Harvey Gordon letters

Collection

Identifier: Mss 741

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of 14 letters that were written to Harvey Gordon between 1860 and 1862. Almost all of these letters concern political matters in Oregon and in the United States, such as elections and the state of party politics in Oregon; they also include a letter from Selucius Garfielde, describing Garfielde's activities in running to be the territorial delegate for Washington. Other correspondents in the collection include Jesse Applegate, Riley Evans Stratton, and R. H. Dearborn. The collection also includes an undated letter from John T. Outhouse, regarding the productivity of mines that were likely located in Idaho.

Dates

1860-1862

Creator

Gordon, Harvey, 1828-1862 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical / Historical

Harvey Gordon was born in 1828 in Vernon, Indiana. In 1846, he emigrated to Oregon by way of the southern route (also called the Applegate Trail), where he took a donation land claim at the Molalla townsite in Clackamas County, and worked as a surveyor. He went to California during the Gold Rush, but came back to Oregon and took part in the Oregon land survey of 1853 to 1854. In 1857, the Oregon Constitutional Convention adopted a resolution that led to the appointment of Benjamin F. Burch, L. F. Grover, and James K. Kelly as a committee to report on a state seal for Oregon. Gordon submitted a design to this committee, and after the committee recommended some additions, his design was approved, and was still the state seal as of 2022. In 1862, Gordon successfully ran to be the Oregon state printer, but died two months before he was to take office.

Sources: "Dictionary of Oregon History," second edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning; "Oregon Almanac: Nut, State to Shoes, Oldest," Oregon Secretary of State, https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/facts/almanac/n-s.aspx.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters sent to Harvey Gordon (1828-1862), primarily concerning Oregon and U.S. politics. Gordon designed the state seal of Oregon, and was elected Oregon state printer in 1862 but died before taking office.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Letters from Jesse Applegate likely acquired in February 1907 (RL2022-145-RETRO); all other materials most likely acquired in the late 19th or early 20th century.