Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
- Overview of the Collection
-
Biographical Note
- Content Description
- Use of the Collection
- Administrative Information
-
Detailed Description of the Collection
- Accession No. 0309-001: Michael Fleenen Luark papers, 1846-1900
- Accession No. 0309-002: Michael Fleenen Luark papers, circa 1878
- Accession No. 0309-003: "From the Old Northwest to the Pacific Northwest; the 1853 Oregon Trail Diaries of Patterson Fletcher Luark and Michael Fleenen Luark" papers, 1998
- Names and Subjects
Michael Fleenen Luark papers, 1846-1998
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Luark, Michael Fleenen, 1818-1901
- Title
- Michael Fleenen Luark papers
- Dates
- 1846-1998 (inclusive)18461998
- Quantity
- 2.6 cubic feet (7 boxes) plus 15 microfilm reels and 1 vertical file
- Collection Number
- 0309
- Summary
- Diaries and buiness records of a Washington pioneer, farmer, lumberman
- 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
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Michael Fleenen Luark was born on July 24, 1818 in Washington County, Virginia. In 1853, Luark and his brother, Patterson F. Luark, left their residences in Indiana and settled in Washington Territory. Throughout his life, Michael Luark worked as a logger, prospector, and farmer. In 1869, he built his own saw mill, the Sylva Mill Company, which he ran until 1885. Luark was an active Democrat and temperance advocate. He died on January 21, 1901 in Grays Harbor County, Washington. His diaries provide a valuable source for understanding pioneering in the 19th century, and particularly frontier life in the Chehalis River Valley.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Diaries (26 volumes) describing two overland journeys (1853 and 1861) of Luark and his brother Patterson F. Luark, the daily routine of a pioneer farmer-logger in western Washington Territory, Farm life in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, the life of a prospector-worker in the Colorado goldrush (1860), and the return trip to Indiana via Nicaragua, with a six week stopover in California (1855-56). Also included are a journal of the Sylvia Mill Company, Montesano, Wash. with portions of a diary containing journal entries, and a notebook with miscellaneous poems and recipes.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Entire accession reproduced on microfilm (UW 1967). May be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. Accession includes photocopies of diaries 1, 3 and 7 in addition to the original diaries.
The Oregon Trail diary of Michael Luark (1853) has been edited and published by the Oregon-California Trails Association, Independence, Mo, 1998. "From the Old Northwest to the Pacific Northwest : the 1853 Oregon Trail Diaries of Patterson Fletcher Luark and Michael Fleenen Luark." Edited by Howard Jablon and Kenneth R. Elkins.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into 3 accessions.
- Accession No. 0309-001, Michael Fleenen Luark papers, 1846-1900
- Accession No. 0309-002, Michael Fleenen Luark papers, circa 1878
- Accession No. 0309-003, "From the Old Northwest to the Pacific Northwest; the 1853 Oregon Trail Diaries of Patterson Fletcher Luark and Michael Fleenen Luark" papers, 1998
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 0309-001: Michael Fleenen Luark papers, 1846-1900Return to Top
Scope and Content: Diaries (26v.) describe two overland journeys (1853 and 1861) of Luark and his brother Patterson F. Luark, the daily routine of a pioneer farmer-logger in western Washington Territory, Farm life in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, the life of a prospector-worker in the Colorado goldrush (1860), and the return trip to Indiana via Nicaragua, with a six week stopover in California (1855-56). Also included are a journal of the Sylvia Mill Company, Montesano, Wash. with portions of a diary containing journal entries, and a notebook with miscellaneous poems and recipes.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users. Due to condition issues, users should use microfilm instead of originals.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Mrs. Dean Perry, 11/30/1962; Diary vol. 26 (1900) donated by Sharon Wilder Crandall, 1/16/2018 .
