Oral history interview with Omar C. Palmer

Collection

Identifier: SR70

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Omar C. Palmer was conducted by Terence O'Donnell on December 6, 1982. The interview was conducted as research for O’Donnell’s book "An Arrow in the Earth: General Joel Palmer and the Indians of Oregon."

In this interview, Palmer discusses his ancestor Joel Palmer, who served as superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory from 1853 to 1856. He reads from family documents, letters, and newspaper articles regarding Joel Palmer’s life and career and talks about treaties with Native Americans that Joel Palmer helped to negotiate. He discusses the Native American reservation system, and Joel Palmer’s role in its formation. He talks about Palmer family history, particularly the overland journey of Joel Palmer to Oregon on the Barlow Road in 1847. He also briefly discusses his own early life in eastern Washington and southern Idaho.

Dates

Creation: 1982 December 6

Creator

Palmer, Omar C. (Omar Clyde), 1908-2003 (Interviewee, Person)
O'Donnell, Terence, 1924-2001 (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Omar Clyde "Slug" Palmer was born in St. John, Washington, in 1908. He was a descendant of Joel Palmer, superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory from 1853 to 1856. In 1934, he and Constantine “Connie” L. Baker were married; they later had one child. He served on the Oregon Fish Commission. He died in 2003.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (54 min., 30 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Omar C. Palmer conducted by Terence O'Donnell on December 6, 1982, as part of research for O'Donnell's book "An Arrow in the Earth: General Joel Palmer and the Indians of Oregon." Omar C. Palmer was a descendant of Joel Palmer, superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory from 1853 to 1856.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Papers of Joel Palmer, Mss 114, are held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library and are viewable online at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/us-ohy-mss-114.

Bibliography

This interview was conducted as research for the book "An arrow in the earth: General Joel Palmer and the Indians of Oregon," written by Terence O'Donnell and published by Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 1991.