Gerald W. Williams Ephemera Collection, 1866-2008

Container List

Series 1: Signage, 1894 - circa 1990s Add to Shelf

Series 1 consists predominantly of signs created by the U.S. Forest Service to indicate forestland boundaries, provide warnings and caution to forest users, and deliver information. The signs are printed on paperboard, metal, cloth, and plastic.  The series also includes a few signs generated by other organizations, including the Keep Oregon Green Association. Some of the signs have been used; others are new.

The contents of box-folders 4.3, Cloth Signs, circa 1910s, and 4.5, Fire Prevention Signs, circa 1930s - 1970s, have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 1.1: Notices, circa 1930s-1990s Add to Shelf

Notices posted by the U.S. Forest Service to indicate closed wildlife areas; equipment prohibited in a streamside area; wildlife trees; fire tools; and areas closed to grazing.  Notices to hunters, campers, and smokers are included.  The notices are printed on paper, plastic, and metal.

Box-Folder 1.2: Metal Notices, circa 1940s-1970s Add to Shelf

These metal notices identify U.S. Forest Service property, campgrounds, public service sites, and administrative areas.  Signs for road closures are also included.

Box-Folder 1.3-1.4: Boundary, undated Add to Shelf

These signs mark boundaries of thinning units, sale areas, natural areas, National Forests, private property, range allotments, and experimental areas.

Box-Folder 1.5: Old Growth Forest, circa 1990s Add to Shelf

This undated sign delineates "Old-Growth Forest Managed for its unique natural value".  The plastic sign was printed in Tacoma, Washington.

Box-Folder 1.6: Markers, circa 1950s-1980s Add to Shelf

Markers used to indicate bearing trees, subdivision locations, and wildlife trees. Also includes metal U.S. Forest Service insignia.

Box-Folder 1.7: Keep Oregon Green, undated Add to Shelf

Metal sign "Prevent Forest Fires: Keep Oregon Green".

Box-Folder 1.8: Pacific Crest Trail, undated Add to Shelf

Trail marker for the Pacific Crest Trail, a National Scenic Trail.

Box-Folder 4.1: Signs and Banner, 1894-1993 Add to Shelf

Includes a banner commemorating the 1991 centennial of national forests; a photocopy of an 1894 notice that lands have been set aside as a Forest Reservation; a 1993 sign warning of abandoned mine hazards in English and Spanish; and Keep Oregon Green signs warning of extreme fire hazard.

Box-Folder 4.2: Caution and Prohibited Signs, circa 1950s-1990s Add to Shelf

These signs indicate closures of Forest Service lands; provide caution for blasting, and prohibit shooting or off-road vehicles.  A notice regarding protection of historic and pre-historic artifacts or structures is also included.

Box-Folder 4.3: Cloth Signs, circa 1910s Add to Shelf

Notices and announcements printed on cloth.  Several of the notices were created during the period that James Wilson was Secretary of Agriculture.  Wilson's term as Secretary ended in 1913.

The contents of this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 4.4: Campground Signs, undated Add to Shelf

Indicate sleeping areas, picnic areas, and limits on number of campers.

Box-Folder 4.5: Fire Prevention Signs, circa 1930s - 1970s Add to Shelf

Signs regarding fire prevention for hunters, anglers, campers, motorcyclists, and smokers.  One of the signs is specifically for Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.

The contents of this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.

Series 2: Artifacts, circa 1930s-1990s Add to Shelf

Series 2 consists of 3-dimensional objects and artifacts, primarily pertaining to the U.S. Forest Service.  Of note is a board game, The Amazing Forest Management Game; commemorative pins of the World War II Aircraft Warning Service; and other commemorative pins, patches, and coins.

Box-Item 5.1: Blue Forest Service Flag from Region 10, May 1980 Add to Shelf

Box-Item 5.2: USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portfolio, circa 1980 Add to Shelf

Box-Item 5.3: The Amazing Forest Management Game, 1982 Add to Shelf

A board game developed by Joyce C. Ulbrich for 2-8 players to learn about  and gain experience with woodlot management, timber harvesting, and other aspects of forestry.

Box-Item 5.4: U.S. Army Air Force Aircraft Warning Service banner and pins, circa 1943 Add to Shelf

Blue felt banner with pins recognizing volunteer service in the civilian Aircraft Warning Service during World War II.

Box-Item 6: 3-D Artifacts, circa 1930s - 1990s Add to Shelf

The objects include patches, a mail tag for Timberline Lodge in the Mt. Hood National Forest, a spike, commemorative lapel pins and coins; nametags for Gerald Williams, Jerry Williams, Joyce E. Casey, and Joyce Casey Ulbrich; and other ephemeral items pertaining to the U.S. Forest Service.

