Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection, 1908-1910

Title: Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection, 1908-1910

ID: P 224

Primary Creator: Dement, E. S. (Ellis Samuel) (1890-1972)

Extent: 0.05 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection is comprised of one series: 1. Photographs, 1908 - 1910. The photographs are arranged in the order assigned during the collection's preliminary processing.

Date Acquired: 00/00/1996

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection is comprised of photographs assembled by Ellis Samuel Dement between 1908 and 1910 when he was a student at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). The collection documents student life and activities, and includes images of the OAC Cadet Corps, athletic teams, student groups, and campus buildings. Many of the images in this collection are photographic postcards.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

The Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection consists of mounted photographic prints and photographic postcards assembled by Dement while he was a student at OAC. Most of the images depict either student groups or views of campus. Roughly half of the images held in this collection are 7 x 9 mounted photographs, and the majority of these were taken by W. S. Gardner of Corvallis. The other half of the collection consists of photographic postcards.

The mounted photographs are primarily portraits of various OAC athletic teams. Teams pictured include the 1909 basketball team, 1909 wrestling team, 1909 football team, and the champion 1909 intramural basketball team. The campus views included in the collection feature a number of buildings, including the Administration Building [Community Hall], Science Hall [Furman Hall], the Gymnasium [Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center], the Bandstand, Agronomy Building [Strand Agricultural Hall], and Mechanical Hall [Kearney Hall]. Campus buildings are identified by the building name used at the time the photograph was taken. In instances where the building name has changed, the name used at the time of the finding aid's publication appears in brackets.

Of particular note is a postcard reproduction of an image in the Alexander K. Chapman Photograph Collection (P235:06), depicting OAC cadets encamped at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Washington in 1909. The image shows the cadets' tents in front of the University of Washington’s oldest building, Denny Hall, which finished construction in 1895.

Ellis Samuel Dement was born January 10, 1890 in Norway, Oregon to Russell Cook Dement and Lucy Ann Dement. He had seven siblings: Nellie Estelle, Eunice Viola, Raymond Benton, Winnifred Elizabeth, Clare Leroy, Lester Thomas (his twin), and Harry George. Ellis's father, Russell, worked the ranch that his father, Samuel Maxwell Dement, established, and worked as a cattle rancher his entire life.

Dement attended Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) from 1907 to 1911, graduating with a degree in agriculture. After graduation, Dement returned to the family ranch and became a stock raiser. In 1914 he married Cecile Beryl (Miller) Dement. They had three children: Aileen Dorothy, Russell Albert, and Ellis Samuel Jr (who went by Sam).

Sam, the youngest of Dement’s children, went on to be something of a star at Oregon State College (OSC). He attended from 1939 to 1943, and like his father pursued a degree in agriculture. Sam was a forward on OSC’s varsity basketball team from 1940 to 1943, and helped the team take second place in the regional tournament. Sam’s graduation was fast tracked when he was drafted into World War II; when he returned from service overseas he went back to work on the Dement Ranch with his brother, Russell.

Sam and Russell Dement continued to expand the family ranch, and it achieved some prominence in the Oregon ranching community. In 1997, Russell and Sam filed to turn the ranch into a Limited Liability Corporation, ensuring its longevity. The ranch has continued to expand over the years, and in 2009 was designated as a Century Ranch by the Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program. Sam and Russell eventually deeded the farm to Sam’s two daughters, Diane Simon and Joan Harpole. They are the fifth generation to assume ownership, and continue to manage the farm as of this writing.

Ellis Samuel Dement died October 29, 1972 in Myrtle Point, Oregon.

More Extent Information: 15 photographs; 2 boxes, including 1 oversize box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The collection was transferred to the University Archives from the Horner Museum in 1996.

Related Materials: The OSU Special Collections and Archives Researcher Center holdings contain numerous collections documenting the student experience at Oregon Agricultural College at the turn of the 20th century, including the Alexander K. Chapman Photograph Collection (P 235), Bertha Herse Collection (MSS Herse), the F. Ross Brown Papers (MSS BrownFRoss), the W. J. Gilstrap Papers (MSS Gilstrap), the Irwin Betzel Papers (MSS Betzel), the William C. Bryant Collection (MSS Bryant), the Ivy G. Burton Collection (MSS Burton), the Grant Adelbert Covell Papers (MSS Covell), and the Iona Irving Ferguson Collection (MSS Ferguson).

Preferred Citation: Ellis Samuel Dement Photograph Collection (P 224), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: A preliminary description of this collection was placed online in 2012. The collection has been fully processed and described in 2019 following current arrangement and description best practices.

Dement, E. S. (Ellis Samuel) (1890-1972)
Gardner, W. S. (Winfield S.) (1863-1933)

Basketball--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis--Social life and customs.
Dement, E. S. (Ellis Samuel), 1890-1972
Football--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon Agricultural College
Oregon Agricultural College. Cadet Corps
University History
Wrestling--Oregon--Corvallis.

Photographic postcards.
Photographic prints.