H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Oral History Collection, 1991-2020
Predominant Dates: 1996-2020
The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Oral History Collection is principally comprised of interviews with U.S. Forest Service employees, Oregon State University faculty, and other individuals involved with the creation, development and use of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, which is located in the west-central Oregon Cascades. The interviews were conducted by three scholars for three different projects: historian Max Geier, historian Samuel Schmieding, and anthropologist Sara Khatib. The collection also includes a smaller number of audiocassettes collected by geologist Fred Swanson that document events related to the history of the Andrews forest. The collection is rounded out by more than 150 scanned items digitized by Samuel Schmieding and chronicling the life of Region 6 Chief Forester Horace J. Andrews (1892-1951), for whom the forest was renamed in 1953. Nearly all of the oral history content held in this collection has been transcribed and made available online. Reference access to the born digital materials in Series 5 is available upon patron request.
ID: OH 028
Extent: 0.15 cubic feet
Statement on Access: The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation: H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Oral History Collection (OH 028), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Acquisition Note:
The Max Geier interviews were transferred to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center by the OSU College of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in 2018. The remainder of the collection was donated to SCARC by Fred Swanson in 2020 and Sara Khatib in 2021.
Acquired:
2018.
Container List
- Series 1: Max Geier Interviews, 1996-1998 Add to Shelf
- The item descriptions used in Series 1 reflect the annotations made by Max Geier on a given microcassette's tape case. Nearly all of the items held in the series have been migrated to digital format, transcribed, and made available online through the links that follow. Raw transcripts were originally generated by students supervised by Geier, and were later edited and finalized by Fred Swanson and Samuel Schmieding.
- Extent: 56 microcassette audio tapes.
- Box-Item 1.1: H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest history workshop morning session, Tape 1, August 7, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Workshop featuring Fred Swanson, Ted Dyrness, Art McKee, Cindy Miner and Max Geier at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.2: H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest history workshop afternoon session, Tape 2, August 7, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Workshop featuring Ted Dyrness, Cindy Miner, Art McKee and Max Geier at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.3: Mike Kerrick and Ed Anderson, Tape 1, August 28, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Anderson's house in Springfield, Oregon.
- Box-Item 1.4: Mike Kerrick. Tape 2, August 28, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Springfield, Oregon.
- Box-Item 1.5: Fred Swanson, September 6, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his house in Corvallis.
- Box-Item 1.6: Roy Silen, September 9, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.7: Ted Dyrness, September 11, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Ted (Christen Theodore) Dyrness interviewed at his Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory office.
- Box-Item 1.8: Ted Dyrness, Tape 2 and Al Levno, September 11 - 12, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Ted Dyrness interviewed at his Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory office, September 11, 1996. Al Levno interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, September 12, 1996.
- Box-Item 1.9: Art McKee, September 12, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.10: Jerry Franklin, Tape 1, September 13, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility, Carson, Washington.
- Box-Item 1.11: Jerry Franklin, Tape 2, September 13, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Wind River Canopy Crane Research Facility.
- Box-Item 1.12: Russ Mitchell, Tape 1, September 20, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed in Bend, Oregon.
- Box-Item 1.13: Russ Mitchell, Tape 2, September 20, 1996 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed in Bend, Oregon.
- Box-Item 1.14: Bob Tarrant, July 24, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his Corvallis home.
- Box-Item 1.15: Gabe Tucker, August 19, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.16: Jean Rothacher, Tape 1, August 29, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Jean Rothacher and Ted Dyrness interviewed at Rothacher's home in Corvallis, Oregon. Poor audio quality; partially transcribed.
- Box-Item 1.17: Ross Mersereau with Ted Dyrness, Tape 1, September 3, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Ross Mersereau interviewed with Ted Dyrness at Mersereau's home in Corvallis.
- Box-Item 1.18: Ross Mersereau with Ted Dyrness, Tape 2, September 3, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Ross Mersereau interviewed with Ted Dyrness at Mersereau's home in Corvallis.
