Alfred Powers papers, 1834-1963

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Powers, Alfred
Title
Alfred Powers papers
Dates
1834-1963 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 cubic feet, (8 document cases and 2 flat boxes)
Collection Number
Mss 2907
Summary
Collection of original historical materials relating to Oregon and Pacific northwest history, including business records, school records, scrapbooks, catalogs, and ephemera.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Alfred Powers (1887-1983) was an author, journalist, teacher, book collector, and book binder. He was the author of 18 books and numerous articles; was a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon; served as the head of the Works Progress Administration's Writer's Project; and served as the dean of the SSHE Extension Service and Continuing Education.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains primary source materials relating to a wide variety of Western Americana, including Oregon and Northwest businesses, northwest authors, and other authors and organizations. Includes correspondence, business records, school records, diaries, printed materials, biographical and autobiographical materials, financial records, scrapbooks, and ephemera. Included are materials relating to: Richard Baird; Frederic Homer Balch; E. W. Ball; Charles Henry Carey; Eli Colter; Sabra Connor; Walter M. Cook; Belle W. Cooke; Robert Duniway; Daniel Giles; Sheldon Glover; Elwin G. Greer; Lafyette Grover; Bernard Hinshaw; Bruce LeRoy; Chester A. Lyon; Grace Marquam; John McCracken; Joaquin Miller; Joseph Ouper; Emil Peters; M. A. Pflug; George Pope; Dr. D. H. Rand; Oswald West; Auto Freight Company; Big Brother Farm (Lebanon, Oregon); Ladd & Tilton Bank; the Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty; the Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company; the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company; Portland Academy and Female Seminary; and the Vancouver Transportation Company.

Subjects include: Aumsville, Oregon; freemasonry; Japanese American internment; medical practice; mines and mining; Sitka, Alaska; statues; and steamboats.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Includes materials formerly designated Mss 2907-1.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Alfred Powers papers, Mss 2907, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in one series.

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Alfred Powers.

Separated Materials

Photographs received with the collection were separated to the photograph collections of the Oregon Historical Society.

Ledger of the Drake Brothers photograph studio was added to the June Drake papers, Mss 1617, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

The following ephemera items were separated to the Topical Collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library:

  • "Constitution, by-laws, manual of the lodge of the Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Oregon" (booklet, 1911) -- to Mss 1511
  • Donald Nursery Company, Donald, Oregon, catalog, 1916 -- to Mss 1510
  • "In remembrance of the Midwinter International Exposition, San Francisco, Cal., 1894" (booklet) -- to Mss 1522
  • "Lewis and Clark journal," May, 1904 -- to Serials Collection
  • "Souvenir commemorating the gala opening of the Tebbets Oriental Theatre" (program booklet) -- To Mss 1510
  • Souvenir menu of the Al Kadar A.A.O.N.M.S. pilgrimage," 1926 -- to Mss 1511
  • "Souvenir programme, pilgrimage of the Al Kader Temple to Oasis of Coos Bay, October 4, 1919" (booklet) -- To Mss 1511
  • Two menus from the Milwaukee Road -- To Mss 2942
  • "The University of Oregon Summer Sessions, 1928, preliminary announcement" (booklet) -- to Mss 1504
  • "Views of the PPIE Exposition, San Francisco, 1915" (booklet) -- to Mss 1522