Series 3: Postcards, 1908-2008 Add to Shelf

Series 3 consists of postcards of tourist sites in the United States and Canada, primarily the western United States. It includes souvenir folders of postcards of Florida; Vancouver, British Columbia; the Shasta Route from San Francisco to Portland; Glacier-Waterton National Parks; and Spokane, Washington as well as several individual postcards from the Grey Towers National Monument in Milford, Pennsylvania. Of special note are postcards received by Captain George Frissell and Mrs. George Frissell in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon.

Box-Folder 1.09: Postcards, circa 1920s-1990s Add to Shelf

Postcards of tourist sites in the United States and Canada, with the majority from the western United States.  Includes a souvenir folder for the Shasta Route of the Southern Pacific Railroad from San Francisco to Portland; a booklet of cards for Vancouver, British Columbia (The Pacific Gateway of Canada); and a 1995 book of postcards, Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry, published by the Foundation for Deep Ecology.

Box-Folder 1.10: Postcards, circa 1940s - 2008 Add to Shelf

Postcards of tourist sites in the United States and Canada, including several postcards from the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest and the Grey Towers National Monument. The folder also includes souvenir folders of postcards from Florida, Glacier-Waterton National Parks, and Spokane, Washington. A postcard commemorating the 2008 election of Barack Obama is also included.

Box-Folder 1.11: Postcards to Frissells, 1908-1913 Add to Shelf

Postcards received by Captain George Frissell and Mrs. George Frissell in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon from family and friends.

Box-Folder 1.12: Souvenir Envelopes and Stationary, circa 1920s Add to Shelf

Featuring Vista House at Crown Point and Portland, Oregon.

Box-Folder 1.13: Collectible Postcard Clubs and Shows, 1991-1995 Add to Shelf

For events in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.

Box-Folder 8.1: Postcards, circa 1915 - 2000 Add to Shelf

Include Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and the McKenzie River Basin.

Series 4: First Day Covers and Commemorative Stamps, 1934-2001 Add to Shelf

Series 4 consists of first day covers for commemorative postage stamps. Most of the covers are for stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service, however, stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bureau of Forestry in the Philipines are also included. First day covers commemorating national parks, the centennial of the Oregon Territory (1948) and Oregon statehood (1959), John Muir, and conservation topics are also part of the series.

Box-Folder 2.1 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 8.2: Waterfowl Festival, 2001 Add to Shelf

Series 5: U.S. Forest Service Tools for Fieldwork, 1907-1979 Add to Shelf

Series 5 consists of forms, procedures, and tools for fieldwork by U.S. Forest Service employees, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Of special note is a completed field notebook that served as a daily diary for a unit ranger in California.

Box-Folder 2.2: Measurement Templates, 1957-1973 Add to Shelf

Forms and tools for recording measurements of trees in plot surveys and determining fire acreage from fly-overs.

Box-Folder 2.3: Procedures, 1956-1960 Add to Shelf

Plot Procedure and Forest Type Classification, prepared by Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station in 1956 and 1957; Field Procedures for Forest Inventories  in Oregon and Washington, 1960.

Box-Folder 2.4: Blank Field Notebooks, undated Add to Shelf

Circa 1940s-1950s.

Box-Folder 2.5: Law Enforcement Field Information Guide - Southwestern Region, 1979 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 2.6: Forest Service Notebook with Blank Forms, 1907-1945 Add to Shelf

U.S. Forest Service notebook with blank forms, note paper, and tables for determining volume of lumber from timber stands of certain trees by region --such as Douglas fir in western Oregon and Washington, western red cedar in Idaho, western yellow pine in Klamath County, and western larch in Montana. The blank forms are for reports on conditions of a special use area and transfers of property. The leather notebook is labeled "Benecke" on the front cover.

Box-Folder 8.3: Diary of Big Tujunga Unit Ranger, 1955 Add to Shelf

This diary includes daily entries of the ranger's activities and indicates the amount of time spent on fire prevention, pre-suppression, and suppression tasks. The Tujunga Unit was part of the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California.

Series 6: Forest Fire Prevention, circa 1920s-2000s Add to Shelf

Series 6 consists of printed ephemera promoting forest fire prevention and includes brochures, booklets, broadsides, decals, bookmarks, and postcards.  Items from the 1920s-1930s promote care with smoking and campfires in the forests; items from the 1940s emphasize that carelessness in the forests result in fires that "aid the Axis" powers.  Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl are prominent in materials from the 1950s through 2000s.  Many of the items were produced in collaboration with state agencies, such as the Oregon Department of Forestry.  Of note is a blank citation form, signed by Regional Forester H.J. Andrews, that was awarded to civilians who participated in the Forest Service Reserves and protected the National Forests of the Pacific Northwest from fire during World War II.