- Box-Item 1.19: Jean Rothacher, Tape 2, September 4, 1997 Add to Shelf
- A recording of Jean Rothacher describing photos.
- Box-Item 1.20: Jim Trappe, September 15, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed in his office in Corvallis.
- Box-Item 1.21: George Brown, September 19, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed in Peavy Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.22: H.J. Andrews Site Visit, Tape 1, September 22, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Recording of conversation during van ride from Corvallis to site headquarters with Roy Silen, Bob Tarrant, Martha Brookes, Ted Dyrness, Al Levno and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.23: H.J. Andrews Site Visit, Tape 2, September 22, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Recording begins with Roy Silen talking in van en route to headquarters site. Also includes conversation at headquarters site before drive to Carpenter Mountain Lookout and in van en route to lookout.
- Box-Item 1.24: H.J. Andrews Site Visit, Tape 3, September 22, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Recording of discussion of photo line-up at the lookout on Carpenter Mountain and group interview with Bob Tarrant, Roy Silen, Jerry Franklin, Ted Dyrness, Al McKee, Fred Swanson, Martha Brooks and Al Levno.
- Box-Item 1.25: H.J. Andrews Site Visit, Tape 4, September 22, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Recording begins with conclusion of interviews at Carpenter Mountain Lookout followed by drive down to headquarters. Interviews at headquarters streamside site before dinner with Roy Silen, Al Levno, Ted Dyrness, Al McKee, Fred Swanson, Martha Brooks, Bob Tarrant, and Jerry Franklin.
- Box-Item 1.26: H.J. Andrews Site Visit, Tape 5, September 22, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Recording of end of group interview at headquarters site to point where group learns of Roy Silen's tragedy.
- Box-Item 1.27: Jack Lattin, Tape 1, September 23, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Jack (John D.) Lattin interviewed at Cordley Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.28: Phil Sollins, September 24, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.29: Susan Stafford, September 25, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.30: Dick Waring, Tape 1, September 26, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Peavy Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.31: Dick Waring, Tape 2, September 26, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Peavy Hall, Oregon State University.
- Digital File 1: Transcriptionist Briefing, September 29, 1997 Add to Shelf
- A word processing document created by Geier and used to provide guidance to student transcriptionists regarding commonly mentioned subjects, personal names and locations, as well as strategies for interpreting unintelligible phrases.
- Box-Item 1.32: Jack Lattin, Tape 2, September 30, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Cordley Hall, Oregon State University. Raw audio link. Draft transcript available upon request.
- Box-Item 1.33: Mark Harmon, Tape 1, October 1, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.34: Mark Harmon, Tape 2, October 1, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.35: Lynn Burditt, October 3, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.36: Gordon Grant, Interview 1, October 6, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.37: Stan Gregory, October 7, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Nash Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.38: Gordon Grant, Interview 2, Tape 1, October 10, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.39: Gordon Grant, Interview 2, Tape 2, October 10, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.40: Small Watersheds Group Interview, Tape 1, October 16, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Small watersheds group interview recorded at Peavy Hall, Oregon State University. Participants include George Lienkaemper, Fred Swanson, Don Henshaw, Ted Dyrness, Gordon Grant, Al Levno, Ross Mersereau and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.41: Small Watersheds Group Interview, Tape 2, October 16, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Small watersheds group interview recorded at Peavy Hall, Oregon State University. Participants include George Lienkaemper, Fred Swanson, Don Henshaw, Ted Dyrness, Gordon Grant, Al Levno, Ross Mersereau and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.42: Julia Jones, October 27, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at her home in Corvallis.
- Box-Item 1.43: Martha Brookes, November 5, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.44: Robert Griffiths, November 6, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.45: John Cissel, November 7, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.46: Andy Moldenke, November 14, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Cordley Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.47: Tim Schowalter, November 18, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Cordley Hall, Oregon State University.
