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Bertha Slater Smith song lyrics and sheet music

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 970

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of two undated songs handwritten by Bertha Slater Smith, "My Old Home in Oregon" and "Land of Mine." For "My Old Home in Oregon" there are both lyrics and sheet music; for "Land of Mine," only the lyrics are present.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1910-1920

Creator

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 Note

Bertha Slater Smith was born in 1875 in La Grande, Oregon, and attended the University of Oregon in Eugene. She later lived in Portland, Oregon, where she was a high school teacher. In 1916, she submitted a proposed slogan for the Portland Rose Festival, "For You a Rose in Portland Grows," which the festival's board of governors unanimously chose out of 12,000 slogans submitted from across the United States.

Smith was also president of the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers. Her husband was Elmer E. Smith (1870-1942). Bertha Slater Smith died in 1936.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1916-1966; obituary in the Oregon Journal, November 4, 1936; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 oversize folder (12x15) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Sheet music and lyrics for a song by Bertha Slater Smith (1875-1936) of Portland, Oregon, "My Old Home in Oregon," and lyrics for Smith's song "Land of Mine." Smith was president of the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, and coined the Portland Rose Festival slogan, "For You a Rose in Portland Grows."

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from the Benton County Museum in October 2022 (RL2022-141).

Related Materials

Additional materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to Smith are in the Slater family papers, Coll 206.

Title
Guide to the Bertha Slater Smith song lyrics and sheet music
Status
Completed
Author
Jeffrey A. Hayes
Date
2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
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