Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Norman Parks papers, 1934-2015
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Parks, Norman B
- Title
- Norman Parks papers
- Dates
- 1934-2015 (inclusive)19342015
- Quantity
- 0.36 cubic feet (1 box) including textual materials and artifacts
- Collection Number
- 5967 (Accession No. 5967-001)
- Summary
- Norman Parks Collection on Portland Maritime Labor History and 1934 Pacific Coast Maritime Strike
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on access.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Norman Parks is a retired secretary-treasurer of Portland ILWU Local 8 and a longtime negotiator of west coast longshore contracts, he obtained the coins in his role as local 8 officer in 1979.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection of longshore maritime history materials gathered by Norman Parks relating to International Longshore and Warehouse Local 8 (Portland) and its predecessor, International Longshoremen's Association, Local 38-78. Much of the collection relates to the history of the Pacific Coast ILA and ILWU, with an emphasis on Portland and the 1934 Pacific Coast Maritime Strike.
Included are medals minted by the Citizen's Emergency League, based out of Portland, Oregon. The League was a vigilante group started by the Portland Chamber of Commerce to break through picket lines caused by the 1934 maritime strike. According to historian Michael Munk, "CEL members wore the service disks, inscribed 'CEL- for Law and Order' on one side and 'Minute Men, Lexington, Mass., 1776- Portland, Ore., 1934' on the other....they were stamped with the member's number and - together with red, white, and blue armbands bearing the letters C-E-L - were 'to be worn by members in case of being called out as law enforcement officers.'"
The context of the CEL is that many Portland police officers had relatives that were longshoremen and who were a They thought police were coddling longshoremen and passing on intelligence. The employers hired WWI veterans to beat up longshoremen during the strike, housing them on terminal 4. Oral tradition claims that longshoremen would beat the strikebreakers in retaliation for their attacks on strikes and take their coins as mementoes. Other coins in the collection include tokens good for a free meal or trade for strikers at various Portland waterfront bars, restaurants, and businesses including Ericson's Bar, Longshoreman's Social Club, the Portland Seamen's Center, and the Longshoremen's Lunch and Card Room.
Other materials relate to the history of the strike, and an article by on the history and provenance of the vigilante coins and lunch tokens. The collection also includes a roster of post- WWII members kept to document who was registered and entitled to pension.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Custodial History
According to Parks, many of the materials in this collection were salvaged when the union local sold its old building and moved to new one. The old hall was at 17th and Glissan and was previously a Swedish Church. During the move union member found a hidden room while rewiring, including materials relating to Local 8 and its history. Parks rescued the materials, which were in the process of being thrown away. Significant materials include a telegram from the 1934 Pacific Coast Maritime Strike and a minute books from Peabody, an early secretary of ILA in 1888 in Portland.
Separated Materials
Material Described Separately:These papers came with a group of books that will be cataloged separately.
Bibliography
Munk, Michael. "Portland's 'Silk Stocking Mob': The Citizens Emergency League in the 1934 Maritime Strike." The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Vol. 91, No. 3 (Summer, 2000), pp. 150-160
Related Materials
Albert H. Farmer papers, 1926-1981 , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Oral history interview with Frank Jenkins , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Ronald Magden papers , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Shaun Maloney papers , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Ottilie Markholt papers , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
George Starkovich ephemera collection , University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
International Longshoremen's Association, Local Pacific Coast District records, 1934-1945 , University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
1/1 | "Strike," Hornbeck, Lea. TAMS Journal, vol. 48, no. 5, October 2008 p.152-153 | 2008 |
1/2 | DeBra, Edward Balloch "An Injury to One: The Politics of Racial Exclusion in the Portland Local of the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union" | 1992 |
1/3 | Maritime strike tokens and "brass checks" | circa 1934 |
1/4 | The ILWU Story | 1955 |
1/5 | ILWU exhibit catalogs | 2008-2009 |
1/6 | List of Portland registered longshoremen | 1946 |
1/7 | Photocopies and digital prints of newsclippings on West Coast maritime history | 1934-2012 |
1/8 | "Save 28 Innocent ILA Union Men" pin back buttons | undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Labor movement--Oregon--Portland
- Labor unions--Oregon--Portland
- Labor--Oregon--Portland
- Longshoremen's Strike, San Francisco, Calif., 1934
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
- Strikes and lockouts--Oregon--Portland
- Strikes and lockouts--Stevedores--California
Personal Names
- Parks, Norman B.--Archives
Corporate Names
- Citizen's Emergency League (Portland, Or.)
- Citizen's Emergency League (Portland, Or.)--Membership
- International Longshore and Warehouse Union
- International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Local 8 (Portland, Or.)--History
- International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union. Local 38-78 (Portland, Or.)--History
Form or Genre Terms
- Ephemera
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (creator)