- Box-Item 1.48: Riparian Group Interview, Tape 1, November 21, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Riparian group interview Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Participants include Linda Ashkenas, Art McKee, Norm Anderson, George Lienkaemper and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.49: Riparian Group Interview, Tape 2, November 21, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Riparian group interview Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory. Participants include Linda Ashkenas, Art McKee, Norm Anderson, George Lienkaemper and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.50: Sherri Johnson, November 24, 1997 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.51: Steve Eubanks, Tape 1, January 9, 1998 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Forest Supervisor's Office, Chippewa National Forest, Cass Lake, Minnesota.
- Box-Item 1.52: Steve Eubanks, Tape 2, January 9, 1998 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Forest Supervisor's Office, Chippewa National Forest, Cass Lake, Minnesota.
- Box-Item 1.53: H.J. Andrews IBP (International Biological Program) Group Interview, Tape 1, February 10, 1998 Add to Shelf
- H.J. Andrews IBP (International Biological Program) group interview at Siuslaw National Forest headquarters in Corvallis. Participants include Jerry Franklin, Dick Waring, Jim Hall, Fred Swanson, Ted Dyrness, Al Levno, Don Henshaw, Martha Brookes, Bill Denison and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.54: H.J. Andrews IBP (International Biological Program) Group Interview, Tape 2, February 10, 1998 Add to Shelf
- H.J. Andrews IBP (International Biological Program) group interview at Siuslaw National Forest headquarters in Corvallis. Participants include Jerry Franklin, Dick Waring, Jim Hall, Fred Swanson, Ted Dyrness, Al Levno, Don Henshaw, Martha Brookes, Bill Denison and Max Geier.
- Box-Item 1.55: Jim Sedell, February 17, 1998 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Box-Item 1.56: Kermit Cromack, February 17, 1998 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory.
- Series 2: Samuel Schmieding Interviews, 2013-2017 Add to Shelf
- Historian Samuel Schmieding conducted these interviews as a component of a larger project seeking to document the history of the Andrews Experimental Forest. That project was organized by Forest Service geologist Fred Swanson and Cindy Miner of the Pacific Northwest Research Station Director's Office. Each of the interviews was originally saved as an audio-only digital file, and professionally transcribed. The full contents of each session are available online through the links provided below.
- Extent: 12 born-digital audio files; 24.1 GB
- Digital Folder 1: Fred Swanson, November 1, 2013 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 2:53:12
- Digital Folder 2: Fred Swanson, November 15, 2013 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 1:58:08
- Digital Folder 3: Fred Swanson, November 26, 2013 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 2:07:28
- Digital Folder 4: Bill Ferrell, May 8, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 2:07:01
- Digital Folder 5: Mike Kerrick, May 9, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Dearhorn, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:05:41
- Digital Folder 6: John Moreau, May 12, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.
- Extent: 3:44:43
- Digital Folder 7: Rolf Anderson, May 15, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Alvadore, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:11:53
- Digital Folder 8: Norm Michaels, May 27, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District Station 1, Blue River, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:18:16
- Digital Folder 9: Zane Smith, May 29, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Springfield, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:02:55
- Digital Folder 10: Al Levno, June 9, 2014 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his home in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:12:39
- Digital Folder 11: Terry Cryer, November 6, 2017 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at his residence in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.
- Extent: 3:55:26
- Digital Folder 12: Richard Iverson, December 1, 2017 Add to Shelf
- Interviewed at the U.S.F.S. Forest Sciences Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon.
- Extent: 3:03:08
- Series 3: Sara Khatib Interviews, 2020 Add to Shelf
- These video-recorded interviews were conducted over Zoom by Sara Khatib, a master's degree-seeking student in Anthropology at the University of Oregon. The sessions were used as source material for Khatib's master's thesis, "What is an Old-Growth Forest? The Shaping and Reshaping of Scientific Inquiry at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest," completed in 2021 and available through the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest website. All of the interviews have been transcribed and made available online through the links provided below.
