The collection consists primarily of bound typescript copies of letters and personal papers of Simeon Gannett Reed. The typescripts were made in 1940 from original papers in the possession of Reed College, a project funded largely by the U.S. Works Projects Administration, with additional funding from the Library Association of Portland and Reed College. Mimeograph copies of the typescript were distributed to various institutions, including the Oregon Historical Society. Volumes 25, 27, 28, and 34 of the typescripts, as well as miscellaneous papers, are available only on microfilm, and Volume 38 is missing from the set.

Subjects of the collection include mining, railroad ventures, land development, livestock breeding, shipping, and steamships. Prominent correspondents include Amanda Wood Reed, John C. Ainsworth, William S. Ladd, Ladd & Tilton Bank, and Martin Winch. Also included are letters from Victor M. Clement of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining & Concentrating Co., 1889-1891. A small number of original invoices were added to the collection by the Oregon Historical Society, along with a letter from Captain W. R. Thomas regarding the steamer S. G. Reed.