Leland F. Skillin Collection, 1935-1973

Title: Leland F. Skillin Collection, 1935-1973

ID: MSS Skillin

Primary Creator: Skillin, Leland F.

Extent: 0.5 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Leland F. Skillin Collection consists of materials documenting Skillin's work as an engineer. Skillin was employed as a mechanical engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Willamette Iron and Steelworks from the late 1930s through the 1960s and worked on design and construction of several dams in Oregon.

Scope and Content Notes

The Leland F. Skillin Collection consists of materials generated and assembled by Skillin reflecting his work as an engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Willamette Iron and Steelworks. The Collection includes articles, correspondence, employment records, a notebook, photographs, publications, and technical drawings. Most of the materials document Skillin's work on Willamette Basin Project dams and other Oregon dams, including facilities at Fern Ridge, Dalles, Foster Reservoir, Bonneville, and McNary. The materials illustrate Skillin's calculations for a 15-ton Gantry Crane needed for dam construction, collection of wood truss/connector structure information, and a study for temporary pump facilities at the Willamette National Lumber Company pending construction of Foster Dam. A notebook includes flood data for Rainier, Oregon, that was compiled by Skillin.

Skillin's employment records include travel reports, studies, and memoranda in which Skillin describes his project work, inspection tours, and attendance at conferences. The photographic prints depict Skillin's co-workers and the construction of various dams. The photographs also include images of Wallowa Lake, the Snake River Canyon, and an unidentified bridge.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Leland F. Skillin worked as a mechanical engineer in the Portland District Office of the Army Corps of Engineers for 29 years. He served as Chief of the Mechanical Section for several years and retired in 1968. Skillin was born January 27, 1905 and died in 1996 in Cornelius, Oregon.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 55 photographs; 1 box and 1 map folder

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were transferred to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center by Skillin's son, Michael Skillin, in 2012.

Related Materials: The Hoover Dam Construction Photograph Album (P 260) depicts construction of the Hoover Dam in the early 1930s.

Preferred Citation: Leland F. Skillin Collection (MSS Skillin), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Creators

People, Places, and Topics

Bonneville Dam (Or. and Wash.)
Dalles Dam (Or. and Wash.)
Dams--Oregon--Design and construction.
Dams--Washington (State)--Design and construction.
Fern Ridge Lake (Or.)
Foster Lake (Or.)
McNary Dam (Or. and Wash.)
Natural Resources
Oregon. Willamette Basin Project Committee
Skillin, Leland F.