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June D. Drake photographs

  • Org. Lot 678
  • Collection
  • 1860-1955

Collection consists of approximately 2,918 original photographic prints and 3,800 original glass and acetate negatives taken by photographer June D. Drake of Silverton, Oregon, as well as 3,042 copy prints made by the Oregon Historical Society from the original negatives. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs that Drake took of various towns in Oregon, including Silverton, Mount Angel (including Mount Angel Abbey), and Salem, Oregon, from approximately 1900-1953. These photographs depict street scenes, businesses, schools, churches, and other town buildings, as well as significant events and celebrations. There are also a number of photographs that Drake took of the area that became Silver Falls State Park, as well as a large number of portrait photographs taken by Drake from about 1900-1952, including both studio and informal portraits.

Other subjects represented in the collection include transportation and agriculture in Oregon; the lumber industry around Silverton, including the Silver Falls Timber Company and the Silverton Lumber Company; Homer Davenport and his family in Silverton; the Chemawa Indian School near Silverton, and other portraits of Native Americans from the area; the military in Oregon, including the Oregon State Militia during World War I and World War II; and photographs of animals. The collection also includes five photograph albums; of note is an album titled "A History of Silverton, Oregon, and its environs," which contains detailed descriptions from 1863 to the 1930s, and includes places of business, worship, and study, among other scenes. There are also a number of photographs of various artifacts and other objects collected by Drake to document the history of Silverton.

Photographs in this collection that date prior to 1900 were originally taken by other photographers, including Silverton photographer William L. Jones, and reprinted by June D. Drake, who owned many of Jones's negatives.

Drake, June D., 1880-1969

Yasui family papers

  • Coll 949
  • Collection
  • 1873-2023

Digitized selections from a larger collection that documents the lives and activities of three generations of the Yasui family, particularly the first generation (the Issei) who immigrated from Japan to Oregon in the early 1900s, and the second generation, the Nisei. Major topics represented the collection overall include the experience of the Issei -- Masuo Yasui, Shidzuyo (Miyake) Yasui, and Renichi Fujimoto -- as immigrants to the United States; the family's business and community activities in Hood River, Oregon, through 1942; family members' experiences of forced removal and incarceration during World War II; the Nisei's advocacy for redress after the war; and extensive research on family and Japanese American history. The 150 digitized items that are viewable in OHS Digital Collections consist of diary entries by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto, and correspondence among various family members, as well as to and from other correspondents outside the family. Some of these materials were written in English, and others in a pre-World War II script that is distinct from modern Japanese. Each digitized item is accompanied by translations into English, modern Japanese, or both.

The 150 digitized selections are a small portion of the overall collection, which consists of just under 20 cubic feet of material, and is available for use onsite at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. A guide to the full collection is viewable in Archives West.

Most of the materials in the collection overall date from 1910-1995, and consist of correspondence, personal papers, extensive historical research, and photographs. Approximately 20 percent of the material is written in pre-World War II Japanese script. Correspondence in the collection includes letters of the Issei generation, but predominantly consists of material to or from the Nisei -- siblings Kay, Ray (Tsuyoshi), Minoru, Michi, Roku, Shu, Homer, and Yuka -- from youth through late adulthood, depending on the individual. The correspondence contains many letters exchanged among the family members, including incarceration-era correspondence. It also includes occasional letters from family members in Japan, and business correspondence of the Yasui Bros. stores operated by Masuo Yasui and Renichi Fujimoto. Personal papers in the collection consist of diaries and notebooks; immigration and identification papers; documents relating to day-to-day life, finances, and family members' education; materials related to the Yasui Bros. stores; poetry, essays, and articles by family members; and ephemera. Photographs include early images relating to the family's life and business operations in Hood River, as well as later images of the Nisei in their adult lives, but primarily depict travel and events related to advocacy work by Homer Yasui and his wife, Miki (Yabe) Yasui, in the latter 20th century.

A substantial portion of this collection consists of extensive research materials compiled or written by Homer Yasui and other family members about topics including Yasui family history, other Japanese Americans in Oregon, government incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and Japanese American history broadly. These materials include translations and annotations of family documents; correspondence and news clippings; biographical notes and recollections; census extracts and other data on Japanese Americans in Oregon; copies of incarceration-era government files on Masuo Yasui and other family members; and essays, articles, newsletters, editorials, and press releases. The collection also includes a significant quantity of material related to Homer Yasui and Miki (Yabe) Yasui's advocacy and educational work, and their pilgrimages to incarceration camp sites.

