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Spruce Production Division lantern slides

 Collection
Identifier: Org. Lot 1062

Scope and Contents

Fifty-one glass lantern slides depicting activities of the Spruce Production Division in Oregon and Washington State during World War I. The collection includes images of logging, railroad building, railroads, sawmills, camps, workers, and officers. The slides were probably collected by Colonel Reuben H. Hitchcock, who served in the division.

Dates

  • circa 1917-1919

Creator

Historical Note

The Spruce Production Division (1917-1919) was a unit of the United States Army established during World War I to protect strategic timber resources in the Pacific Northwest. The region was the primary supplier of Sitka spruce used in aircraft construction and Douglas fir, which was used for ship hulls. The Army established the Spruce Production Division in 1917 under the leadership of Brigadier General Brice P. Disque to counteract labor unrest and to prevent any foreign or domestic disruptions to the timber supply. In addition to the nearly 30,000 soldiers assigned to the division over the course of the war, General Disque recruited laborers to join the federal Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen (4L). The federal government created the 4L union in an attempt to calm ongoing regional labor unrest in the industry. Soldiers and union members were stationed in more than 230 division camps throughout the region during the war with assignments to oversee logging operations, aid in the construction of new roads and railway lines, fight forest fires, and protect sawmills from sabotage.

Extent

0.36 Cubic Feet (1 letter document case) : 51 glass lantern slides

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Lantern slides depicting activities of the Spruce Production Division in Oregon and Washington State during World War I.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired July 2011, Lib. Acc. 27385.

Separated Materials

Papers relating to Colonel Reuben H. Hitchcock's participation in the Spruce Production Division were separated to manuscript collections and are designated Coll 239 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Title
Spruce Production Division lantern slides
Status
Completed
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240