Oral history interview with Werner Raz

Collection

Identifier: SR 9642

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Werner Raz was conducted by Christine Ermenc on April 20, 1976, as part of the Portland Neighborhood History Project. The project was conducted by Portland Parks and Recreation in the late 1970s, and consisted of interviews with people who moved to or lived in the Portland metropolitan area from the early to mid-1900s. A transcript of the interview is available.

In this interview, Raz discusses his family background in Switzerland and his early life on a dairy farm in Hillsdale, Oregon. He talks about daily chores on the farm, about his education, and about traveling by car and train in the early 20th century. He shares his memories of the 1933 Tillamook Burn and of the Depression. He closes the interview by discussing how the Hillsdale and Multnomah neighborhoods of Portland have changed during his lifetime.

Dates

1976 April 20

Creator

Raz, Werner, 1908-1984 (Interviewee, 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

Werner Raz was born in Hillsdale, Oregon, in 1908. He lived in what are now the Multnomah and Hillsdale neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon. He was the son of Swiss immigrants and grew up dairy farming. In 1938, he and Selma Emelia Jorgensen were married; they later had three children. Raz was an avid hiker and trail builder. He died in 1984.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 18 sec.) + transcript (27 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Werner Raz conducted by Christine Ermenc on April 20, 1976, as part of the Portland Neighborhood History Project. Raz lived in what are now the Multnomah and Hillsdale neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon.