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Alfred Powers papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 2907

Scope and Contents

This collection contains primary source materials relating to a variety of Western Americana, including Oregon and Northwest businesses, Northwest authors, and other authors and organizations. Types of materials present in the collection include correspondence, business records, diaries, printed materials, biographical and autobiographical materials, financial records, scrapbooks, and ephemera. People, organizations, and businesses represented in the collection include: Richard Baird; Frederic Homer Balch; E. W. Ball; Charles Henry Carey; Eli Colter; Sabra Connor; Walter M. Cook; Belle W. Cooke; Robert Duniway; Daniel Giles; Eli Sheldon Glover; Elwin G. Greer; Lafyette Grover; Bernard Hinshaw; Bruce LeRoy; Chester A. Lyon; John McCracken; Joaquin Miller; Joseph Ouper; Emil Peters; M. A. Pflug; George Pope; Dr. D. H. Rand; Oswald West; the Auto Freight Company; Big Brother Farm (Lebanon, Oregon); Ladd & Tilton Bank; the Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty; the Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company; the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company; and the Vancouver Transportation Company. The collection also includes Sunday school records from Aumsville, Oregon; catalogs by Oregon rose growers; papers from the Tule Lake incarceration camp, where Japanese Americans were held during World War II; a record book of an unidentified Portland physician; and information about the origin and unveiling of the Pioneer Mother statue in Eugene, Oregon.

Dates

  • Creation: 1834-1963

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

Alfred Powers (1887-1983) was an author, journalist, teacher, book collector, and book binder. He was the author of 18 books and numerous articles; was a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon; served as the head of the Works Progress Administration's Writer's Project; and served as the dean of the State System of Higher Education Extension Service, later known as the Division of Continuing Education.

Extent

4 Cubic Feet (8 document cases, 2 custom boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Collection of historical materials relating to Oregon and Pacific Northwest history, including business records, scrapbooks, catalogs, and ephemera.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired from Alfred Powers.

Related Materials

An oral history interview with Alfed Powers, designated SR 9368, is also held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, and is available online in OHS Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/sr-9368-oral-history-interview-with-alfred-powers.

Separated Materials

Photographs received with this collection were transferred to the photograph collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, and a ledger of the Drake Brothers photography studio was transferred to the June Drake papers, Mss 1617. Selected items of ephemera were transferred to the library's serials collections and topical collections:

  1. A booklet, "The University of Oregon Summer Sessions, 1928, preliminary announcement," was transferred to Mss 1504, the Education collection.
  2. A booklet, "Souvenir commemorating the gala opening of the Tebbets Oriental Theatre," and a 1916 catalog of the Donald Nursery Company of Donald, Oregon, were transferred to Mss 1510, the Business collection.
  3. Three fraternal organization items, "Constitution, by-laws, manual of the lodge of the Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Oregon" (1911); "Souvenir programme, pilgrimage of the Al Kader Temple to Oasis of Coos Bay, October 4, 1919"; and "Souvenir menu of the Al Kadar A.A.O.N.M.S. pilgrimage" (1926), were transferred to Mss 1511, the Associations and institutions collection.
  4. Two booklets, "In remembrance of the Midwinter International Exposition, San Francisco, Cal., 1894" and "Views of the PPIE Exposition, San Francisco, 1915," were transferred to Mss 1522, the Manners and customs collection.
  5. Two menus from the Milwaukee Road were transferred to Mss 2942, the Menu collection.
  6. A periodical, "Lewis & Clark journal," May 1904, was transferred to the library's serials collections.

Processing Information

Collection includes materials that were previously designated Mss 2907-1 at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. Collection guide was created by Geoffrey B. Wexler in 2008. The guide was revised in November 2024 to conform to current standard.

Title
Guide to the Alfred Powers papers
Status
Completed
Author
Geoffrey B. Wexler
Date
2008; revised 2024
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.

Revision Statements

  • 2024-11-15: Minor revisions to conform to current standard.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

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