Category Archives: Main Page

Chirp, chirp: new Flickr Commons set!

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hummingbird.jpgIt’s spring and time to look at the pretty birds…

We happen to have the personal papers of renowned wildlife conservationist William L. Finley in the OSU Archives, which means we have his amazing nature photography as well!

Between 1900 and 1908, Finley and friend and partner Herman T. Bohlman made several trips around the Pacific Northwest to photograph birds. Finley published “American Birds”in 1907, and subsequently published two other books and over 100 illustrated articles in newspapers and wildlife magazines.

Fun fact: did you know that William L. Finley happens to be a nephew of William A. Finley, the first president of Corvallis College, what we now know as OSU?

For detailed information on Finley’s life, see “William L. Finley: Pioneer Wildlife Photographer,” by Worth Mathewson (OSU Press, 1986) and available in both the Valley Library and OSU Archives.

For more about the William F. Finley Manuscript Collection, read through our collection guide.

Celebrate John Bennes and OSU as a National Historic District!

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womens-pool.jpgOregon State University celebrates its historic status with a ceremony on Thursday, May 14th, to honor our history, architectural legacy, and National Historic District status. The university received this designation from the National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior last fall, and it places OSU on the National Register of Historic Places. So join us in the celebration — at corner of 15th and Jefferson or virtually on Flickr!

Who better to focus on than the man famous for designing many of our campus buildings for our latest Flickr set? We’ve created a new set, which lives in the OSU Archives Photograph Collection, to show you some great pictures of the buildings of John Bennes.

Bennes was a prolific Portland architect who designed more than 30 buildings on the Oregon State campus from 1907 to 1940. He was an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright and an proponent of the “Prairie School” design for residences in Portland, but his styles ran the gamut and his unity of design at OAC was characterized by many as “exceptional.” Interestingly, his first building on the OAC campus was a dairy barn — the first of six he designed for the college — but he expanded his reach and designed all the buildings you see in this set. To learn more check out the Alumni Association site’s “Up Close and Personal: Campus Tour”, written by OSU Archivist Larry Landis.

And what about the historic designation? “The uniqueness of the place was not lost on the National Park Service, which recently announced that is has placed not just a building but an entire ‘historic district’ of OSU structures, green spaces and plans on the National Register of Historic Places. Some 83 ‘historic resources’ are involved, including such icons as Weatherford Hall, the Memorial Union and Benton Hall, which at the age of 116, is the oldest building on campus. OSU is now Oregon’s only public or private college or university so represented on the register. In fact, only a handful of campuses nationally have secured such a district, among them the College of William & Mary and Washington and Lee University.”

To learn more about OSU and the National Historic District, visit the “Oregon 150 at Oregon State” page.

Heritage News!

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deschutes_elklakeguardcabin.jpgThe Elk Lake Guard Station in the Deschutes National Forest has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1929, employees of the US Forest Service built the Elk Lake Guard Station, described as a “simple cabin” made of logs with a wood-shingle roof. The station is historically important as an early example of the Forest Service’s current management polices that emphasize both recreation and natural resource conservation.

In the early-20th century, Guard Stations were constructed in remote areas as outposts to protect timber, water, wildlife, and fish. At Elk Lake, increasing public recreation led to the construction of a guard station to both protect natural resources and serve visitors. To meet the agency’s goals, the facility was sited to allow for maximum contact between Forest Service personnel and forest users while still allowing backcountry access to the soon-to-be designated Three Sisters Primitive Area. The station was one of the agency’s first efforts to standardize building appearance and its design represents the desire to construct buildings that complemented the natural environment.

More than 1,800 historic Oregon properties are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the guard station and recent Oregon listings is online at http://www.oregonheritage.org/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/nrhp_recent_nominations.shtml

Welcome to The Field Museum Library

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flower-children.jpgChicago’s Field Museum Library has joined Flickr Commons!

From their profile:

“The Field Museum is an educational institution concerned with the diversity and relationships in nature and among cultures. It provides collection-based research and learning for greater public understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live. Its collections, public learning programs, and research are inseparably linked to serve a diverse public of varied ages, backgrounds and knowledge.”

“The formation of The Field Museum Library’s collections began in 1894 with initial transfers of books from the libraries of various departments of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Currently, the Library serves the Museum’s staff, visiting scholars and the general public.”

So spend the rainy weekend perusing their photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/field_museum_library/. And if you need to see a few flowers, check out the “Flower Children” set!

New finding aids for April!

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The following 9 finding aids for OSU Archives collections were prepared in April 2009. Records for all of the collections are available (or will be soon) through the OSU Libraries’ Catalog, Summit Navigator, and Worldcat. One of these finding aids is for a collection acquired in 2009; 6 are for collections received in 2008; and 2 are for collections for which there was previously no information available online. The OSU Archives now has 393 finding aids in NWDA.

Bluebird Habitat Research Records, 1975-2004

  • This collection documents the Bluebird Trail project of the Audubon Society of Corvallis to install and monitor bluebird nesting boxes in Corvallis and the surrounding area in an effort to reestablish local breeding populations. It was donated to the Archives in 2008.