Yasui family

Stella Maris House collection

  • Mss 1585
  • Collection
  • 1940 - 1973

Ranging in date from 1940 to 1973, the Stella Maris House Collection consists of printed material, correspondence, and administrative, financial, and legal records created and collected by the Portland, Oregon-based social justice group during the course of their work. The collection demonstrates the local evolution of social issues key to the history of the United States during the 1960s. Over a third of the archive's content is dedicated to Oregon's migrant labor rights movement, and it also features records documenting the area's civil rights movement, urban renewal projects, interstate highway infrastructure, and social welfare programs initiated by the Economic Opportunity Act.

The bulk of the collection consists of printed material created by a number of local and national organizations between 1960 and 1972, then collected by the Stella Maris House. This portion of the archive includes programs, reports, studies, surveys, correspondence, brochures, and flyers generated by civil rights, migrant rights, and peace movement groups. Items of note include the Albina Neighborhood Improvement Project's plans for urban redevelopment (Series B), an African-American employment survey conducted by the Metropolitan Interfaith Commission on Race (Series E), and records documenting the Housing Authority of Portland (Series I). The collection also features printed material created by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Series E), the Valley Migrant League (Series J), and the United Farm Workers (Series J). Newspaper clippings that document events important to social justice movements constitute a substantial part of the collection.

A small but significant portion of the collection was created by the staff members of the Stella Maris House; it includes notes by the staff documenting the meetings of local groups. These meeting notes often provide remarkably candid insights into the workings of area groups. Additionally, Stella Maris House staff members also contributed group and program histories to the collection.

Stella Maris House (Portland, Or.)

Oral history interview with Mabel L. Krahmer

  • SR 24
  • Collection
  • 1982-12-29

This oral history interview with Mabel L. Krahmer was conducted by Elizabeth Buehler on December 29, 1982, in Hillsboro, Oregon, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. Krahmer's daughter, Mildred Hubbard, was also present and contributed to the interview.

In this interview, Krahmer discusses her early life in Gaston, Oregon, and speaks about teaching at the one-room school in Gaston after earning a teaching credential at the Oregon State Normal School (now Western Oregon University) in Monmouth in 1902. She talks about her marriage to Herman F. Krahmer in 1906, and about his blacksmithing business. She describes life in early 20th-century Gaston, including early automobiles in the town, farming in the area, and people who lived there. She closes the interview by talking about the house she lived in, and about raising a family in Gaston.

Krahmer, Mabel L. (Mabel LeClair), 1895-1982

Early history of Tillamook

  • Mss 213
  • Collection
  • circa 1890-1904

This collection consists of the original manuscript of "Early History of Tillamook," by Warren N. Vaughn, as well as typescript copies and a microfilm copy of the history, and biographical information about Vaughn. The original manuscript, undated but probably created in the 1890s, is handwritten in four ledgers or notebooks, and consists of Vaughn's detailed recollections about the earliest emigrants to and events in the Tillamook Bay area, 1851-circa 1863. It begins as a history of Tillamook County but ends abruptly at the end of the fourth volume. Microfilm in the collection is a copy of Vaughn's original manuscript. The collection also includes two undated typescript transcripts of "Early History of Tillamook": one in which each volume is bound separately with paper and twine, and one that was copied, edited, and consolidated into a single book by Louise W. Goodrich of Tillamook, Oregon, for the Columbia Gorge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Colonists in Portland, Oregon. Other materials in the collection include an Oregon Historical Society questionnaire filled out by Vaughn and dated 1902, providing biographical and genealogical details, information on his journey to Oregon, and remarks on Native people, particularly Chief Kilchis; and a photocopy of a biography of Vaughn in "Portrait and Biographical Record of Western Oregon" (Chicago, Chapman Publishing Company, 1904).

Vaughn, Warren N., 1823-1907

Monteith family photograph collection, 1847-1854

  • Org. Lot 1388
  • Collection
  • 1847 - 1854

This collection is comprised of two (2) daguerreotypes showing portraits of brothers Thomas and Walter Monteith, who founded the town of Albany, Oregon, circa 1849. They traveled to Oregon from New York in 1847 and settled adjacent land claims, sharing a house which straddled the two claims.

Oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies

  • SR 9372
  • Collection
  • 1976-07-18

This oral history interview with Barbara Elliott Davies was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Davies' home in Portland, Oregon, on July 18, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

In this interview, Davies discusses the life of her father, Thompson Coit Elliott (1862-1943), a former executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. She also talks about her grandfather, John Euclid Elliott (1829-1888), and his role in the development of Walla Walla, Washington. She discusses her work for Oregon Historical Quarterly, the journal of the Oregon Historical Society; and talks about working with her father to acquire collections for the historical society, particularly the Protestant Ladder.

Davies, Barbara Elliott, 1902-1981

Oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell

  • SR 9672
  • Collection
  • 1979-08-31

This oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell was conducted by Thomas Vaughan on August 31, 1979, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program.

In this interview, Cabell shares her memories of visiting the ranch owned by her grandfather, Thomas Burgess, in Bakeoven, Oregon. She discusses riding a stagecoach from Portland to Bakeoven, talks about the general store her grandfather ran, and speaks about daily life on the ranch. She looks at photographs of the Bakeover area and talks about them.

Cabell, Margaret M. (Margaret Malarkey), 1894-1985

Oral history interview with Elvia W. King

  • SR 9576
  • Collection
  • 1976-10-18

This oral history interview with Elvia W. King was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on October 18, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In this interview, King discusses the life of her father, William Tagg, and reads from a letter he wrote soon after he immigrated to Oregon from England in the 1880s. She talks about her early life on a farm in the Clatsop Plains community in Oregon, which is now part of Gearhart, including her recreational activities, other families who lived in the area, and her family's guest house.

King, Elvia W. (Elvia Wain), 1894-1989

Oral history interview with Ambrose M. Seliger

  • SR 9571
  • Collection
  • 1976-05-26

This oral history interview with Ambrose M. Seliger was conducted by Charles Digregorio at Seliger's home in Portland, Oregon, on May 26, 1976, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program.

In this interview, Seliger speaks at length about his Hood, Myers, and Seliger family background, and talks about his German heritage. He describes his early life in Gresham, including his childhood activities. He discusses his career as a preschool teacher and talks about some of his students. He also shares his memory of being punished by his first grade teacher for writing with his left hand.

Seliger, Ambrose M. (Ambrose Myers), 1908-1978

Oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing

  • SR 9550
  • Collection
  • 1976-07-14

This oral history interview with Henrietta C. Failing was conducted by Charles Digregorio on July 14, 1976, at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In this interview, Failing speaks about the history of the Failing family. She focuses particularly on the life and career of her father, James Frederick Failing, who came to Portland, Oregon, as a child in 1851; and on her uncle Henry Failing and his work as Portland mayor from 1864 to 1866 and from 1873 to 1875. She briefly discusses the role of Chinese Americans in 19th-century Portland. She also speaks about the life and career of her maternal grandfather, John Conner, who came to Albany, Oregon, in 1853. She talks about her family's involvement with the First Baptist Church in Portland. She closes the interview by talking about her early life in Portland, including her memories of the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905.

Failing, Henrietta Chase, 1895-1989

Oral history interview with Margaret B. Krausse

  • SR 9561
  • Collection
  • 1977-01-26

This oral history interview with Margaret B. Krausse was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on January 26, 1977, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library. Hildreth H. Lupton was also present and occasionally contributed to the interview.

In this interview, Lupton reads from Krausse's memoir. Krausse then discusses her family background and early life in the King's Hill area in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland. She also talks about spending summers in Long Beach, Washington.

Krausse, Margaret B. (Margaret Bronaugh), 1896-1987

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

Oral history interview with Lewis L. McArthur

  • SR 2526
  • Collection
  • 2001-01-19 - 2001-02-15

This oral history interview with Lewis L. McArthur was conducted by Sieglinde Smith at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, from January 19 to February 15, 2001, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library. The interview was conducted in five sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on January 19, 2001, McArthur discusses his family background and early life in the Green Hills neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, including his education, the house he grew up in, and his recreational activities. He describes the neighborhood and talks about people who lived there. He also speaks about his parents' personalities, travels, and social lives.

In the second interview session, conducted on January 23, 2001, McArthur continues to discuss his early life in the Green Hills neighborhood and talks about his relationship with his parents. He speaks about the work of his father, Lewis A. McArthur, on Oregon Geographic Names and about traveling with him by train in the 1920s for research. He discusses his college experience at the University of California, Berkeley, and talks about working for U.S. Steel Company in the late 1930s. He then talks about his experiences in the U.S. Army while stationed in Alaska during World War II.

