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Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection, 1975-1978

By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen.

Collection Overview

Title: Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection, 1975-1978

Predominant Dates: 1975

ID: OH 001

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Department of Journalism

Extent: 0.5 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series, one devoted to transcripts and another to audiocassettes. An alphabetical view of the oral history interviewees whose recordings are held in this collection is as follows.

Allworth, Ethel E. "Peggy". (ca. 1975) Avery, Virgil (August 12, 1975) Buxton, George (Mr. and Mrs.) (August 6, 1975) Carey, Harold (July 21, 1975) Carey, Mabel (July 21, 1975) Chambers, Chester W. (July 26, 1975) Chambers, Rita C. (July 26, 1975) Christiansen, Richard Andor (August 2, 1975) Coolidge, Alice (July 24, 1975) Cosgrove, Chester J. (July 26, 1975) Cracraft, Catherine Ann (July 31, 1975) Gilfillan, Francois A. (ca. 1975) Gilfillan, Violette (ca. 1975) Hart, Dan S. (July 28, 1975) Hawkins, Melvin S. (July 1975) Hughes, Bessie (August 1, 1975) Hughes, George (August 1, 1975) Johnston, Helen (March 22, 1976) King, Bertha A. (August 17, 1975) McMurtry, Minnie (July 25, 1975) Morgan, Ethel (August 2, 1975) Mullen, Floyd (August 1, 1975) Murphy, Bessie Gragg (July 23 - August 4, 1975) Payne, William (Mr. and Mrs.) (August 1, 1975) Propst, Dale (July 25, 1975) Propst, Winnie (August 7, 1975) Reynolds, Minerva Kiger (July 1975) Rilatos, Robert (July 24, 1975) Schindler, Ralph (August 4, 1975) Smith, Florence Adell (July 25, 1975) Sommers, Robert E. (ca. 1975) Starker, T.J. (Thurman James) (ca. 1975) Strand, August L. (ca. 1975) Strand, Mollie (ca. 1975) Updike, Violet (July 16, 1975) Wilcox, Beatrice Eddy (August 1, 1975) Woodcock, Baird (July 31, 1975)

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection consists of 33 interviews conducted primarily in the summer of 1975 by Oregon State University students to document various aspects of local history from 1880 to 1929 in preparation for the United States bicentennial in 1976. Nearly all of the audiocassettes held in this collection have been digitized and are available upon patron request. Additionally, some of the transcripts have been digitized and are also available.

Scope and Content Notes

The Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection consists of 33 interviews conducted primarily in the summer of 1975 by Oregon State University students in a journalism seminar to document various aspects of local history from 1880 to 1929 in preparation for the United States bicentennial in 1976. All of the interviews were conducted in the summer of 1975 with the exception of the Helen Johnston interview, which was conducted in March 1976.

The following individuals were interviewed as part of the project: Ethel E. (Peggy) Allworth, Virgil Avery, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Carey, Chester and Rita Chambers, Alice Coolidge, Chester Cosgrove, Catherine Ann Cracraft, William Payne, George Buxton, Ralph Schindler, F.A. and Violette Gilfillan, Dan S. Hart, Melvin S. Hawkins, George and Bessie Hughes, Minnie McMurtry, Ethel Morgan, Floyd Mullen, Bessie Murphy, Dale Propst, Winnie Propst, Robert E. Sommers, Robert Rilatos, Florence Adell Smith, T.J. Starker, A.L. and Mollie Strand, Beatrice Eddy Wilcox, Baird Woodcock, Violet Updike, Richard Andor Christiansen, Bertha A. King, Minerva Kiger Reynolds, and Helen Johnston. The name of an interviewee who discussed bootlegging in the area during Prohibition is not given.

The interviews describe Corvallis, Philomath, Kings Valley, Benton County, and the surrounding area (including Newport and Yaquina Bay) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Topics include railroads and ferries, Corvallis businesses, the Fischer flour mill, logging and lumber mills, agriculture, Chautauqua events, pioneer families, and the Siletz Native Americans. A few of the interviews address topics relating to Oregon State University, such as the Memorial Union, the President's home on campus, and the name change from Oregon State College to Oregon State University.

Interviewers include Judith Carlson, Lorraine Charlton-Ruff, Janice Tiland, and Darrell Wolfe.

