Laurence L. Shaw Collection on the Klamath Basin Timber Industry, 1955-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Shaw, Laurence L.
Title
Laurence L. Shaw Collection on the Klamath Basin Timber Industry
Dates
1955-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.7 linear feet, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
SHL018
Summary
The collection focuses on the connections between the Klamath Indian Reservation and the Klamath County, Oregon timber industry in the twentieth century. Laurence L. Shaw was a well-known Oregon timber man and philanthropist.
Repository
Oregon Institute of Technology Libraries, Shaw Historical Library
Oregon Institute of Technology Libraries
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls, OR
97601
Telephone: 5418851772
Fax: 5418851777
libtech@oit.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Laurence L. Shaw was a well-known Oregon timber man and philanthropist. He was born on July 11, 1908 in Ranier, Oregon. He entered the family’s timber business in 1935 as resident manager of Shaw Lumber Company in Tionesta, California after graduating from Stanford University and attending a year of Stanford Law School. In 1945 he started Modoc Lumber Company in Klamath Falls, Oregon and remained active in the business until 1995. He was one of the organizers of the effort to create the Winema National Forest from former Klamath Indian Reservation lands in the 1950s. The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce gave Laurence Shaw the Forest Industries Businessman of the Year award in 1984.

His philanthropic activities included service as a life member of the board of trustees of Lewis and Clark College, service on the Board of the Oregon Historical Society, support of many community activities and together with his wife Dorothy the founding of the Shaw Historical Library at Oregon Institute of Technology in 1982.

Laurence Shaw married Dorothy L. Jensen in 1937. They had one son, Thomas J. Shaw. Laurence Shaw died on February 26, 1998.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection focuses on the connections between the Klamath Indian Reservation and the local timber industry in the twentieth century. Series I: Klamath Indian Reservation and Winema National Forest includes correspondence, legislation and hearing reports, and newspaper articles about the creation of the Winema National Forest from Klamath Indian Reservation lands. Series II: Klamath Basin Timber Industry includes a speech given by Laurence L. Shaw about the local timber industry from 1935 to 1946 and a paper written by Ward Tonsfeldt about Klamath Indian Reservation timber sales between 1910 and 1935.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Before materials from the Shaw Historical Library may be quoted in print or otherwise reproduced in whole or in part in any publication, exhibit, broadcast or other manner, the user must obtain permission from the owner of the physical property and the holder of the copyright. Copyright status for collections in the Shaw Historical Library varies. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred Citation

[item identification], Laurence L. Shaw Collection on the Klamath Basin Timber Industry, The Shaw Historical Library, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged in two series: I. Klamath Indian Reservation and Winema National Forest and II. Klamath Basin Timber Industry.

Location of Collection

Shaw Historical Library

Location of Originals

Portions of Series I: Klamath Indian Reservation and Winema National Forest consist of photocopies of the Laurence L. Shaw Papers Regarding Sale of Klamath Indian Lands 1955-1959 (Mss 1139) held by the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Avenue Portland, OR 97205.

Acquisition Information

Donated to the Shaw Historical Library by Laurence L. Shaw.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  Klamath Indian Reservation and Winema National Forest, 1955-1974Return to Top

0.5 linear feet, 1 box
Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
Correspondence
1
Legislation and hearing reports
1
Newspaper articles
1
Other materials

Series II:  Klamath Basin Timber industryReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1
1935-1946, Years of Change: Lumber Business in the Klamath Area
Laurence L. Shaw (creator)
1984
1
Selling Klamath Reservation Timber
Ward Tonsfeldt (creator)
1910-1935

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Forests and forestry—Government ownership—Oregon
  • Timber -- Klamath Basin (Calif. and Or.)

Personal Names

  • Shaw, Laurence L.--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Modoc Lumber Company

Geographical Names

  • Klamath Indian Reservation (Or.)
  • Winema National Forest (Or.)