The collection consists primarily of letters written by Henry Larcom Abbot (1831-1927) to his parents in 1855, journals he kept during his work on the Pacific Railroad Survey in California and Oregon in 1855-1856, and various field notes and celestial observations he took for the survey.

Collection includes photocopied genealogical information, letters, and diary extracts regarding the discovery of Yosemite in 1849. William Penn Abrams (1820-1873) came to Portland, Oregon, in 1851 on a ship with his family. He started a sawmill and was Oregon's first highway contractor; he also traveled extensively.

Manuscript affidavit signed by William T. Kershaw and co-signed by F. A. Rogers, Clerk, Siskiyou County, November 21, 1857, regarding encounters with the Modoc Indians near Yreka, California, during the years 1851-1852.

Oral history interview with Yuriana Aguilar conducted by Sankar Raman in 2017 for The Immigrant Story. Aguilar is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who came to the United States with her family when she was 5. She is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and earned a Ph.D. at the University of California Merced.

Architectural drawings, photographs, and professional documents relating to the work of Oregon architect Van Evera Bailey (1903-1980). Counted among the architects who developed the Northwest Regional Style of modern architecture, Bailey primarily designed private residences in the Portland area, with a number of early projects in the Palm Springs, California, area.

Photographs of the family of Portland businessman Simon Benson and his second wife, Pamelia Loomis, including sons Chester Simon Benson and Gilbert Thereon Benson, and grandchildren Gilbert Thomas Benson and Margaret Benson (later Margaret Maradudin).

Pamphlets and memorabilia issued by the Book Club of California relating to the history of the Pacific Coast and California.

Oral history interview with Lilia Boteva-Ayzoukian, conducted by Sankar Raman, Nancy E. Dollahite, and Lindsey Keefer on December 22, 2019, for The Immigrant Story. Boteva-Ayzoukian discusses her acting career in Bulgaria, her marriage to Barkev Ayzoukian, and raising a family in Beirut during Lebanon's civil war.

Small collection of black and white photographic prints and nitrate negatives depicting dams and dam construction. Identified locations include the Gold Ray Dam on the Rogue River in Oregon, and the Copco No. 1 and Copco No. 2 dams on the Klamath River at the Oregon-California border.

Collection includes manuscript letters from H. B. Smith to his wife, May 11, 1855, regarding work in the Jacksonville mines; student relief pass-card, circa 1906, issued by Stanford University to students volunteering to provide relief to victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; and an invitation to the Grand Anniversary Ball, July 4, 1856.