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William L. Finley letters and scrapbook, 1946-1962

  • Mss 2654
  • Collection
  • 1946 - 1962

Collection includes: Scrapbook and letters, 1 vol. and 1 folder, 1946-1962, regarding personal matters, the Izaak Walton League, conservation, etc.

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

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

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

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

Abraham Lincoln letters

  • Mss 324
  • Collection
  • 1858-1861

One autograph letter, A.L.S., from Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Ill. to Simeon Francis in Oregon, 1860 Aug. 4, discussing the upcoming presidential election and prospects for the winning of various states. Collection also includes photostatic copies of three additional letters: Lincoln to James Thornton, 1858 Dec. 2; Simeon Francis to Lincoln, 1859 Dec. 26; and David Logan to Lincoln, 1861 Sept. 5.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Correspondence Collection

  • Mss 1500
  • Collection
  • 1800 - ?

Collection of materials assembled by the Oregon Historical Society comprised of various letters written from or to individuals in Oregon, ca. 1820-1973.

Columbia Rediviva collection

  • Mss 957
  • Collection
  • 1785-1852

The collection consists of correspondence, journals, ship logs, administrative records, and ink sketches relating to the ship Columbia Rediviva. A mix of original materials and reproductions are present. Among the originals are: the journal of John Hoskins, written during the Columbia's journey around the world in 1791-1792; the journal of George Barrell, 1806, written on board the brig Venus from Boston to Malaga, and on the schooner Louisiana from Malaga to New York; Barrell's account of stores on board the Columbia, 1792-1793; letters of Joseph Barrell to Samuel Webb, 1785-1801, and to John Hoskins, 1790; letters from Colburn Barrell and Robert Haswell, 1801; owner's accounts, 1787-1793; accounts of the Columbia and Lady Washington, 1787-1790; receipts; and four ink sketches by George Davidson depicting incidents in the voyages of the Columbia.

The reproductions held in this collection include the journals of Robert Haswell and Owen Smith, 1787-1789; and a file of receipts and other papers concerning outfitting of the Columbia, 1790 (on microfilm). Also included are publications of Robert Gray's wife Martha's petition to congress for a pension and memorial, 1848-1852.