In the third interview session, conducted on February 1, 2001, McArthur speaks further about working for the U.S. Steel Company and about his experiences in the U.S. Army during World War II, including studying Mandarin Chinese. He talks about his marriage to Joyce A. Clark. He then speaks at length about his career as an industrial designer for the Ray F. Becker Company, and talks about products the company produced, about the steel fabrication process, and about buildings the company worked on, particularly gas stations. He talks about how Oregon has changed during the 20th century, particularly regarding housing development, transportation, and power generation.

In the fourth interview session, conducted on February 8, 2001, McArthur shares his memories of the Columbia River before the construction of hydroelectric dams, and talks about how the Columbia River Gorge changed. He briefly discusses serving on the state advisory committee on historic preservation in the 1970s, and then talks about his recreational activities on Mount Hood, including climbing and camping on the mountain, and repairing the Snowshoe Cabin, the Cloud Cap Inn, and other buildings.

In the fifth interview session, conducted on February 15, 2001, McArthur discusses his role models, including his family members, and talks about construction projects that impressed him, including dams on the Columbia River and the Bay Bridge in California. He also speaks about mapmaking. He shares his childhood memories of attending meetings of the Pioneer Association, riding the streetcar, and traveling with his family. He compares travel by various modes of transportation, particularly air and rail. He revisits the topic of his father's work on Oregon Geographic Names, then speaks at length about his own work on later editions of the book and about his service on the state advisory committee on historic preservation. He describes his favorite places in Oregon, and talks about raising a family.

McArthur, Lewis L.

Adalbert G. Bettman photographs

  • Org. Lot 4
  • Collection
  • 1880-1920

The collection contains 64 glass negatives, 44 sheet film negatives, and 39 photographic prints taken by or attributed to the Bettman family between approximately 1880 and 1920. Thirty-five of the prints have corresponding negatives in the collection. Negative numbers are noted on the back of prints when known. The collection includes individual and family portraits, views of the interior and displays of the Bettman drugstore, photographs depicting medical equipment and practice, including a neck brace and Adalbert G. Bettman’s sanitary measuring sugar bowl, and scenes throughout Oregon, including Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis. This collection may be of interest to individuals researching the history of medicine, pharmacy, and plastic surgery in Oregon.

Bettman, Adalbert G., 1883-1964

Yasui Brothers business records

  • Mss 2949
  • Collection
  • 1904 - 1990

The Yasui Brothers records primarily document the business, personal, and community-related activities of the Yasui family in Hood River, Oregon, from the start of the 20th century until World War II, when they were among the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated by the U.S. government.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and records relating to the business activities of Masuo Yasui (1886-1957). These include the general store, Yasui Bros., that he ran with his brother Renichi Fujimoto; and orchards in the Hood River Valley and surrounding areas that the firm operated. Store records include a variety of advertising materials, while farming records include packing lists, crop reports, and records of local farming associations Masuo Yasui was involved with. The collection also reflects Yasui’s involvement in the local community, including his work assisting other Japanese immigrants to the United States. A small quantity of materials relates to the Yasui Bros. store’s forced closure and the management of the family’s property and assets while they were incarcerated during World War II.

The collection also includes personal papers of Masuo Yasui; his wife, Shidzuyo Yasui; his brother Renichi Fujimoto; and his children. These consist of correspondence, ephemera, and a personal history that Masuo Yasui wrote at the request of the Japanese consulate. Other materials in the collection include records from the 1970s and 1980s of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), in which Masuo Yasui’s son Homer Yasui and his wife, Miyuki Yasui, were active, and magazines and newspapers the family received in both Japanese and English.

A substantial amount of this collection is in a pre-World War II Japanese script that is distinct from modern Japanese. Some of these materials, particularly those in Series 1 (Business correspondence and related materials) and Series 6 (Personal papers) have been reviewed and summarized by translators. Selected documents have been translated into English and modern Japanese.

Yasui family

Oral history interview with Rhoda R. Madden

  • SR 9398
  • Collection
  • 1976-11-09

This oral history interview with Rhoda R. Madden was conducted by Charles Digregorio at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, on November 9, 1976, as part of the oral history program at the society's research library.

In this interview, Madden discusses her family background and early life in Portland. She talks about her recreational activities during her teens and 20s in the early 20th century, particularly camping. She discusses her involvement with the Portland Town Club, talks about running a dance school, and describes attending parties held by wealthy Portland residents.

Madden, Rhoda R. (Rhoda Rumelin), 1895-1983

Oral history interview with Clayton P. Strain

  • SR 9676
  • Collection
  • 1970-09-30

This oral history interview with Clayton P. Strain was conducted by Larry C. Skoog on September 30, 1970, for the Oregon Historical Society.

