Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
J.H. Horner Papers, 1889-1985
Date(s)
- 1889 - 1985 (Creation)
Extent
.9 Cubic Feet (2 Document Cases)
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Harland Horner (1870-1953) was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved to Enterprise, Oregon, in 1911. A life-long bachelor, he served as Wallowa County's deputy assessor from 1918 to 1924, before being elected county assessor in 1924. Horner also had a long-standing interest in the history of Wallowa County. For more than thirty years, he collected historical information and interviewed most of the area's early settlers and local Native Americans. His research resulted in an unpublished manuscript of more than 1,500 pages titled Wallowa River and Valley. Horner committed suicide on July 13, 1953, at the age of 83
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The collection consists principally of the typescript (with corrections in hand) of Horner's work, Wallowa River and Valley, dealing with regional history, as well as the Nez Percé Indians. Other papers include correspondence (ca. 1889-1985); legal documents (1898-1931); patents for window construction (1921-1922); and manuscript materials (undated). Horner's main correspondent is Otis Halfmoon, a Catholic Nez Percé who assisted with the author's manuscript. The collection also includes a list of other contributors that assisted Horner in his research
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series as follows
Series A: Correspondence and general papers, 1889-1985
Series B: Manuscript of Wallowa River and Valley, undated
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of C. N. Gaylord, October 1991, Library Accession 20491
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Photographs were transferred to the Photographic Collection, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: J. H. Horner Papers, Mss 6031, Oregon Historical Society Research Library