By Anna Brecheisen, Hope Glenn, and Elizabeth Nielsen
Title: Gerald W. Williams Postcards Collection, 1893-1959
Predominant Dates: 1905-1945
ID: P 323
Primary Creator: Williams, Gerald W.
Extent: 0.5 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The Gerald W. Williams Postcards Collection is arranged in 9 series: 1. Oregon, 1893-1958; 2. Washington, 1904-1956; 3. California, 1898-1954; 4. Other States and International, 1895-1959; 5. Oregon Trail Monument Expedition Series, 1906-1911; 6. Unidentified Scenic Postcards, 1914-1937; 7. Advertisements and Greeting Cards, 1905-1927; 8. Native American Culture, 1912-1954; and 9. U.S. Presidents and Politicians, 1902-1948.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The Gerald W. Williams Postcards Collection consists of postcards acquired and assembled by Williams in the course of his work as a Forest Service sociologist and historian and due to his avocational interest in the regional history of the Pacific Northwest. The bulk of the collection consists of scenic views and natural landmarks in Oregon, Washington, and California. Forestry, logging, fishing, and other rural activities are predominant topics in the collection. Gerald Williams worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 to 2005 as a sociologist (1979-1998) and historian (1998-2005).
The postcards in Series 1, Oregon, have been digitized and are available upon request.
The Gerald W. Williams Postcards Collection consists of postcards acquired and assembled by Williams in the course of his work as a Forest Service sociologist and historian and due to his avocational interest in the regional history of the Pacific Northwest. The bulk of the collection consists of images of Oregon, Washington, and California; images of Oregon comprise half of the collection and depict all regions of the state. The collection depicts numerous scenic views and natural landmarks and therefore most of the collection is arranged geographically.
Predominant topics in the collection are forestry, logging, fishing, and other rural activities. Images of bridges, highways, and dams as well as lakes, rivers, waterfalls, river rapids, and hot springs are represented throughout the collection. Multiple images of the Cascade Range, Crater Lake, Columbia River region, Oregon Coast, McKenzie River basin, Willamette River Valley, and Mount Shasta are included. A set of postcards commemorating the 1906 Oregon Trail Monument Expedition by Ezra Meeker and a selection of images of Native Americans in the western United States are also part of the collection. Several dozen postcards depicting humorous or holiday greetings round out the collection.
The collection includes many photographic postcards made by Frank Patterson – especially of southern Oregon, Crater Lake, and northern California. Frank Patterson was a prolific photographer who worked in studios in Medford, Oregon and Santa Rosa and San Francisco, California during the 1920s-1950s.
Most of the postcards were created in the first half of the 20th century. Dates are included in the container list when available. Undated postcards fall with the dates provided for the series in which they are included.
The collection includes both picture postcards and photographic postcards (also known as real photo postcards), with the latter comprising the bulk of the collection. Most of the postcards were not mailed; approximately a quarter to a third of the postcards in the collection include handwritten messages that were mailed to friends or family.
The postcards in Series 1, Oregon, have been digitized and are available upon request.
Gerald W. Williams worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1979 until his retirement in 2005. From 1979 to 1993, he was a sociologist with the Umpqua and Willamette National Forests in Oregon; in 1993-1998, he served as the regional sociologist for the Pacific Northwest Regional Office in Portland; and from 1998 until his retirement in 2005 he was the national historian for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Williams designed and implemented a regional and national history program for the Forest Service which culminated in his appointment as national historian and his authorship of the centennial history of the Forest Service, The USDA Forest Service -- The First Century, in 2000. He has published extensively on a variety of historical topics such as the Native American use of fire to manage environments, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the U.S. Army's Spruce Production Division during World War I.
Williams was a native of Oregon and earned degrees from Southern Oregon University (B.A., Sociology; M.A. General Studies Social Science) and Washington State University (Ph.D., Sociology). Gerald W. ("Jerry") Williams died on January 3, 2019.
More Extent Information: 1176 postcards; 2 boxes
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Note: These materials were acquired by the former University Archives and the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in multiple accessions in 2007-2016. They were originally described as a component of the Gerald W. Williams Collection and were separated for description as this collection in 2016.
Related Materials:
The core of Gerald Williams' research materials are maintained as the Gerald W. Williams Papers (MSS Williams). Other materials that were collected by Williams have been described as separate collections; some of these have overlap of format or subject matter with this collection, specifically: Gerald W. Williams Regional Albums (P 303), Gerald W. Williams Prints and Postcards of Native Americans Collection (P 317), and Frank Patterson Photographic Postcards (P 312).
The Special Collections and Archives Research Center's holdings include numerous collections with extensive imagery of Oregon landscapes and natural features. Of special note are the Benjamin A. Gifford (P 218 - SG 1) and the Ralph I Gifford (P 218 - SG 2) Photographs.
Preferred Citation: Gerald W. Williams Postcards Collection (P 323), Special Collection and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
Processing Information: The postcards were arranged by processors into groupings by location or topic.
Williams, Gerald W.
Patterson, Frank, 1883-1961.
Cascade Range
Coasts--Oregon.
Columbia River
Columbia River Gorge (Or. and Wash.)
Columbia River Highway (Or.)
Crater Lake (Or.)
Forests and forestry--Oregon.
Indians of North America -- West (U. S.)
Logging--Oregon.
Logging--Washington (State)
McKenzie River (Or.)
Natural Resources
Oregon National Historic Trail--Pictorial works.
Redwoods--California.
Shasta, Mount (Calif. : Mountain)
Willamette River Valley (Or.)
Photographic postcards.
Picture postcards.