. The early census and tax records document demographic and economic data for what are now portions of Oregon and California. Original census records include Elijah White's 1842 census; a census (1849) of males over the age of 21; Jackson County census rolls (ca. 1854-1855, 1858); a Washington County census (1856); a Washington County tax roll (1852); and an agricultural census for Clackamas County (1870). Typescript and photostat reproductions of census records include Joseph Meek's Census of Oregon (1845); Charles Wells’ Benton County census (1854); the United States Census roll for Coos County (1860); and a partial typescript of the 1880 United States Census for Wasco County. The collection also includes reports of the 1850 census for Butte and Calaveras counties in California.

Joel Palmer Papers, 1783-1982

  • Mss 114
  • Collection
  • 1783-1982

The papers consist of four groups of materials acquired by the Oregon Historical Society at various times. The first group, designated Mss 114, consists of correspondence (1848-1869) concerning the conduct of Indian affairs in Oregon, enlistment of a state militia, and efforts to establish a Union League Council. Correspondents include Benjamin Alvord, Jesse Applegate, Benjamin Bonneville, Samuel Culver, Addison C. Gibbs, and Joseph Lane. Also included is a diary (1857) kept by Palmer while on a voyage from Oregon City to Washington, D.C. via Panama; typescript copies of diaries (1854, 1856, 1860-1861) recording his travels throughout the Pacific Northwest; hand written copy of an agreement (1854) between the United States, represented by superintendent of Indian Affairs, Joel Palmer, and the Calipooia Indian tribe; and articles of incorporation (1862) of the Columbia River Railroad Company.

The second group of materials, designated Mss 114-1, consists of letters sent to Sarah Ann Palmer from various relatives, and receipts and other ephemera of Joel Palmer. Among these are hand written copies of poems dated 1783, possibly from one of Palmer's ancestors.

The third group within the collection, designated Mss 114-2, contains mostly biographical information about Palmer, along with letters written by his descendants and letters relating to the dedication of a statue of Palmer in 1971.

A fourth group of papers, designated Mss 114-3, consists of general correspondence, primarily political and military in nature, legal papers, and a survey of an unidentified Indian reservation.

The final group of materials, designated Mss 114-4, includes a manuscript poem, Bristol, England, 1784; letters from Palmer to General Joseph Lane and others; manuscript copy of report to the U.S. Secretary of War or the Commissioner of Indian Affairs from General Joseph Lane, ca. 1849; a letter from W. B. Bonney to Joel Palmer, 1850 Jan. 17; letter to Joel Palmer from Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Bonneville, 1855 Mar. 27; printed copy of the treaty between the United States and the Rogue River Indians, 1855; manuscript extracts from "Articles of treatry made at Port Orford," 1857 Sept. 20; hand drawn map of the Columbia River and its tributaries, undated; and a pamphlet titled "History of the Grand Ronde Military Block House," 1911.

Palmer, Joel, 1810-1881

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman collection, 1834-1947

  • Mss 1203
  • Collection
  • 1834-1947 (inclusive)

The collection consists of papers of and relating to missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. A substantial portion of the collection consists of letters that they wrote to Narcissa Whitman's family. These letters describe the Whitmans' overland journey to the Pacific Northwest in 1836, and their lives as missionaries in the following decade. The letters also frequently express frustration with Native peoples' cultural norms and their reluctance to convert to Calvinist Christianity, often using patronizing and derogatory language. The letters also include pejorative terms for Roman Catholics and for biracial people of Native and European or Euro-American descent.

Other writings by the Whitmans include typescript copies of their correspondence with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and a typescript of Marcus Whitman's proposed legislation to establish outposts to assist Euro-American emigrants traveling westward. Other materials in the collection include original and reproduced materials regarding the Whitman killings and their aftermath; microfilm of Mary Saunders and Helen Saunders' recollections of the Whitman killings and aftermath; and items related to the memorialization of the Whitmans, including efforts in the 1890s to erect a monument in their honor.

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