Brown, Walter S., Photograph Album, 1919-1942 (P 274)

  • This albums consists of more than 400 images taken or assembled by Brown during trips throughout the United States and Canada documenting agricultural operations, especially orchards and processing facilities. Brown was a horticulturist and faculty member at Oregon State College from 1913 until his death in 1942. The album was donated to the Archives by his grandson in 2008.

Crop and Soil Science Department Videotapes, 1999-2006 (FV P 134)

  • This collection consists of 26 videotape recordings of lectures presented in OSU’s sustainable agriculture seminar series. The videotapes were transferred to the Archives in 2009.

Eltzroth, Merlin S., Papers, 1971-2005

  • The Eltzroth Papers consist of field notes compiled by Eltzroth about first and second recorded sightings of birds that are rarely seen in Oregon and a personal history written by Eltzroth. Merlin S. Eltzroth earned a BS degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University in 1974. The papers were donated to the Archives in 2008.

Fisheries and Wildlife Department Photographs, 1938-1971 (P 179)

  • This collection of 400 photographs documents fisheries and wildlife students, faculty, teaching, and research at Oregon State University, especially the research activities of the Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. The collection includes images of the annual big game field trips and of a fish pond field day in Jefferson County for school children.

Gibson, Vane G., Collection, 1908-1937

  • The Gibson Collection consists of two photograph albums, a clippings scrapbook, and related materials documenting the student years of Gibson and his wife, Fern Loughridge Gibson, at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) and their activities during the 1920s and 1930s. Vane G. Gibson attended OAC from 1908 to 1912; Fern Loughridge attended OAC from 1908 to 1911.

Jenkins, Merle T., Papers, 1913-1974

  • The Jenkins Papers document Jenkins’ student years at Oregon Agricultural College and his career as an agronomist and developer of corn hybrids. The collection includes a photograph album of images taken or assembled by Jenkins about this student years in 1913-1918; correspondence; certificates and diplomas; publications, ephemera; and artifacts. The materials were donated to Crop and Soil Science Department by Jenkins’ nieces and nephews and were transferred to the Archives in 2008.

Oregon State University Mothers Club Records, 1933-2007

  • The Oregon State University Mothers Club Records document the activities and programs of the statewide Mothers Club organization as well as the Eugene and Springfield, Corvallis, Pendleton, and Salem Units. The Mothers Club (also known as the Moms Club) was established in 1933; the Eugene and Springfield Unit was the last active unit until it disbanded in 2008. The records of that unit were donated to the Archives in 2008.

Wagner, Effie L., Scrapbook of the Women’s Debate Tour, 1928

  • This scrapbook documents the 1928 Women’s Debate Tour by three members of the Oregon Agricultural College varsity women’s debate squad. The three-week tour to Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and California was the longest every taken by the women’s squad at that time. The scrapbook consists of a narrative journal of the trip, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. It was compiled by Effie Wagner, one of the team members, and was donated to the Archives by family member in 2008.

Welcome OSU Moms!

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postcard.jpg bill-cosby.JPG tug.jpg

Let’s hope the sun shines on the moms…

Mom’s Weekend originated in 1923 as Women’s Day when mothers came to campus to support women students — it grew and transformed into Mothers’ Weekend and in the 1930s, sons began inviting their moms to visit campus as well.

For a complete schedule of events, consult the Gazette Times article “Moms flock to OSU for a big weekend.”

Watch for it Wednesday!

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mills.jpgNew Collection in OSU Archives’ Flickr Commons: The Harold Frodsham Photographic Collection

We’ve seen the natural beauty of the Pacific NW landscape and the view from loggers in the forests, now we turn our focus inside — to the historic mill pictures in the Harold Frodsham Photographic Collection.

Harold Frodsham was the general manager of the commercial and mercantile departments of the Red River Lumber Company in Westwood, California, from the mid-1920s until 1934, when his position was eliminated. Frodsham, from England, died in Susanville, California in 1958 (he had lived in Westwood and Susanville since the early 1920s).

The Red River Lumber Company was organized in 1883 in Minnesota and began acquiring northeastern California timberland in 1894. The Company began construction of Westwood, its company town in southwestern Lassen County, California, in 1912. The lumber mill at Westwood was essentially completed by 1918 and operated until the mid-1950s.

The Harold Frodsham Photograph Collection consists of 19 images of the interiors and exteriors of lumber mills in Oregon during Frodsham’s tour of mills in Oregon and northern California. The original prints are 3.5 x 5.5 inches and are annotated with detailed descriptions. The collection includes images of the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company (Springfield), Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company (Bend), Pelican Bay Lumber Company (Klamath Falls), Shevlin-Hixon Company (Bend), and Silverton Lumber Company (Silverton). You’ll also find photographs showing hauling equipment, stackers, and conveyors, as well as one image of the Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company Camp 1 in central Oregon, where Ponderosa pine is being logged.

What else can you tell us?

To read more about the collection, check out the guide to the Harold Frodsham Photograph Collection.

All of the images are available online in the Oregon Explorer Digital Collection of historic photographs.