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William L. Finley Papers, 1899-1955

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953.
Title
William L. Finley Papers
Dates
1899-1955 (inclusive)
1900-1944 (bulk)
Quantity
14.00 cubic feet, including 277 photographs, 12 motion picture films, (29 boxes, including 12 oversize boxes, and 1 map folder)
Collection Number
MSS Finley
Summary
The William L. Finley Papers document the wildlife conservation work of Finley and his wife Irene, and the photography work of Herman T. Bohlman, who worked with Finley in the first decade of the 20th century. Finley was a photographer, filmmaker, and author who wrote and lectured extensively on wildlife conservation issues. The collection includes published and unpublished manuscripts, lecture and field notes, reports, correspondence, photographs, and motion picture films.
Manuscript items and photographs from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital. All of the films held in the collection are also available online.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Renowned wildlife conservationist William L. Finley was born on August 9, 1876 in Santa Clara, California. His family moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1887. Finley graduated from the University of California in 1903 and in 1906 he married Nellie Irene Barnhart. The Finleys lived for many years at Jennings Lodge, Oregon, south of Portland.

Between 1900 and 1908, Finley and photography partner Herman T. Bohlman made several trips around the Pacific Northwest to photograph birds. Finley published American Birds in 1907, and subsequently published two other books and over 100 illustrated articles in newspapers and wildlife magazines. He helped found the Oregon Audobon Society in 1902, assisted in setting up Oregon's first Fish and Game Commission in 1911 (Finley served as commissioner from the Portland area), served as state Game Warden in the 1910s, and later helped set up the system of federal wildlife refuges in Oregon. The Finley Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis is named for him. The Finleys made their first motion picture in 1910, and in the 1920s and 1930s they made several wildlife films of expeditions that they took to Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, and other places. They used the films in nationwide lecture tours sponsored by the American Nature Association.

William L. Finley was a nephew of William A. Finley, the first president of Corvallis College, which today is Oregon State University. The school conferred an honorary degree upon him in 1931. Finley died on June 29, 1953.

For detailed information on Finley's life, see William L. Finley: Pioneer Wildlife Photographer, by Worth Mathewson (OSU Press, 1986). Copies of this book are available in the History of OSU Book Collection in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center [TR729.B5 M37 1986].

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Content Description

The Williams L. Finley Papers primarily document Finley's work as a wildlife conservationist, author, lecturer, photographer, and filmmaker from about 1900 to 1955. The collection also documents the work of his wife Irene Finley and photography partner Herman Bohlman. The collection consists of published and unpublished manuscripts, lecture and field notes, reports, correspondence, photographs, a painting, and motion picture films.

The collection reflects Finley's passion for nature conservation through support for legislation to protect wildlife, photographs and films documenting animal behavior, and lecture tours sharing his observations with audiences across the United States. Finley's interactions with both state and national organizations, concern regarding the degradation of natural resources, and expeditions to Alaska and the southwestern states of the United States are documented in the collection. The Papers also document Finley's family and early life, including academic materials from the University of California, William and Irene Finley's wedding book, and a costume design notebook created by Finley's daughter, Phoebe.

Manuscript items and photographs from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital. All of the films held in the collection are also available online.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

William L. Finley Papers (MSS Finley), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into ten series: 1. Manuscripts, 1904-1955; 2. Publications, 1905-1945; 3. Correspondence, 1909-1940; 4. Lectures, 1921-1942; 5. Trip Notes, 1918-1938; 6. Organizations and Issues, 1909-1946; 7. Personal Materials, 1899-circa 1920s; 8. Motion Picture Films, circa 1926-1935; 9. Photographs and Painting, circa 1900-1940s; and 10. Oversize Materials, 1909-circa 1950.

Acquisition Information

The original collection was donated to the University Archives by Worth Mathewson on January 25, 1995. An accession of ten 35 mm safety film reels was received by the University Archives on September 17, 1996. An addition of correspondence and newspaper clippings was donated by Bill and Carole Finley to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in August 2014.

Processing Note

Portions of the collection were moved into new folders and boxes in 2018.

Related Materials

Photographs taken by Finley can be found in the Herman T. Bohlman Photograph Collection (P 202). Photographs used in Birds of Oregon can be found in the Office of University Publications and OSU Press Records (RG 018). Finley correspondence is located in the Roland Eugene Dimick Papers (MSS Dimick).

Most of Finley's photographs and many of his films are held by the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. Other Finley photographs can be found in the Washington County (Oregon) Historical Society collections and the University of California at Berkeley. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Salem also holds a number of Finley photographs.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Birds--United States.
  • Documentary films--Oregon.
  • Lectures and lecturing.
  • Mountain goat.
  • Nature films--Alaska.
  • Nature films--Montana.
  • Nature photography.
  • Photography of birds.
  • Salmon fisheries--Alaska.
  • Salmon fisheries--Oregon.
  • Wildlife conservation.

Personal Names

  • Averill, Edgar F., 1881-
  • Bohlman, Herman.
  • Church, Campbell.
  • Finley, Irene.
  • Finley, Phoebe.
  • Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953
  • Jewett, Stanley G. (Stanley Gordon), 1885-
  • Pack, Arthur Newton, 1893-1975.

Corporate Names

  • American Nature Association.
  • Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges (U.S.)
  • United States. Bureau of Biological Survey.
  • United States. Bureau of Reclamation.
  • University of California (1868-1952)

Geographical Names

  • Aleutian Islands (Alaska)
  • Bonneville Dam (Or. and Wash.)
  • Denali, Mount (Alaska)
  • Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Or.)
  • Paulina Lake (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Maps (documents)
  • Motion pictures (visual works)
  • Photographic prints.
  • Silent films.

Finding Aid Authors: Erin Clark and Larry Landis.
2018

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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