Archives West Finding Aid

The collection includes over 900 digitized oral history recordings, most of which are related to the history of Washington County, Oregon. Common topics include the local history of towns such as Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tualatin, Sherwood and others; the history of industries including lumber, high technology (the "Silicon Forest") and agriculture (specifically berries, orchards, onions and hops); transportation changes including roads and railroads; personal experiences during wars; experiences and stories about ethnic groups including Latino farm workers, Japanese, Chinese and Native Americans; stories of prominent families; memories passed down of 19th century pioneer times; schools; police services; health services; libraries; and other topics. The bulk of the recordings were made between 1975-2017, though a few date back to earlier decades. The recordings are in digital audio, video and text (transcript) formats. Uncompressed copies are kept on a digital preservation platform, while compressed versions are available online for public access. The original recordings, which were in formats such as audiocassette, VHS, DVD and paper transcripts, were returned to their original contributing institutions after digitization.