Papers of and relating to John Skaaluren

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1041

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence of John Skaaluren, a biographical sketch of him, and published material about him and the Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day that he founded in 1946. The correspondence is with Oregon governors Earl Snell, Elmo Smith, Robert D. Holmes, and Tom McCall, and with U.S. representatives Walter Norblad and John Dellenback. The biographical sketch was written by Skaaluren's daughters, Elsa Foelker and Anna May Schultz, for the 1996 Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day. Published materials in the collection consist of clippings from multiple newspapers; the front page of the March 28, 1946, Port Umpqua Courier; the March 29, 1958, issue of the Coos Bay, Oregon, newspaper The World; and a souvenir publication from the 50th annual Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day in 1995. The collection also includes photocopies of two photographs from the 1946 and 1948 plantings, with handwritten captions.

Dates

Creation: 1946-1997

Creator

Skaaluren, John, 1894-1974 (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 Note

John Skaaluren was born Johan Knute Skaaluren in 1894 in Rosendal, Norway. In 1922, he immigrated to Oregon, living in Portland, Astoria, and Garibaldi before moving to Reedsport, where he worked for the E. K. Wood Lumber Company. In 1944, he was elected mayor of Reedsport. Skaaluren was concerned about forest sustainability, and this concern, as well as his memories of planting trees as a child in Norway, prompted him to organize an event for local schoolchildren to plant trees. On March 25, 1946, 375 schoolchildren, along with Oregon Governor Earl Snell, planted 30,000 seedlings near Winchester Bay, Oregon. The planting event became an annual tradition known as the Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day.

After the E. K. Wood Lumber Company closed in the 1950s, Skaaluren moved to Junction City, Oregon, where he worked for the Hult Lumber Company. He continued to participate in the Lower Umpqua tree-planting event until 1971.

Skaaluren married fellow Norwegian American Anna Skaale (1898-1985) in 1922; the couple had two daughters, Elsa Foelker and Anna May Schultz. John Skaaluren died in March 1974.

Sources: Collection materials; "Voters Make Few Changes at Reedsport," Roseburg News-Review, November 13, 1944; obituary in The World (Coos Bay, Oregon), March 6, 1971; "Planting honors tradition's roots," Oregonian, June 4, 1997; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (3 folders in shared box; 1 oversize folder (12x15) in shared flat box; 1 oversize folder (20x24) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of and relating to John Skaaluren (1894-1974), primarily concerning his role in beginning the annual Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day in Douglas County, Oregon. Materials include correspondence between Skaaluren and political figures, newspaper pages and clippings about the tree plantings, a biographical sketch of Skaaluren, and a souvenir program from the 50th annual tree planting. Skaaluren was born in Norway, and came to the United States in 1922, eventually living in Reedsport, Oregon, where he worked for the E. K. Wood Lumber Company. In 1944, he was elected mayor of Reedsport, and in 1946, he began an annual tradition of having local schoolchildren plant trees.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of William Foelker, December 1997 (Lib. Acc. 23371).

Separated Materials

A book about the Lower Umpqua School Children's Tree Plant Day, "Following the Pied Piper: The First Fifty Year History of the Lower Umpqua School Children's Annual Tree Plant Day," was separated to book collections (call number 634.9565 M648f) at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.