Oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen

Collection

Identifier: SR 9452

Staff Only

Oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen was conducted by Roberta Watts at Jensen’s home in Portland, Oregon, from December 7, 1977, to January 17, 1978, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in two sessions. A transcript is available.

In the first interview session, conducted on December 7, 1977, Jensen discusses her family background and early life in South Portland, her career as a freelance reporter for the Oregonian and Oregon Journal newspapers, and her career as a real estate agent. She then speaks at length about her involvement in the preservation of the Columbia River Gorge. She describes how she became interested in nature conservation; talks about her efforts to advocate for the Wyam people and to save Celilo Falls; and speaks about the restoration of the Vista House on Crown Point. She also talks about working with John Yeon on conservation of the Gorge. She closes the session by revisiting the topic of her family background and early life in South Portland.

In the second interview session, conducted on January 17, 1978, Jensen continues to speak at length about her family background and early life in South Portland. She talks about her participation in a protest march against the Vietnam War and closes the interview by revisiting the topic of her career as a freelance journalist.

Dates

Creation: 1977 December 7-1978 January 17

Creator

Jensen, Gertrude Glutsch, 1903-1986 (Interviewee, Person)
Watts, Roberta (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Gertrude Glutsch Jensen was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1903. She studied political science at Reed College from 1922 to 1923, but left before completing her degree. In 1929, she and Frederic Charles Jensen were married. They later had one child and divorced a few years afterward. Jensen was a freelance reporter for the Oregonian and Oregon Journal newspapers in Portland for 14 years, and worked as a real estate broker from the 1930s through the 1950s. When her mother became ill, Jensen left work to care for her. During this time, she became aware of the large-scale logging operations in the Columbia River Gorge, and she soon became involved in conservation efforts. She sat on the board of the Oregon Roadside Council for over 25 years, was chair of the Columbia River Gorge Commission from 1953 to 1969, and was chair of the Save the Columbia Gorge committee. She received the Conservation Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1961, the Distinguished Service Award from Oregon Governor Tom McCall in 1964, and the Woman of the Year award from the Portland Women’s Forum in 1967. She died in 1986.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (3 audiocassettes (2 hr., 37 min., 35 sec.) + transcript (58 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen conducted by Roberta Watts from December 7, 1977, to January 17, 1978. Jensen was active in the campaign to preserve the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Washington.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio and transcript available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Three additional recordings with Gertrude Glutsch Jensen, designated SR 31, SR 32, and SR 9241, are held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.