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Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Oral history interview with Erskine Wood
Date(s)
- 1954-08-21 (Creation)
Extent
0.1 cubic feet; 1 audiocassette (24 min., 20 sec.) + transcript (8 pages)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Erskine B. Wood was born in the Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver, Washington, in 1879. He was the son of Portland, Oregon, lawyer Charles Erskine Scott Wood, whose biography he authored. In 1901, he earned a law degree from Harvard University. In 1903, he and Rebecca Baird Biddle were married; they later had four children. He joined his father's law firm in Portland and specialized in admiralty law. He also served as admiralty counsel to the United States Shipping Board in 1920. Rebecca Baird Biddle died in 1951. In 1953, Wood and Louise Pippel Cunningham were married. He retired from his law practice in 1982, and died in 1983 at the age of 104.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This oral history interview with Erskine Wood was conducted by William Renwick at Wood's home in Vancouver, Washington, on August 21, 1954. In this interview, Wood discusses his experiences as an adolescent living with Chief Joseph and the Nimiipuu people (Nez Perce) in the Wallowa Valley, Oregon. He briefly talks about Chief Joseph's life story. He speaks about his daily life, including caring for horses, hunting, and taking sweat baths. He closes the interview by describing Nimiipuu recreational activities, including dancing, singing, and games. In the interview, Wood uses terms for Native people that were common in that historical period but that are now considered pejorative.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Copyright for this interview is held by the estate of Erskine Wood. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Pat Sutherland, July 1993 (Lib. Acc. 21364).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
The Erskine Wood papers, Mss 2445, and additional oral history interviews with Erskine Wood, SR 441 and SR 9512, are also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Preferred citation: Oral history interview with Erskine Wood, by William Renwick, SR 1096, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.
Sources used
Archivist's note
Collection was titled "Days with Chief Joseph" prior to 2021.
Archivist's note
Sarah Stroman
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Renwick, William (Contributor)
- Joseph (Nez Percé Chief), 1840-1904 (Subject)