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World of Speed collection

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 1064

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of historical and documentary materials previously held by World of Speed, a motorsports museum that was located in Wilsonville, Oregon, in the 2010s. The collection contains papers, photographs, and video. Papers in the collection include the constitution of the Oregon Motor Racing Contest Board; records of the Western Auto Racing Association consisting of rules for cars, prize payment charts, and points scored in races in Oregon and Washington; and a 1925 tourist brochure map titled "Queen of the Northwest Resorts," showing automobile loop routes in Washington state. Photographs in the collection consist of images of the 1905 cross-country race from New York City to Portland, Oregon; hand-colored postcards of automobiles with captions in French and German; a photograph of a woman sitting on the hood of a 1920s car; a photograph of the model for the proposed Delta Dome stadium in Portland; and a photograph of racecar driver Art Scoville. The collection also includes two copies of a 1997 documentary, "From Hellgate to Portland." One copy is on a VHS tape, and the other on a DVD.

Dates

  • Creation: 1905-1997

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.

Administrative History

World of Speed was an interactive motorsports museum located in Wilsonville, Oregon. The museum opened in April 2015. In 2018, the museum brought in more than 51,000 visitors. It also ran accredited automotive classes in conjunction with Clackamas Community College. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum's board voted to close the museum permanently after determining that, under Oregon Governor Kate Brown's guidelines, it would likely not be able to reopen until 2021 and that it could not sustain its mission for a closure period that long.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian/OregonLive: "World of Speed, new auto racing museum, opens in Wilsonville on Friday" (accessed January 27, 2025), https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2015/04/world_of_speed_new_auto_racing.html; "World of Speed museum will close permanently in Wilsonville due to coronavirus crisis" (accessed January 29, 2025), https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/world-of-speed-museum-will-close-permanently-in-wilsonville-due-to-coronavirus-crisis.html.

Extent

0.23 Cubic Feet (1 slim legal document case)

Language of Materials

English

French

German

Abstract

Materials collected by World of Speed, a museum in Wilsonville, Oregon. Materials consist of records of automobile racing associations, a tourist brochure map of automobile loop routes in Washington, photographs, and VHS and DVD copies of a 1997 documentary, "From Hellgate to Portland." World of Speed opened in 2015, and permanently closed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Researcher access to VHS and DVD copies of "From Hellgate to Portland" in the collection is limited for preservation purposes; contact library staff to inquire about access. Fees may apply.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from World of Speed, November 2020 (RL2020-058).

Related Materials

An additional copy of the documentary "From Hellgate to Portland" is in the Moving Images Collection, MI 08433, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Processing Information

During processing, original numbers assigned to items by World of Speed were noted on folder labels.

Title
Guide to the World of Speed collection
Status
Completed
Author
Jeffrey A. Hayes
Date
2025
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