Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Land Collection, circa 1850-1997
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Title
- Land Collection
- Dates
- circa
1850-1997 (inclusive)18501997
- Quantity
- 28 cubic feet, (25 record cartons, 4 document cases, 1 Oversize C box, 1 Oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- Mss 1503
- Summary
- The Land Collection, an artificial collection compiled by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library staff, contains title abstracts and other land ownership documents including land certificates, sale bills, titles, and indentures, regarding land in Oregon, Indian lands and railroad grants. Documents pertain to Portland and land in Oregon and Washington state counties.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
An itemized index to the Title Abstracts exists. Please inquire at the repository.
- Languages
- English.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Land Collection contains title abstracts, deeds, land certificates, sale bills, titles, title insurance, probate records, maps, and other documents related to land and building ownership, primarily in Oregon. Most materials date from the period 1850 to 1990. The primary geographical focus is Portland. The collection includes over 400 title abstracts, primarily from Portland. There are also abstracts from Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Coos, Douglas, Gilliam, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Pacific (Washington State), Tillamook, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill counties. The abstracts are print copies from county clerk offices. They convey the chain of ownership, in some cases back to the original donation land claims. Documentation on original donation land claims includes those of Danford Balch, John H. Couch, Lot Whitcomb, John McLoughlin, William Meek, Dr. Perry Prettyman, James Terwilliger, Amos N. King, and Daniel H. Lownsdale. The abstracts often contain maps and sketches of land claims, the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) designation, and subsequent subdivisions. In a few cases, they reflect town growth and development.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Current street addresses for approximately 50% of the Portland area abstracts have been determined. Please contact Reference Staff for more information at libreference@ohs.org.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Land Collection, Mss 1503, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Land Collection is divided into the following series:
- Series A: Title Abstracts(Portland)
- Series B: Title Abstracts (Counties)
- Series C: Land Documents
Custodial History
Acquisition Information
Lib.Acc. 21350, 21354, 21403, 21520, 21603, 21623, 21910, 22040, 22196, 22391, 22613, 22811, 22908, 23067, 23182, 23186, 23420, 23469, 23542, 23553, 23600, 23863 , 23872 , 24162, 24707, 24935 , 24981, 24994, 25017, 25054, 25115, 25125, 25471, 25691, 25771, 25814, 25977, 26011, 26152, 26192, 26254, 26451, 26462, 26565, 26595, 26741, 26821, 26860, 27231, 27407, 27533, 27593, 27596, 27672, 28192, 28189, 28212
Future Additions
This collection is active. Title abstracts are added to the collection as they are received.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series A : Title Abstracts - Portland , circa 1850-1997 Return to Top
Title abstracts are labeled with and in alphabetical order by legal address. In cases where the legal address is not known, the abstract is labeled with the PLSS (Township/Range/Section) designation or other distinguishing trait. The legal address is comprised of Addition/Tract, Block number, and Lot number. For example, title abstracts in Ladd's Addition are filed in box "L."
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| Box 1 | A |
|
| Box 2 | B |
|
| Box 3 | Ca - Ci |
|
| Box 4 | Cl - Cu |
|
| Box 5 | D - F |
|
| Box 6 | G - Ha |
|
| Box 7 | He - Hu |
|
| Box 8 | I - J |
|
| Box 9 | K |
|
| Box 10 | L |
|
| Box 11 | M |
|
| Box 12 | N - Pi |
|
| Box 13 | Pl – Po ( Portland, Blocks 1 – 200) |
|
| Box 14 | Po ( Portland, Blocks 201 – 400) - Pu |
|
| Box 15 | R - So |
|
| Box 16 | Sp - Te |
|
| Box 17 | Ti -V |
|
| Box 18 | W - Z |
Series B : Title Abstracts - Oregon and Washington State Counties , circa 1850-1997 Return to Top
Title abstracts are labeled with and in alphabetical order by county and by legal address thereafter. In cases where the legal address is not known, the abstract is titled with the PLSS (Township/Range/Section) designation or other distinguishing trait. The legal address is comprised of Addition/Tract, Block number, and Lot number. For example, an abstract from Douglas County would be filed in box "Clatsop - Hood River."
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| Box 19 | Benton - Clackamas
Includes Benton and Clackamas counties.
|
|
| Box 20 | Clatsop - Hood River
Includes Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, and Gilliam
counties.
|
|
| Box 21 | Jackson - Linn
Includes Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, and Linn counties.
|
|
| Box 22 | Marion - Umatilla
Includes Marion, Multnomah (except Portland), Pacific
(Washington State), Tillamook, and Umatilla counties.
|
|
| Box 23 | Wasco - Washington
Includes Wasco and Washington counties.
|
|
| Box 24 | Wheeler - Yamhill
Includes Wheeler and Yamhill counties.
|
Series C : Land Records , circa 1850-1997 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| Box 25 | Deeds and other land ownership documents: A-R, in
alphabetical order by person's last name. Includes warranty deeds, probate
records, property insurance, partial wills, death certificates. |
|
| Box 26 | Deeds and other land ownership documents: S-Z, in
alphabetical order by person's last name. Includes warranty deeds, probate
records, property insurance, partial wills, death certificates. Also contains
unsorted deeds and land ownership documents. |
|
| Box 27 | Appraisal report for tract near Sisters, Oregon;
Appraisement of Alderwood Country Club; Cemetery land purchases; H.C. Baker
correspondence; Indentures (including Meier & Frank indenture); Lists of
early settlers in Linn and Washington counties; Unsorted land documents.
|
|
| Box 28 | Railroad land grants; Real estate advertisements; Land
surveys; Records from the U.S. land offices in La Grande and Oregon City,
Oregon. |
|
| Box 29 | Douglas County Deeds; Papers of the Provisional and
Territorial Governments of Oregon, 1841-1859.
Contents are in microfilm format.
|
|
| Box 30 | Original land claim and homestead certificates; Title
Abstract for Portland, Block 5; Hand-drawn map of Cedar Creek depicting land
claims; Survey map of Howell Estate park site; 1822 handwritten document from
the Masonic Lodge of Massachusetts; Homestead Association map of Buena Vista,
Jefferson County, Washington. |
|
| Oversize folder | Hiram Barker land claim; Gabriel and Elizabeth Brown
land grant; Maps related to donation land claims in Portland area. |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Land grants--Oregon.
- Land settlement--Oregon.
- Land tenure--Oregon.
- Land titles--Oregon--Gilliam County.
- Land titles--Oregon--Multnomah County.
- Land titles--Oregon--Portland.
- Land titles--Oregon--Washington County.
- Land titles--Oregon--Wheeler County.
- Land titles--Oregon.
Geographical Names
- Couch's Addition (Portland, Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Certificates
- Land grants
- Legal documents
