The collection consists of correspondence, property records, reports, and ephemera relating to Ellis G. Hughes, an attorney in Portland, Oregon, and his son-in-law, Oregon Governor Charles H. Martin. Hughes' papers include correspondence, warranty deeds, and indenture agreements relating to the transfer of land to the Port of Portland; and a letter from a representative of Union Pacific Railway. Also included are a letter and an indenture agreement from the Oregonian Railway Company, though the relationship between these documents and Hughes is not clear. Martin's papers include newspaper clippings; political ephemera; an honorary diploma from Oregon State Agricultural College (later Oregon State University); reports concerning efforts Martin's administration undertook in response to labor unrest; issues of the newsletter "The Portland Realtor"; a letter from an Army Corps of Engineers officer; and a eulogy prepared by the staff of West Point Academy.