In this interview, Strain discusses the political career of his father, Charles Preston Strain, on the Pendleton City Council, including a conflict with the Union Pacific Railroad. He shares his memories of life in Pendleton, Oregon, in the first decades of the 20th century. He describes the town, talks about ranches and farms in the area, and discusses the origins of the Pendleton Round-Up. He speaks at length about the Round-Up's early years. He closes the interview by further discussing his father's political career.

Strain, Clayton P. (Clayton Preston), 1892-1987

Oral history interview with Allen T. Gribble

  • SR 9669
  • Collection
  • 1978-02-13

This oral history interview with Allen T. Gribble was conducted by Roberta Watts in Silverton, Oregon, on February 13, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program.

In this interview, Gribble discusses his family background, including his ancestors' overland journeys to Oregon. He talks about his early life in Silverton, Oregon, including his education and life on the family homestead. He also shares his experiences working in Alaska in 1909, and talks about living in Portland from 1910 to 1946, including the jobs he held and his marriage to Gladys E. Hartell. He also shares his experiences in the Oregon National Guard and later in the U.S. Marines during World War I, and talks about working as a cowboy in Eastern Oregon before 1910.

Gribble, Allen T. (Allen Thurman), 1887-1982

Marie Holst Pottsmith photographs

  • Org. Lot 460
  • Collection
  • 1908-circa 1956

Digitized versions of 119 sheet film negatives taken by Marie Holst Pottsmith, many of them during the eight months in 1908 that she taught in the remote Finnish community of Hamlet, Oregon. These images document the people and community life in Hamlet, including farming, the school, and construction of the first wagon road to Necanicum by residents of the village, as well as a nearby community in Elsie Valley.

Along with Pottsmith's time in Hamlet, photographs in the collection document her life as a student at the University of Oregon; visits to family and friends in Portland, Salem, and Woodburn; teaching at Fisher, Washington; and her family life in Ellsworth, Washington, and in Oregon. The collection includes one image made circa 1956, when Pottsmith revisited Hamlet and photographed an abandoned farmstead she had previously photographed in 1908.

Undigitized materials in the collection include 129 access prints of the negatives made by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in 1986. Ten of the prints in the collection do not have corresponding negatives.

Pottsmith, Marie Holst, 1882-1980

Oral history interview with Weldon T. Hibbard

  • SR 9666
  • Collection
  • 1976-12-19

This oral history interview with Weldon T. Hibbard was conducted by Rachel Foxman at Hibbard's home in Woodburn, Oregon, on December 19, 1976. Hibbard's son, Michael H. Hibbard, was also present and occasionally contributed to the interview.

In this interview, Hibbard discusses the history of the Oregon Donation Land Claim Act, and talks about the Hibbard family land claim in Marion County, Oregon. He speaks at length about his family background. He talks about his early life in Molalla, including his education. He speaks about the lumber industry in the area, and about people who lived there, including the Indigenous Molalla peoples. He talks about his career in education as a public school teacher and in the Oregon Department of Education.

Hibbard, Weldon T. (Weldon Thomas), 1909-1977

Mabel Ella Campbell oral memoir

  • SR 9664
  • Collection
  • 1980-12-30

This oral memoir of Mabel Ella Campbell was recorded at Campbell's home in Laguna Hills, California, on December 30, 1980.

In this recording, Campbell discusses the life and career of her father, John Montcalm Brown, a Methodist minister, and describes how the family came to Nehalem, Oregon, in 1912. She talks about her early life in Nehalem from 1912 to 1914, including her education and recreational activities. She describes the town, talks about the major industries of the area, and discusses the family's daily activities. She talks about people who lived in the town, and shares her memories of attending funerals and weddings over which her father presided. She describes the Methodist church in Nehalem and talks about the community's church activities, including Christmas celebrations. She describes moving with her family to Salem in 1914, and talks about churches her father worked at in other towns in Oregon.

