Collection consists of correspondence by Lorenzo Lorain dating from 1855 to 1861, as well as biographical information about Lorain collected between 1958 and 1968. The bulk of the letters concern his time stationed at Fort Walla Walla and Fort Umpqua between 1856 and 1861.

Collection consists of photographs taken by or attributed to Lorenzo Lorain while stationed at Fort Umpqua in Douglas County, Oregon, between 1857 and 1861. They depict scenes around Fort Umpqua and the Coast Reservation, portraits of Native Americans and soldiers, and street scenes of Portland, Oregon City, and The Dalles.