Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Oregon Community Surveys, 1925-1936
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Oregon Community Surveys
- Dates
- 1925-1936 (inclusive)19251936
- Quantity
- 0.5 cubic foot, including 1 photograph, (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- MSS OrCommSurveys
- Summary
- The Oregon Community Surveys consist of data and narrative summaries documenting the schools, churches, social organizations, and economic status of the rural communities of Clatskanie, Condon, Cottage Grove, and Riddle, Oregon.
- Repository
-
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Data for the Oregon Community Surveys was compiled in 1925, 1930, and 1936. The 1936 surveys were done under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration and were conducted by C.S. Hoffman, Assistant State Supervisor of Rural Research. Hoffman completed an MS in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Oregon State Agricultural College (OSAC) in 1932; his thesis was an analysis of methods used in rural community surveys. Hoffman earned a BS in Commerce from OSAC in 1930.
The 1925 surveys were conducted by S. Briggs, J. H. Kolb, M. Patten, R. Walp, and E. Wootton. The 1930 surveys were conducted by Luther S. Cressman, a Sociology Professor at the University of Oregon. In 1935, Cressman founded the Anthropology Department at the University of Oregon which he headed until 1963. His archeological work at Fort Rock in the late 1930s established that humans had lived in the Pacific Northwest 4,500 years earlier than previously thought. The 1925 and 1930 surveys may have been done in conjunction with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and/or the Extension Service.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Oregon Community Surveys consist of data and narrative summaries documenting the schools, churches, social organizations, and economic status of the rural communities of Clatskanie, Condon, Cottage Grove, and Riddle, Oregon. The collection includes completed survey data sheets, handwritten notes, narrative summaries, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and a photograph.
Each survey includes information about the demographics of the community, including the total population and number of individuals identified as "native born", "foreign born" , and "negroes"; number and type of farms and agricultural cooperatives; types of industries and businesses; information about charities, crime, social activities, and civic organizations; medical services available; and the names of influential individuals in the community. Extensive information about the community's schools were gathered as part of the surveys and include enrollment as well as information about facilities, library and equipment, teachers, and school clubs and organizations. Detailed information about each church in the community was assembled as part of the surveys. In addition to information about the church's facilities, data on the church's finances, membership, and religious education programs are included. The surveys also include narrative summaries and comments written by the surveyors.
The 1930 survey of Condon includes a photographic postcard of street scene of the business district of Condon.
Some of the materials are fragile or in poor condition and require care in handling.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
The materials may have been assembled and donated to the Oregon State University Library or the Archives in the 1960s by Glenn A. Bakkum, Sociology Professor at Oregon State College.
Related Materials
The Extension Service Records (RG 111) include extensive information about rural sociology in Oregon. The Florence L. Kohlhagen Notebook consists of class notes of a rural sociology course at Oregon Agricultural College in 1923. The Luther Cressman Papers are held at the University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Rural development--Oregon.
- Rural conditions.
- Social surveys--Oregon.
Geographical Names
- Clatskanie (Or.)
- Condon (Or.)
- Cottage Grove (Or.)
- Riddle (Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographic postcards.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Cressman, Luther Sheeleigh, 1897-1994. (creator)
- Hoffman, C. S. (Charles Sumner) (creator)
Corporate Names
- United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration. (creator)
- United States. Works Progress Administration. (creator)
Finding
aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen.
2010
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
