The collection consists of papers of Lewis L. McArthur (1917-2018), particularly documents relating to his work on Oregon Geographic Names and historic preservation. The bulk of the papers on Oregon Geographic Names consists of correspondence, notes, clippings, and maps that McArthur either created or compiled. A large portion of papers relating to historic preservation focus on the Historic Columbia River Highway and sites in the Columbia River Gorge. Other materials in the collection include personal papers; papers of McArthur's father, Lewis A. McArthur; and essays, articles, and other publications that McArthur collected.