Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Elbert Owen Colvin album , 1931-1936
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Colvin, Elbert Owen, 1913-2002
- Title
- Elbert Owen Colvin album
- Dates
- 1931-1936
- Quantity
-
0.25 linear feet, (1 container)
- Collection Number
- Coll 473
- Summary
- Collection is comprised of a single album containing over 200 black and white photographs documenting the experiences of Elbert Owen Colvin, who worked as a carpenter for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the United States Forest Service during the early 1930's.
- Repository
-
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
- Languages
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Elbert Owen Colvin was born December 2, 1913, to George W. Colvin and Mildred Kelsey Colvin. He spent his childhood on the Oregon coast - in Lincoln City and Waldport, Oregon - with his mother, Mildred Kelsey, brothers Marion and Stanley, and sister Doris.
Elbert began working as a carpenter for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the United States Forest Sercice in August 1933, at a newly established CCC Camp near Smith River Falls (likely Camp S-204, about 11 miles east of Reedsport). Colvin also spent time building, and working at the F-30 Camp near Mapleton, Oregon, F-96 Camp Odell on Crescent Lake, and the SP-10 Camp at Woahink Lake.
Census data reports that by 1940 Elbert had returned to Waldport and was working as a carpenter. It also shows that his mother Mildred completed two years of college; her daughter Doris completed 3 years, and was working as a bookkeeper with Electric Light and Power Company in Waldport in 1940.
Elbart married Norma M. Paul two years later (April 23, 1942), and passed away in Portland, Oregon August 17, 2002.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection is comprised of a single album containing over 200 black and white photographs documenting the experiences of Elbert Owen Colvin, who worked as a carpenter for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the United States Forest Service during the early 1930's.
Images feature CCC camp facilities and buildings, including: mess halls and commissaries, ranger stations and fire lookouts, and hospitals. Oregon CCC camps featured in the images were located near Smith River Falls (possibly Camp S-204), Mapleton, Crescent Lake, Waldport, Odell Lake, Crescent Lake Junction, and Woahink Lake.
The images in the album also document: Colvin family outings to Arnold Ice Caves and Skeleton Cave in southern Oregon; Elbert sitting in his first Ford automobile, and Stanley atop an Indian motorcycle; the town of Waldport in the early 1930's; views from Lava Butte in central Oregon; the "Bear pit" at Washington Park in Portland, Oregon; and Elbert and friends camping at Table Mountain, near Cascade Locks along the Columbia River Gorge.
Many of the photographs have annotations or captions.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Description |
|---|
| Guide to the Elbert Owen Colvin album |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)--1930-1940.
- Depressions--"1929"--Oregon
- New Deal, 1933-1939--Oregon
- United States. Forest Service--Forest Service
Corporate Names
- Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)
- United States. Forest Service
Geographical Names
- Glenada (Or.)
- Mapleton (Or.)--Photographs
- Odell Lake (Or.)--Photographs
- Smith River (Douglas County, Or.)--Photographs
- Smith River (Or.)--Photographs
- United States--Oregon--Klamath County (Or.)--Crescent Lake (Or.)
- Waldport (Or.)--Photographs
