Thanks to SCARC intern Jules Filipski for this wonderful post!

In December 2015, OSU Libraries and Press Special Collections and Archives Research Center received a grant from the Oregon Heritage Commission to digitize Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program Records. One of the factors in identifying the need for digitization is that the collection is split, with some records held by OSU and some records held by the Oregon Historical Society (OHS).

Jules Filipski and Larry Landis meet at the beginning of the project. (Photo credit: Ruth Vondracek)

I was fortunate to be offered an internship to assist with this project. I currently work at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library and I am nearing completion of my MLIS degree through the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Science program. I am processing the records from the Oregon Historical Society. Erin Stout, a graduate student in the Emporia State MLIS program, was hired as the second intern. She will be working on the OSU records. The project is still in very early stages so don’t try to find the records online yet! I thought I would tell you a little bit about the program and the process so far.

Erin Stout working on the finding aid. (Photo credit: Ruth Vondracek)

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program (OCFRP) began in 1958, a little over 100 years after the first Euro-Americans arrived in Oregon. And indeed, the ownership of many of the awarded farms and ranches dates back to the original land claim. There are over 1200 farms and ranches in the program now. The OCFRP program was established to honor families that have had a connection to their land for 100 years or more. Later, the sesquicentennial was established to honor farms and ranches owned by the same family for at least 150 years. The program recognizes the contributions of farming and ranching to the state’s economical, agricultural, and cultural heritage. The OCFRP honors families each year at the Oregon State Fair, celebrating the enduring legacy of century farms in a special reception.

The records that are being digitized are application files and selected administrative files. The application files are comprised of a variety of materials submitted by applicants for OCFRP honors. They may include a notarized application and/or affidavit, deeds, indentures, mortgages, other land ownership documents, family histories, newspaper articles, and photos. Successful applicants receive a certificate signed by the governor. In some cases, applicants from more recent years have created a detailed binder of information about their farm comprised of first-hand accounts, articles, and photos nicely organized and displayed.

Sanders farm, CFR 1064

Loe farm, CFR 1050

As mentioned, a unique aspect of this project is that the application files are held by two different institutions as two separate collections. The Oregon Historical Society managed the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program from 1958 to 2002 and holds files for that time period. The program migrated to the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation, now known as Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education, in 2002, and the application files were still sent to OHS through 2005. The Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education has continued to manage the program, with support from two program partners; the Oregon State Preservation Office (SHPO), and OSU Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC). Applications from 2006 to present are archived at SCARC.

The digitization project has several phases. In January I started on phase 1: Preparing the files for digitization. I examined every application file and place items, particularly correspondence, in roughly chronological order. I flagged items that have special digitization considerations. There are all sorts of issues that arise when you prepare to digitize an archival collection, particularly when it is comprised of a range of material types. Can the item be scanned without damaging it? Is an oversized item too large to fit on the scanner? Are there materials that are under copyright restriction? This particular collection is a challenge because of the range of materials in each application file. Some files, especially older ones, may only contain an application or a letter or a single hand-written note. So, Ruth Vondracek, the project manager, decided cover sheets with the applicant’s name and Century Farm & Ranch number be placed at the front of each file. That way, this identifying information will be the first page you see when opening one of these PDFs.

I’ll talk more about all the interesting articles and photos about the farms I came across while processing these files another time. For now, I’ll leave you with some photos of century farms owned by musically talented folks.

Good farm, CFR 1002

Bennett farm, CFR 614