Archives West Finding Aid

Series 1 consists predominantly of signs created by the U.S. Forest Service to indicate forestland boundaries, provide warnings and caution to forest users, and deliver information. The signs are printed on paperboard, metal, cloth, and plastic. The series also includes a few signs generated by other organizations, including the Keep Oregon Green Association. Some of the signs have been used; others are new.

Series 2 consists of 3-dimensional objects and artifacts, primarily pertaining to the U.S. Forest Service.  Of note is a board game, The Amazing Forest Management Game; commemorative pins of the World War II Aircraft Warning Service; and other commemorative pins, patches, and coins.

Series 3 consists of postcards of tourist sites in the United States and Canada, primarily the western United States. It includes souvenir folders of postcards of Florida; Vancouver, British Columbia; the Shasta Route from San Francisco to Portland; Glacier-Waterton National Parks; and Spokane, Washington as well as several individual postcards from the Grey Towers National Monument in Milford, Pennsylvania. Of special note are postcards received by Captain George Frissell and Mrs. George Frissell in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon.

Series 4 consists of first day covers for commemorative postage stamps. Most of the covers are for stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service, however, stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bureau of Forestry in the Philipines are also included. First day covers commemorating national parks, the centennial of the Oregon Territory (1948) and Oregon statehood (1959), John Muir, and conservation topics are also part of the series.

Series 5 consists of forms, procedures, and tools for fieldwork by U.S. Forest Service employees, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Of special note is a completed field notebook that served as a daily diary for a unit ranger in California.

Series 6 consists of printed ephemera promoting forest fire prevention and includes brochures, booklets, broadsides, decals, bookmarks, and postcards.  Items from the 1920s-1930s promote care with smoking and campfires in the forests; items from the 1940s emphasize that carelessness in the forests result in fires that "aid the Axis" powers.  Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl are prominent in materials from the 1950s through 2000s.  Many of the items were produced in collaboration with state agencies, such as the Oregon Department of Forestry.  Of note is a blank citation form, signed by Regional Forester H.J. Andrews, that was awarded to civilians who participated in the Forest Service Reserves and protected the National Forests of the Pacific Northwest from fire during World War II.

Series 7 consists of individual documents assembled by Williams.  Most of the items date from the early 1900s and document operations of the General Land Office, especially with regard to inspection and supervision of the work of foresters.  The series also includes sample homestead applications for lands in the national forests.

Series 8 consists of variety of printed ephemeral items pertaining to forestry, Native Americans, and local history of the Pacific Northwest that were assembled by Williams. In addition to excerpts and clipping from late-19th to mid-20th century national publications, this series includes a promotional railroad publication about Oregon published in 1912, materials from several U.S. Forest Service anniversaries, and engravings of iconic Oregon scenes. Of special note is a 1942 Japanese American evacuation poster for the Los Angeles area.