Campbell, Mabel Ella, 1902-2002

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-

Valley Migrant League photographs

  • Org. Lot 74
  • Collection
  • 1965 - 1968

Collection consists of photographs used by the Valley Migrant League (VML) for its program newspaper, "Opportunity News." Most of the photographs were taken by VML staff. Many of the individuals and places depicted in the prints and negatives in this collection were identified by Oregon Historical Society archivists from the corresponding articles in "Opportunity News."
Subjects depicted in the photographs include VML-sponsored adult education and vocational training programs, including photographs of classrooms, workshops, and businesses hosting work-training programs as well as portraits of program graduates and teachers. Also depicted are VML’s children’s daycare programs including photographs of children in the daycare centers and on educational field trips as well as community events, sports, and cultural celebrations including the Woodburn Fiesta Mexicana, May Day, and Christmas. Photographs in this collection also document living and working conditions for Migrant laborers including depictions of laborers in fields, operating agricultural equipment, and in labor camps, as well as rural healthcare and mobile medical clinics. Also represented in the collections is VML involvement in labor and community organizing, including meeting with political leaders and local picket lines in support of the Delano Grape Strike. The photographs in the collection also include portraits of many individuals associated with VML and the agricultural labor movement of the 1960s.

Valley Migrant League

Oral history interview with Flora Cushinway Thompson

  • SR 9586
  • Collection
  • circa 1971

This oral history interview with Flora Cushinway Thompson was conducted around 1971. The interviewer is unidentified. The audio recording and transcript are incomplete; the interview was recorded on three cassettes, but the first tape is missing.

In this interview, Thompson discusses the execution of Modoc leader Kintpuash, aka Captain Jack. She then talks about salmon fishing by Native peoples at Celilo Falls, and about the slow encroachment of dams and commercial fishing at the falls. She speaks about her marriage to Wyam Chief Tommy Thompson and talks about their respective marital histories. She discusses the Wyams' resistance to the construction of The Dalles Dam; describes attending the dedication of the Celilo converter station; and talks about Tommy Thompson's funeral. She speaks at length about some of the Wyams' spiritual beliefs, particularly regarding visions and songs, and sings a Christian song in Sahaptin. She closes the interview by talking about her work advocating for the Wyams' fishing rights. The recording ends with piano music identified as "Indian Love Poem" by Nancy Walker.

Thompson, Flora Cushinway, 1893-1978

Oral history interview with Flora Cushinway Thompson

  • SR 9504
  • Collection
  • 1966-04

This oral history interview with Flora Cushinway Thompson was conducted by Joan Arrivee Wagenblast in April 1966. Several unidentified people were also present. The interview was conducted as research for Wagenblast's biography of Tommy Kuni Thompson, titled "Flora's song: a remembrance of Chief Tommy Kuni Thompson of the WyAms." The audio recording is a digital copy made from Wagenblast's original reel tapes; the digital files were donated to the Oregon Historical Society Research Library by Wagenblast's daughter, Debra Arrivee, who retained the original tapes.

In this interview, Thompson discusses the family background and early life of Wyam Chief Tommy Thompson. She talks about the settlement that was negotiated by the U.S. government and the Warm Springs, Yakama, Umatilla, and Nez Perce tribes as compensation for the flooding of Celilo Falls; about the construction of the Wyams' new village after they were forced to relocate; and about Tommy Thompson's resistance to the relocation. She talks about the wind rock, which was stolen; describes the Wyam salmon feast; and talks about the spiritual beliefs and practices of the Wyam. She describes how Tommy Thompson always kept copies of federal treaties with him; talks about his rules for salmon fishing; and discusses caring for Thompson at the end of his life. She discusses burial sites along the Columbia River that were moved before the flooding, and also names some white people who were buried at Native sites. She also talks about her children and grandchildren. She closes the interview by speaking about gathering berries in the Columbia River Gorge.

Thompson, Flora Cushinway, 1893-1978

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.

Oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen

  • SR 9452
  • Collection
  • 1977-12-07 - 1978-01-17

This oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen was conducted by Roberta Watts at Jensen's home in Portland, Oregon, from December 7, 1977, to January 17, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in two sessions. A transcript is available.

In the first interview session, conducted on December 7, 1977, Jensen discusses her family background and early life in South Portland, her career as a freelance reporter for the Oregonian and Oregon Journal newspapers, and her career as a real estate agent. She then speaks at length about her involvement in the preservation of the Columbia River Gorge. She describes how she became interested in nature conservation; talks about her efforts to advocate for the Wyam people and to save Celilo Falls; and speaks about the restoration of the Vista House on Crown Point. She also talks about working with John Yeon on conservation of the Gorge. She closes the session by revisiting the topic of her family background and early life in South Portland.

In the second interview session, conducted on January 17, 1978, Jensen continues to speak at length about her family background and early life in South Portland. She talks about her participation in a protest march against the Vietnam War and closes the interview by revisiting the topic of her career as a freelance journalist.

Jensen, Gertrude Glutsch, 1903-1986

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