Louis Raymond Oral History Interview (1 of 2)

A graduate of Oregon State Agricultural College, Raymond contributed greatly to the mining and geology world. His passion for identifying and cataloguing materials was evident even outside of the work place. Raymond had the opportunity for travel as his work often took him outside of the United States. Once retired, Raymond donated artifacts from his career to the American Heritage Collection of the University of Wyoming.

In his first interview he starts with how his family came to settle in Vancouver, Washington. It largely had to do with the abundance of land and other resources. His family later moved to Astoria, Oregon where his father believed he had a better chance at employment. Raymond provides a few anecdotes about interactions with the local Chinook tribe. One incident in particular is discussed at length: when his grandmother was a child and attending a gathering at Oyster Bay, a Native American boy unintentionally harmed her but she was no worse for the wear. Years later when she returned to the area, the same young man made her gift as an apology. Overall, he remembers his childhood positively and he was an active young man. Some of the activities he participated in included singing in a quartet and playing baseball.