Ephemera from this series has been digitized and is available upon request.

Box-Folder 2.7 Add to Shelf

Materials from this folder have been digitized and are available upon request.

Series 7: Documents, 1866-1952 Add to Shelf

Series 7 consists of individual documents assembled by Williams.  Most of the items date from the early 1900s and document operations of the General Land Office, especially with regard to inspection and supervision of the work of foresters.  The series also includes sample homestead applications for lands in the national forests.

Box-Folder 3.01: Envelopes and Registered Mail Notices, 1907-1915 Add to Shelf

Envelopes for mail sent to Gifford Pinchot, the District Forester in Portland, and the U.S. Chief Forester among others.

Box-Folder 3.02: General Land Office Inspector's Reports, 1901 Add to Shelf

Two reports from the Forest Inspector in Portland, Oregon,  to the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. In one report, the Inspector details that Ranger J.R. Wick has "not been performing service for the government, but has been performing service to others on his account" during the time he has been on the government payroll. The second report pertains to a visit to Superintendent W.H.H. Dufur of the north division of the Cascade Forest and Bull Run Reserve.

Box-Folder 3.03: Homestead Applications, 1906-1909 Add to Shelf

One blank application form and a completed application submitted by Mrs. J.E. Miller for land in the Sequoia National Forest in Kern County, California, in 1909.

Box-Folder 3.04: Letter to M.J. Anderson, circa 1904 Add to Shelf

The first page only of a multi-page letter to M.J. Anderson, through Forest Inspector D.D. Branson regarding concerns with Anderson's work in the Cascade Forest Reserve.

Box-Folder 3.05: Letter to Receiver of Public Moneys, 1903 Add to Shelf

A letter from the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. to A.B. Thomson, the Receiver of Public Moneys in LaGrande, Oregon, pertaining to a request for duplicate receipts for the sales of public lands.  Also includes the envelope and a deposit certificate.

Box-Folder 3.06: Resettlement Administration Receipt, 1937 Add to Shelf

Receipt issued to Neill Sherman of Gilman City, Missouri.

Box-Folder 3.07: Stock Certificate, 1952 Add to Shelf

For 100 shares of capital stock in the Little Miami Railroad Company.

Box-Folder 3.08: Portion of Letter, circa 1905 Add to Shelf

One page of an undated letter; perhaps from the General Land Office to Mr. Aschoff.

Box-Folder 7.1: General Land Office Patent, 1877 Add to Shelf

An 1877 patent from the General Land office for lands granted to Nathanial Sawyer and William Minter, as recorded in the Records of Virginia Military Patents held by the General Land Office.

Box-Folder 7.2: General Land Office Receipt, 1912 Add to Shelf

Receipt for funds received from May A. Berndt of Rothiemay, Montana.

Box-Folder 4.12: General Land Office Patent, 1866 Add to Shelf

Land patent issued to Doddridge Harrel and his wife Miriam Harrel for a land claim of 320 acres in Linn County, Oregon.

Box-Folder 4.13: Charter Membership Certificate, 1955 Add to Shelf

Certificate issued to R.K. Helphenstine, Jr. recognizing "pioneer work" as a U.S. Forest Service employee and employment with the Forest Service at the time of its establishment in 1905; presented in 1955 during the 50th anniversary year of the Forest Service.

Box-Folder 8.4: Forest Service Documents and Correspondence, 1917-1925 Add to Shelf

Includes a 1917 application for the Twentieth Engineers (Forest); a 1921 letter from the Harney National Forest Supervisor regarding the telephone system; and two reproduced memoranda (1923 and 1925) to Forest Service employees in the North Pacific District  regarding Forest Protection Week and cut-over areas in the western yellow pine region.

Box-Folder 8.5: Cascadians Membership Card, 1933 Add to Shelf

A membership card for Alice Holmes in the Cascadians, a mountaineering club in Yakima, Washington.

Box-Folder 8.6: Letter from U.S. Senator Guy Cordon, 1947 Add to Shelf

To Hugh C. Mitchell of the Oregon State Fish Commission regarding Charles L. McNary.

