Archives West Finding Aid

Consists of photographic prints of western "ghost towns," primarily old mining towns which were abandoned when nearby silver or gold was no longer profitable to mine. At the time these photographs were made, most of these towns were nearly deserted, but a few showed evidence of revitalization from either tourism and or a return to mining stimulated by increased ore prices. Note that images of restored buildings are filed in the Architecture series. In addition to ghost town views, the series includes a small quantity of unidentified locations and building interiors, as well as portraits of residents of the abandoned towns.

Photographs depict abandoned mining company buildings and equipment, including coke ovens, stamp mills, head frames, gold dredges, tailing wheels, trams, and ore cars. Many were used in Florin's books on ghost towns. For images of mining towns, see the Series A: Ghost Towns.

Consists primarily of views of churches, residences, and commercial buildings constructed during the late nineteenth century. Included are fine examples of Italianate, French Second Empire, Queen Anne, Eastlake, and other Victorian architectural styles. Many of the images were used to illustrate Historic Western Churches and Victorian West.

Many of the images in this series appear in Boot Hill and Tales the Western Tombstones Tell, as well as in Florin's ghost town books. The series is organized into three subseries: Historic Sites and Markers, Cemeteries, and Graves and Markers. Within the subseries, the folders are generally organized alphabetically by location. The Lewis and Clark Expedition is included in the Historic Sites and Markers subseries. The Cemeteries subseries includes cemeteries organized by locations. The Graves and Markers subseries includes individual graves arranged alphabetically by surname, Indian graves and monuments, common graves, as well as gravestone details, statues, and epitaphs.

Most of the images in this series appeared in Backyard Classic. Many of the privies were photographed in abandoned towns. Some have been "restored" and/or converted to other uses. In addition to images of the outhouses, the series includes photographs of soil pollution resulting from their use. Note that some images in this series by photographers other than Lambert Florin are restricted as to use.

Photographs used to illustrate Western Wagon Wheels and Florin's ghost town books. Many are of museum wagon exhibits; others show only decayed remains of wagons. The series is organized alphabetically by type of vehicle. Also included are images of wagon details and wheels.

Many of the photographs in this series appeared in Trees of the West. The series is organized into two subseries: Trees and Plants and Shrubs. Each subseries is organized alphabetically by common name or type.

The scenes are in the vicinity of the towns listed in the folder content descriptions.

The series consists of one folder containing photographs of Florin's family, home, collections, fellow workers in the floral design trade, his photography camp, and portraits of the photographer himself.

Consists of photographs covering a variety of subjects. Many were used in Florin books, most notably Wagon Wheels and Backyard Classic. Some are reproductions of historic images.

Consists primarily of photographs copied from originals owned by historical agencies or private owners, although there are a few original prints. Use of many of these images requires permission from the owners of the originals, which are identified on the verso of prints.

The series consists of an album that includes 76 black-and-white photographic prints and a clipping from the Oregon Journal, May 31, 1972, and four other prints (three duplicate those in the album) that document a flood that destroyed the town of Vanport. The town was built in the north Portland area to house shipyard workers and their families during World War II. Florin, whose hand-written captions accompany many prints in the album, lived in a houseboat on the Columbia off Marine Drive so was on the scene quickly with his camera. He also took some of the images during a boat trip on the river. Three images included in the album are commercial aerial views. All others are by Florin.

Slides may have been created and organized for Florin's lectures or other presentations. Most relate to ghost towns in the western U.S. Some folders contain complete inventories of individual slides contained therein.