- Extent: 6 born-digital video files collected over Zoom; 2.42 GB
- Digital Folder 13: Barbara Bond, February 19, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:46:15
- Digital Folder 14: Fred Swanson, October 21, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:47:41
- Digital Folder 15: Sherry Johnson, November 10, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:10:33
- Digital Folder 16: Mark Harmon, November 11, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:43:50
- Digital Folder 17: Jerry Franklin, November 19, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:18:39
- Digital Folder 18: Julia Jones, December 3, 2020 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:06:51
- Series 4: Fred Swanson Audiocassettes, 1991-2009 Add to Shelf
- The recordings described in this series document events organized by U.S. Forest Service geologist Fred Swanson. Each of the standard cassettes held in Series 4 has been migrated to digital format, transcribed and made available online through the links provided below.
- Extent: 4 standard audiocassettes
- Box-Item 2.1: Jerry Franklin U.S.F.S. retirement talk, November 22, 1991 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:17:11
- Box-Item 2.2: Roy Silen group interview, December 1992 Add to Shelf
- Tape 1 of 2. The contents of the Roy Silen interview have been transcribed and made available online as a single digital file.
- Extent: 1:01:02
- Box-Item 2.3: Roy Silen group interview, December 1992 Add to Shelf
- Tape 2 of 2.
- Box-Item 2.4: Jerry Franklin life history interview, August 18, 2009 Add to Shelf
- Extent: 1:23:54
- Series 5: "H.J. Andrews The Man" Digital Collection, 2016-2017 Add to Shelf
- The materials described in series 5 were digitized by Samuel Schmieding out of the privately held Horace J. Andrews Family Papers in Keizer, Oregon. Each group documents aspects of Andrews' life and career, with material types including personnel records, letters, publications, field notebooks, and records related to Andrews' death from an automobile accident in 1951. Nearly all of the materials were digitized to multi-page PDF format except for two group photographs scanned as .tif files. In addition to the digitized materials, each group includes a spreadsheet into which Schmieding recorded more details about his process as well as the original documents that he was scanning. These materials are availablen upon patron request.
- Extent: 151 PDF and 2 .tif files; 349 MB
- Digital Folder 19: Group 1 Digital Files, 2016-2017 Add to Shelf
- Materials include copies of H.J. Andrews' resumes from 1924 and 1939; his personnel file, ca. 1920s; assorted membership cards; a U.S. Forest Service directory for Washington state, 1950; and Andrews' reassignment papers, 1950.
- Extent: 12 PDF files
- Digital Folder 20: Group 2 Digital Files, 2016-2017 Add to Shelf
- Materials include Andrews' professional correspondence with the New York College of Forestry, private sector correspondents and others, 1918-1920; correspondence with colleagues in the U.S. Forest Service, 1943; publications by Andrews on forest fire management (1928) and professional forestry methods (1937); and newspaper articles and press releases documenting Andrews' move to Oregon in 1943.
- Extent: 37 PDF files
- Digital Folder 21: Group 3 Digital Files, 2016-2017 Add to Shelf
- Materials include Michigan Department of Conservation work diary notebooks, 1927-1928; Douglas Fir Region Survey notebooks, 1930-1938; and Forest Service Region 6 notebooks, 1946.
- Extent: 25 PDF files
- Digital Folder 22: Group 4 Digital Files, 2016-2017 Add to Shelf
- Materials focus on H.J. Andrews' death in 1951 and the events that followed. Items include news articles on Andrews' death; obituaries; condolence letters from U.S.F.S. colleagues, other government agency colleagues, politicians and judges, private sector contacts, and members of academia and professional associations; memorials, honors and remembrances; and documentation of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest renaming ceremony in 1953.
- Extent: 77 PDF files
- Digital Folder 23: Group 5 Digital Files, 2016 Add to Shelf
- Scans are of group photographs that include H.J. Andrews, including one of the Iowa State College forestry faculty and students, ca. 1923, and another of the University of Michigan College of Forestry alumni, 1924.
- Extent: 2 .tif files