Series 8: Other Printed Ephemera, 1873-2008 Add to Shelf

Series 8 consists of variety of printed ephemeral items pertaining to forestry, Native Americans, and local history of the Pacific Northwest that were assembled by Williams.  In addition to excerpts and clipping from late-19th to mid-20th century national publications, this series includes a promotional railroad publication about Oregon published in 1912, materials from several U.S. Forest Service anniversaries, and engravings of iconic Oregon scenes.  Of special note is a 1942 Japanese American evacuation poster for the Los Angeles area.

Box-Folder 3.09: Political Cartoons, 1964-2008 Add to Shelf

Clippings and photocopies of political cartoons pertaining to salmon restoration, climate change, the spotted owl, Smokey Bear and fire prevention, and multiple uses of forest lands.

Box-Folder 3.10: Anniversary Items, 1945-2005 Add to Shelf

Brochures, pamphlets, and other printed items for the Forest Service centennial in 2005; the silver (25th) anniversary of the Manistee National Forest (Michigan) in 1958; and the 40th (1945); 50th (1955), and 75th (1980) anniversaries of the U.S. Forest Service.

Box-Folder 3.11: Brochures and Pamphlets, 1970-2007 Add to Shelf

Includes various brochures and pamphlets pertaining to Forest Service activities and programs, especially focused on the Pacific Northwest Region.  Also of note are a brochure of the Canada Forest Accord; a 1989 management philosophy for the U.S. Forest Service; and a 1970 U.S. Department of Interior brochure about the Johnny Horizon program.

Box-Folder 3.12: Publications, 1912-1966 Add to Shelf

This folder includes two items:  A Lassie comic book ("Lassie and Forest Ranger Stuart climb Spire Peak on a dangerous mission that is TOP SECRET"), published in 1966, and Oregon, prepared and published by the Great Northern Railway in 1912 to promote settlement in Oregon.

Box-Folder 3.13: Other Items, circa 1915-2000 Add to Shelf

Various printed items for specific forests, forestry operations, and tourist sites.

Box-Folder 4.06: Sunday Oregonian, July 20, 1941 Add to Shelf

Article about the use of electricity in logging in the state of Washington.

Box-Folder 4.07: Crook County Historical Society Limited Edition Prints, 1977 Add to Shelf

A set of limited edition prints of sketches by Elva Paulson, of Prineville, Oregon, of homes, barns, and camps in Crook County.

Box-Folder 4.08: Native Americans, 1950 and undated Add to Shelf

This folder includes two items.  The first is a clipping from the Picture Post, March 25, 1950 of Native Americans fishing at Celilo Falls.  The second is a reproduction of portrait drawings of a Native American woman and man of Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Box-Folder 4.09: Saturday Evening Post, April 18, 1908 Add to Shelf

A story about California John of the Federal Forest Service written by Stewart Edward White and published in the Saturday Evening Post.

Box-Folder 4.10: Daily Graphic, June 14, 1873 Add to Shelf

One page of the Daily Graphic with maps of the Lava Beds near Tule Lake in northern California.

Box-Folder 4.11: Harper's Weekly, June 14, 1873 Add to Shelf

Excerpt from Harper's Weekly about the Modoc War, specifically the alliance with Donald McKay and the Warm Springs Indians.

Box-Folder 7.3: Engravings of Oregon Scenery, circa 1920 Add to Shelf

Undated color engravings of Crater Lake and Multnomah Falls published by West Coast Engraving Co., Portland, Oregon.

Box-Folder 7.4: Elmore Vincent's Lumber Jack Songs, 1932 Add to Shelf

Songbook published by M.M. Cole Publishing Co., Chicago.

Box-Folder 7.5: Japanese American Evacuation Poster, 1942 Add to Shelf

This poster dated May 3, 1942 was for Los Angeles, California.

Box-Folder 7.6: Forest Service Ephemera, 2001-2005 Add to Shelf

Includes a document folder commemorating the Forest Service centennial, a "Leave No Trace" hangtag, and a "Going the Extra Mile" brochure for Forest Service employees.

Box-Folder 8.7: Wild Rose Creamery Butter Wrapper, undated Add to Shelf

Mounted wrapper for butter produced at the Independence Creamery in Eugene, Oregon.

Box-Folder 8.8: Brochures and Pamphlets, 1962-2005 Add to Shelf

Includes a 1962 version of the by-laws for the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club; a 1980 self-guided auto tour of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge; and a Forest History Society brochure.

Box-Folder 8.9: Decals and Protest Postcards, circa 1990s-2000s Add to Shelf

Decals and postcards protesting the "Bush National Forests Giveaway" of the early 2000s and a "Restore Hetch Hetchy" bumper sticker.