The collection includes both audiocassettes and transcripts for almost all (31) of the interviews. For one of the interviews (T.J. Starker), only transcripts are available. There is only a sound recording (no transcript) for the interview of Minerva Kiger Reynolds. Copies of the publication, Pioneers!, (ca. 1978) that was prepared using the interviews are also included in the collection.

All of the audiocassettes held in this collection have been digitized with the exception of damaged cassettes OH01:21 (Robert E. Sommers), OH01:22 (Winnie Propst side 2) and OH01:30 (Violet Updike). Digital files are available upon patron request.

Duplications of signed permissions forms are included in the transcript folders for most of the interviews held in this collection.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Oregon Pioneers oral histories were conducted almost entirely during the summer of 1975 by Oregon State University students enrolled in J 407A - "Seminar: An Oral/Written History of Oregon Pioneers," offered by the Journalism Department. The interviews were used to prepare a publication, Pioneers!, (ca. 1978) published by the Journalism Department and the Summer Term Office that included articles on pioneers, the Yaquina Bay Life Saving Station, Philomath College, the Siletz Indians, Fort Hoskins, the Willamette River, regional railroads, Eddyville, and Chautauqua events in the area.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 31 audiocassettes; 2 boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The oral histories were placed in the Archives' collections in 1975. The sound recordings and copies of the transcripts were housed at the Horner Museum for a period of time and transferred back to the Archives from the Horner Museum collections in 1996.

Related Materials: Several of the interviewees, including Minerva Kiger Reynolds and Bessie Murphy, are featured in the film, Heart of the Valley, about the history of Corvallis produced in 1976. This film is part of the News and Communication Services Motion Picture Films and Videotapes (FV 057) FV057:634. The Journalism Department Records (RG 091) and the Journalism Department Photographs (P 208) provide additional information about journalism instruction at Oregon State. The A.L. Strand Oral History Collection (OH 007) includes several interviews pertaining to Strand's presidency at Oregon State. The Horner Museum Oral History Collection (OH 010) includes another interview with T.J. Starker. SCARC collections also include the Edward C. Allworth Papers (MSS Allworth), F. A. Gilfillan Papers (MSS Gilfillan), and T.J. Starker Collection (MSS Starker).

Preferred Citation: Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection (OH 001), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information:

Collection processed by Elizabeth Nielsen and Chris Petersen.

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online. SCARC describes the contents of its collections using the language and terminology of the collections themselves. Since culturally acceptable terminology shifts over time, some of the terms that appear in these materials are currently outdated or offensive.

The term “gypsy” is considered derogatory by many Roma people. It comes from the word “Egyptian,” where many Europeans mistakenly believed the Romani came from. In 1971, at the First World Roma Congress, a majority of attendees voted to reject the use of the term “gypsy,” however some still use it to self-identify. In this collection, the term "gypsy" is used to describe Roma.

Furthermore, the term "squaw" is a misogynist and racist slur used to disparage indigenous American women. It has been applied to place names, and scientific or colloquial names for plants. In this collection, the term "squaw" is used to refer to Native American women.

There are no references to these terms in the finding aid, but they do appear in materials that have been scanned and uploaded to Oregon Digital. In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collections, we have retained the original wording. We acknowledge the racism represented by this language and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes or behavior depicted therein. For more information, please see our blog post.

[Date of Acknowledgement: November 2024]

Creators

Oregon State University. Department of Journalism
Carlson, Judith Carol.

People, Places, and Topics

Agriculture--Oregon.
Benton County (Or.)
Corvallis (Or.)
Ferries--Oregon.
Gilfillan, F. A. (Francois Archibald), 1893-1983
Kings Valley (Or.)
Lincoln County (Or.)
Local History
Natural Resources
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Oregon State College--History.
Oregon State University--History.
Oregon State University. Department of Journalism
Philomath (Or.)
Pioneers--Oregon--Benton County.
Prohibition--Oregon--Benton County.
Siletz Indians.
Starker, T. J. (Thurman James), 1890-1983
Strand, A. L. (August Leroy), 1894-
University History
Willamette River (Or.)

Forms of Material

Audiocassettes.
Oral histories (literary genre)

Box and Folder Listing