Spruce Production Division lantern slides
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
- Creation: circa 1917-1919
Creator
- Hitchcock, Reuben H. (Collector, Person)
- United States. War Department. Spruce Production Division (Organization)
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.
Existence and Location of Copies
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.
Subject
- 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
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org