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Alfred Powers CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Ajax Mine, Colorado--Correspondence and papers (bound volume)
1917 September-December
1/2
Albany Nurseries--Roses catalog
1914
1/3
"Around the Pacific : cruise of the S.S. Malolo" (loose leaf notebook with hand written diary entries)
1929
1/4
Auto Freight Terminal Company, Portland, Oregon--Shipments to Aurora
1926 August
2/1
Aumsville, Oregon, Sunday school records (2 volumes)
1905-1906; 1913
2/2
Baird, Richard--North Yamhill, farmer's market account book
1876-1877
2/3
Balch, Frderic Homer--Correspondence
circa 1932
2/4
Ball, E. W.--Cash book
1886-1906
2/5
Carey, Charles--Incoming correspondence
1934-1936
2/6
Celilo Canal and Columbia River Improvement Association--Scrapbook of clippings and letters assembled by Levi W. Myers
1903
2/7
"Chief Joseph" by Robert Duniway--Typescript of essay
1954
2/8
Colter, Eli (author)--Autobiography (typescript)
1955
2/9
Connor, Sabra--Fragments of diary
1930-1931
3/1
Cook, Walter M.--Portland to San Francisco motor trip log book
1909
3/2
Cooke, Belle W. (author of Tears and victory)--Biographical data from her daughter
1834-1935
3/3
Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, Forum Songs booklet
undate
3/4
Giles, Daniel--Autobiography, copied by Emil R. Peterson
1946
3/5
Glover, Eli Sheldon--Diary (WPA transcription, typescript)
1875
3/6
Greer, Edwin G., "Historical value of Astoria" (manuscript)
1875
3/7
Herneau [Herman?], S., Portland--Cash book
1876
3/8
Hinshaw, Bernard--Drawing for the "History of Oregon literature" (pencil drawings of Harvey Scott and Ella Rhoads Higginson)
undated
3/9
Historical Records Survey (WPA), Eastern Oregon counties
1937
4/1
Holt, U. L.--Invoices from merchants in Sitka, Alaska
1906-1909
4/2
"Japanese concentration camp"--Papers found at internment camp at Tule Lake
1944
4/3-4
Journal of the Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company, volumes 1-2
1906-1909
4/5
Keikhoven, E. K.--Naval diary
1917-1921
5/1
Ladd & Tilton Bank--Account books of depositors (4 volumes)
circa 1890-1899
5/2
Ladd & Tilton Bank--Advertising and brochures
1911; 1921-1922
5/3
Ladd & Tilton Bank--"63 years : then, and now" (booklet of advertisements used in 50th anniversary campaign)
circa 1921
5/4
LeRoy, Bruce, "The history of Fort Vancouver" (typescript)
1958
5/5
Lyon, Chester A., "Big Brother Farm, Lebanon, Oregon" (papers and photographs)
circa 1935
5/6
McCracken, John--Port of Portland time book
1915-1916
5/7
Miller, Joaquin--Article and other materials regarding
circa 1925
5/8
"Mission of Dolores of San Francisco, A.D. 1830" (lithograph)
undated
5/9
Motor boat correspondence (letters to Alfred Powers)
1916-1922
5/10
Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty--Year book
1940
5/11
Oregon Fruit Drier (H. S. Jory & Son)--Catalog
1893
5/12
"Oregon : name of mystery," by Alfred Powers (bound typescript)
1940
6/1
Oregon Pioneer Mother Statue (Eugene)--Origin and unveiling
1932-1933
6/2
Oregon politics--Scrapbook
1882
6/3
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company--Bills of lading of Wing Sing Long Kee & Co. to Seufert Brothers Packing Company
1906-1909
6/4
"Oregon roses and other beautiful flowers"--Catalog, Clarke Brothers, Portland
1922-1923
10/1
"Oregon's imported song birds from Germany and England : contemporary records, 1890-1907," from the scrapbooks of C. F. Pfluger (scrapbook of clippings)
Records of the Oregon Song Bird Society, which this scrapbook concerns, are housed in the Audubon Society of Portland records, Mss 2990, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
1890-1907
6/5
Ouper, Joseph--Financial journal, Scio, Oregon
1912-1922
6/6
Pack train trade--Copy of article from Huntchings' California Magazine
1856 December
6/7
Peterson & Dering, Rose Growers--Catalog of roses
1962
6/8
Pflug, M. A.--Cash book
1888-1889
7/1
Pioneer reminiscences re: wildlife, especially cougars (bound typescript)
undated
7/2
Pope, George--Correspondence
1886-1888
7/3
Portland Academy--Autograph Album of student Josie DeVore
1865
7/4
Portland physician's call book and record (printed record book with hand written entries by an unknown physician)
circa 1891
7/5
Powers, Alfred--General correspondence
1935-1949
7/6
Powers, Alfred, "Oregon petroglyphs" (manuscript and clippings)
circa 1963
7/7
"Prairie fires : notes gathered by Alfred Powers, assisted by Dorothy Schrader, for a prairie fire adventure in the chapter 'Three Dangers of Kit Carson' in the book 'True adventures on westward trails'" (bound typescript)
undated
7/8
Rand, D. H., Dr.--Ledger
1891-1894
8/1
"Secretary's helper" (manual, Grand Lodge)
1872
8/2
"The typewriters used in Portland offices in 1891, as advertised in seven 1891 numbers of the Century magazine" (scrapbook)
1891
9/1-2
Vancouver Transportation Company--Records of the steamer Undine (2 volumes in custom box)
1888-1894
8/3
Vancouver Transportation Company--Profit and loss records of steamships Undine, Lurline, and Governor Newell
1874-1894
8/4
"Was Governor Lafayette Grover elected U.S. Senator by fraud?"--Clippings from the Congressional record
1877 March
8/5
West, Oswald, "The battle of life" (memoirs)--Clippings from the Sunday Oregonian
1937
8/6
Who's who of Oregon authors (pamphlet), published by the Oregon State Library
1951

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Business enterprises--Northwest, Pacific
  • Freemasonry--Oregon
  • Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
  • Mines and mining--Northwest, Pacific
  • Statues--Oregon--Eugene
  • Steamboats--Columbia River

Personal Names

  • Baird, Richard
  • Balch, F. H. (Frederic Homer), 1861-1891
  • Ball, E. W.
  • Carey, Charles Henry
  • Colter, Eli
  • Conner, Sabra
  • Cook, Walter M.
  • Cooke, Belle
  • Duniway, Robert
  • Giles, Daniel
  • Glover, Sheldon
  • Greer, Elwin G.
  • Grover, La Fayette, 1823-1911
  • Hinshaw, Bernard
  • LeRoy, Bruce
  • Lyon, Chester A.
  • Marquam, Grace
  • Miller, Joaquin, 1837-1913
  • Ouper, Joseph
  • Peter, Emil
  • Pflug, M. A.
  • Pope, George
  • Powers, Alfred--Archives
  • West, Oswald, 1873-1960

Corporate Names

  • Auto Freight Company
  • Ladd & Tilton Bank (Portland, Or.)
  • Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty
  • Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company
  • Oregon Railway and Navigation Company
  • Portland Academy and Female Seminary (Portland, Or.)
  • Vancouver Transportation Company (Vancouver, Wash.)
  • Big Brother Farm (Lebanon, Or.)

Geographical Names

  • Aumsville (Or.)--History
  • Portland (Or.)--History
  • Sitka (Alaska)--History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Autograph albums
  • Cash books
  • Diaries
  • Ledgers
  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Photographs
  • Printed ephemera
  • Scrapbooks