Sick's Brewing Company, Salem
Gosh golly — from the theater department to Willamette Valley hop fields, our new Flickr Commons set “Hop on ! Brewing & beer” is a great glance into the harvesting, production, and consumption of beer!
Want to know more about beer brewing at OSU? Check out the Food Science and Technology Department Records (RG 176) and the Agricultural Experiment Station Records (RG 25).
Cheryl feeding colt, Crystal Springs Ranch (A.W. Smither), Salem, Oregon
Baby it’s cold outside! While we’re deep in the midst of winter rains and snow storms, we need a little perk-me-up with adorable pictures of kids and their pets…
Hop on over to Flickr Commons and check out our new set “Animal Feeding.” And remember to leave a comment if you have a favorite!
Crate of celery from the Labish Meadows Celery Union, Lake Labish area near Brooks, Oregon
In our era of pre-cut, pre-cleaned, pre-packaged fruits and vegetables, we celebrate produce production and sales at its historic finest with a brand new Flickr Commons set called “Production, processing, & sales: the many stages of produce“!
Lettuce grown in Wellsher's Corvallis greenhouse
You’ll see people packing produce in packing houses throughout the state — and then unloading it all! You’ll see farmers in their fields with their hands in the soil — and workers in factories washing it off. And thrown into the mix you’ll see greenhouses, irrigation, wagons, weighing, processing, and selling!
Wagon hauling fruit boxes
People driving trucks loaded with produce! (1925)
Our shelves are stocked, wagons loaded up, and meat counters are ready for you to pick the choicest cut of meat!
This week’s Flickr Commons set is an eclectic bunch of images loosely organized around the “people at a market” theme and is our newest addition to the “People Doing Stuff” collection. In addition to fun shop shots and street market construction, you’ll find a delightful group of images from the early days of the supermarket Berg’s in Salem, Oregon, including my favorite… The super-sized bucket of Karo!
A person carrying a can of Karo syrup at Berg's Supermarket, circa 1950
Tasting soy foods, circa 1945
You can do it at a party, a picnic, and a place you’ve never been… To celebrate our official launch into the holiday season, we’ve pulled together a whole new set of images for Flickr Commons dedicated to folks eating and drinking.
So grab your fork, napkin, and place at the table — time to munch!
Benton County Courthouse with pruned trees
To celebrate Oregon Archives Month 2011 we’re heading home (again) with a new collection called “Be Local: some things to note…” and an innaugural set called “Be Local: some places in Benton County.”
Oregonians are passionate about our state, and Corvallis-ites and residents of Benton County are no different. Starting as the first territorial capital, at the confluence of the Marys and Willamette Rivers, and arriving now at this place in the 21st century, with an ever-expanding community and university, it’s always fun to take a look back over our shoulder to see where we were. And yes, for me, that’s means to read more about our history.
Joseph C. Avery settled a land claim at the mouth of Marys River where it flows into the Willamette River in 1845. In 1849, Avery opened a store at the site, platted the land, and surveyed a town site on his land claim, naming the community Marysville … In 1853, the legislative assembly changed the city’s name to Corvallis, from the Latin phrase cor vallis, meaning “heart of the valley.” Corvallis was incorporated as a city on January 29, 1857 … [and] the town served briefly as the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1855 before Salem was eventually selected as the permanent seat of state government. Corvallis, Wikipedia
Territorial capital at Corvallis, Oregon
Though you can find great contemporary books on Corvallis and Benton County, I encourage you to consider David Fagan’s 1885 A history of Benton County, Oregon including its geology, topography, soil and productions (call no. F882.B4 F2), the 1890 Benton County, Oregon: the heart of the famous Willamette Valley (F882.B4 C6), and the 1912 Corvallis and Benton County, Oregon (F884.C6 S6 and available electronically on ScholarsArchive). Each is available at OSU Libraries’ main library in Corvallis. Fear not, there is plenty more research and reading to be done!
Campus store
Enjoy!
People on the first day of school, circa 1940
It’s that time of year — the rain falls, the sun shines, the leaves turn, and our town swells as university students & faculty pour back in to teach, learn, and have fun.
Enjoy the latest addition to the People Doing Stuff collection in Flickr Commons, aptly called “People going back to school: grab your pencil cases!” It is chock full of Oregonians with chalk and lunch boxes, celebrates the littler people doing stuff at school.
Home Demonstration staff, 1935
All summer we’ve traveled through the state celebrating the activities, events, and education OSU Extension Services supports.
In this final set of the OSU Extension Service Centennial collection, called Faces of Extension, we want to celebrate another great things about Extension – or should I say the great thing about Extension – the people.
Enjoy.
Extension Agent Oris Rudd, 1972
4-H flower identification contest, circa 1975
Eating watermelon, examining alfalfa fields, certifying oats? Building a flume, holding a flower, finding some fruit? Must be another set of images from Extension Services! It’s an amusingly mixed bag of shots that didn’t link directly to a specific county set, so we’ve culled them all together in a big set with a statewide focus.
Mobile Kitchen, 1938
Full of what can only be called “Extension magic,” you’ll find images of turkey and beef exhibits at the state fair, a corn show, and people talking about tuna.
Dan Panshin and Bob Jacobson talk to an albacore tuna fisherman, 1965
Apart from being full of fabulous photos, this set is also a gem historically. I love the demonstration trains and traveling instruction sessions, which allowed agents to visit communities throughout the state, teaching people skills in canning, provide information about the cost of electricity, give stump burning and dairy demonstrations, demonstrate poultry culling, display the “mobile kitchen,” or provide lectures on wool production and marketing. There are also pictures of traditional “brick & mortar classes,” such as flower identification or “Furnishing the Modern House.”
Furnishing the Modern House course announcement, 1930
You’ll also find a man with a beaver, woman with a cow, man with a fish, and a boy with a sunflower — I told you it was eclectic!
Wasco County display at the Oregon State Fair
It’s fair time! And we have a new Flickr Commons set to celebrate the prizes, pies, smiles, and good times had by all at the Oregon State Fair. It has also been the place for county community members to show off their goods, so you’ll find 4-H projects, dog shows, fashion parades, and farm fresh produce.
Boys & Girls Club barn
Much has been written about the history of the fair, including a fabulous book by Steven Robert Heine, aptly named “The Oregon State Fair,” which uses some of our collections (including many images you’ll find here). He says that
Since the first Oregon State Fair was held on four acres along the Clackamas River in the Gladstone/Oregon City area in 1861, the fair has been the focal point of Oregon culture—a place to see and be seen and to compete against the best in the state. It has been a place of victory and a place of discovery for nearly 150 years. For many generations of Oregonians, the fair was a chance for families and friends to reunite and share the excitement of this grand, uniquely Oregon event. Today the fair’s popularity continues and, for 12 days each year, transforms the fairgrounds in Salem into the fifth largest city in the state.
If you want a quick read about the history, the Oregon State Fair site has a Fair History page. Wikipedia also has a short article, Oregon State Fair, which long on links to other pages related to fair history.
Gwen Guthrie of Prineville, 1959
So grab a ticket, a horse, or a wand o’ cotton candy and enjoy!