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | Accession | ||
| 1/1 | 0309-001 | Diary |
May 28, 1853-June 28, 1853 |
| 1/2 | 0309-001 | Diary of overland journey, Indiana to Olympia,
Washington |
1853 |
| 1/3 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 1 (photocopy) |
February 3, 1846-April 7, 1850 |
| 1/4 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 2 |
April 7, 1850-March 16, 1853, November 12, 1854, July 9, 1860-August 18, 1860 |
| 1/5 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 3 (photocopy) |
March 1853-May 1856 |
| 1/6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 3 (photocopy) |
March 1853-May 1856 |
| 1/7 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 4 |
May 15, 1856-May 18, 1857 |
| 1/8 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 5 |
June 1857-December 1858 |
| 1/9 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 6 |
1859-1861 |
| 1/10 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 7 (photocopy) |
1861-1862 |
| 2/1 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 7 (photocopy) |
1862-1863 |
| 2/2 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 8, with business entries |
1864 |
| 2/3 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 9 |
1865-1866 |
| 2/4 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 11 |
January 1878-June 1880 |
| 2/5 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 12 |
1880-1881 |
| 2/6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 13 |
November 1881-July 1883 |
| 3/1 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 14 |
July 1883-December 1884 |
| 3/2 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 15 |
January 1885-August 1885 |
| 3/3 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 16 |
August 1885-September 1886 |
| 3/4 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 17 |
September 1886-September 1887 |
| 3/5 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 18 |
October 1887-April 1888 |
| 3/6 | 0309-001 | Notes |
undated |
| 4/1 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 19 |
May 1888-December 1888 |
| 4/2 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 21 |
November 1890-July 1893 |
| 4/3 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 22 |
July 1893-December 1893 |
| 4/4 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 23 |
January 1894-August 1895 |
| 4/5 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 24 |
September 1895-April 1899 |
| 4/6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 25 |
May 1899-December 1899 |
| 4/7 | 0309-001 | Business records |
1862-1879 |
| 4/8 | 0309-001 | Other writings: poetry, recipes (photocopy) |
undated |
| 4/9 | 0309-001 | 2 photographs: portrait of Patterson F. Luark, and
portrait of Michael F. Luark |
undated |
| 5/1 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 1 (fragile, photocopy is in box
1) |
February 3, 1846-April 7, 1850 |
| 5/2 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 3 (fragile, photocopy is in box
1) |
March 1853-May 1856 |
| 5/3 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 7 (fragile, photocopy is in boxes 1 and
2) |
1861-1863 |
| 5/4 | 0309-001 | Other writings: poetry, recipes (fragile, photocopy is
in box 4) |
undated |
| Box | |||
| 6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 10 |
1866-1877 |
| 6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 20 |
January 1889-November 1890 |
| 6 | 0309-001 | Diary, vol. 26 |
January 1900-October 1900 |
Accession No. 0309-002: Michael Fleenen Luark papers, circa 1878Return to Top
Scope and Content: Family history (1878 or later) transcribed by Michael Luark's great-granddaughter Bonita M. Luark in 1993.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Bonita Luark, 10/1/1993.
Accession No. 0309-003: "From the Old Northwest to the Pacific Northwest; the 1853 Oregon Trail Diaries of Patterson Fletcher Luark and Michael Fleenen Luark" papers, 1998Return to Top
Scope and Content: Published diaries, edited by Howard Jablon and Kenneth R. Elkins.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Copyright retained by Oregon-California Trails Association.
Acquisition Info: Donated by Oregon-California Trails Association, 12/28/1998.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agriculture--Washington (State)--Grays Harbor County
- Frontier and pioneer life--Washington Territory
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
Personal Names
- Luark, Michael Fleenen, 1818-1901--Archives
- Luark, Michael Fleenen, 1818-1901--Diaries
Geographical Names
- Grays Harbor County (Wash.)--History--Sources
- Grays Harbor County (Wash.)--Social life and customs
- West (U.S.)--Description and travel
Form or Genre Terms
- Diaries
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Luark, Patterson Fletcher, 1814-1901 (creator)
Corporate Names
- Sylvia Mill Company (Montesano, Wash.) (creator)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
