Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Oregon flax industry photographs collection, 1912-1961
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Oregon flax industry photographs collection
- Dates
- 1912-1961 (inclusive)19121961
1918-1949 (bulk)19181949 - Quantity
- Approx. 0.36 cubic feet, (48 photographs in 13 folders)
- Collection Number
- Org. Lot 453
- Summary
- The collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints documenting the flax industry in Oregon, from farming to harvesting to processing and production.
- 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
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Flax was grown at least by 1844 near Tualatin, and was grown by other farmers throughout the mid-19th century. A flax oil mill was established at Salem in 1867, and the first flax-spinning mill was operating at Albany by the 1870s. An exhibit of Oregon flax won the bronze medal and certificate of merit at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. By the 1890s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was touting Oregon and Washington as good flax growing areas; however, costly hand labor required to harvest and process it and competition with European producers limited flax production.
In 1915, the state of Oregon built a flax processing plant at the state penitentiary in Salem, and this plant became known as the State Flax Industry. The state joined the Works Progress Administration to construct three cooperative processing plants at Springfield, Canby, and Mount Angel in 1936. Six processing plants and two spinning mills were operating in Oregon by 1941, and production reached its peak during World War II.
The state’s flax production, which continued to be centered in the Willamette Valley, primarily produced linen tow, rope, and other lower grade products rather than fine linen.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This artificial collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints documenting the flax industry in Oregon, from farming to harvesting to processing and production. The images were brought together at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library from several sources. The collection also includes images of the Mount Angel Flax Festival (later became the Oktober Fest) in the 1930s and flax exhibits produced by the Oregon State Flax and Linen Board and the Oregon Women’s Industrial Forum. Of special note is a set of images made in 1918 of the State Flax Industry at the Oregon Penitentiary in Salem and a group of images from Katherine Gabriel, who was secretary of the Oregon State Flax and Linen Board. Two images are mounted on matt board, indicating they were probably used for an exhibit. Only a few photographers are identified.
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 before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Oregon flax industry photographs collection, Org. Lot 453, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 12 folders, alphabetically, according to topics that reflect various aspects of the flax industry. A folder of related background material also is included.
Acquisition Information
Library accession nos. 9478 and 9658 and Photo accession no. 0000D048.
Bibliography
DeLoach, D.B., and Edward L. Rada. The Oregon Fiber-flax Industry with Particular Reference to Marketing. Corvallis: Oregon State College, 1942.
Related Materials
Oregon Historical Society Research Library includes the Arthur Prentiss Photographs, Org. Lot 301, which document flax growing and harvesting in 1929, and the Charles Wagner Photographs, Org. Lot 452, which document the state flax industry in the 1940s. Oregon State University Archives (Corvallis) holds a large collection of Flax Photographs, 1938-1959, in the Bioresource Engineering Department Photograph Collection (P 106).
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Background material on this collection | undated |
| 1 | Flax exhibits
Subjects include Oregon State Flax and Linen Board members Frank
L. Chambers, Fletcher Linn, Walter W.R. May (chairman), Mrs. W.W. (Katherine)
Gabriel, secretary; E.G. Robinson, Duncan Chindgren (vice chairman) and the
Oregon Women’s Industrial Forum flax exhibit at National Domestic and Linen
Show.
|
circa 1937 |
| 2 | Flax farmers--Event, Springfield,
Or.
Probably sponsored by Oregon State Flax and Linen Board.
|
circa 1935 |
| 3 | Flax farms
Depicts the inspection of flax fields, Silverton, Or. and flax
barns, Benton County, Or.
|
1912, 1961 |
| 4 | Flax Festival, Mt. Angel,
Or.
Note: Flax Festival became the Mt. Angel Oktober Fest
|
circa 1936, 1938 |
| 5 | Flax harvesting--Hand pulling | 1918, 1939 |
| 6 | Flax harvesting--Mechanical pulling | 1939 |
| 7 | Flax plants--State Flax Industry, Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem, Or. | 1917, 1918, 1925 |
| 8 | Flax plants--Dayton (Or.) Flax
Growers Cooperative
Depicts flax storage sheds under construction
|
1942 |
| 9 | Flax plants--Mt. Angel,
Or.
Depicts O.I. Withers, Joe Bernt, E.J. Griffith, Gov. Charles H.
Martin, and Walter W.R. May examining blueprint of new flax plant and other
images of the plant.
|
1936, 1939 |
| 10 | Flax plants--Oregon Flax Textiles,
Inc., Salem, Or.
Depicts new plant manufacturing rugs and mops.
|
1946 |
| 11 | Flax retting | 1918, undated |
| 12 | Linen weaving--Oregon Linen Mill,
Salem, Or.
Said to be first linen made in Oregon from Oregon-grown flax.
|
1927 February |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Flax industry--Employees--Oregon--Photographs.
- Flax industry--Oregon--Photographs.
- Flax processing--Oregon--Photographs.
- Flax--Harvesting--Oregon--Photographs.
- Linen industry--Oregon--Photographs.
- Textile fiber industry--Oregon--Photographs.
Corporate Names
- Oregon Women's Industrial Forum.
- Oregon. Flax and Linen Board.
Geographical Names
- Mount Angel (Or.)--Photographs.
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographic prints.
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Hacker, Robert L. (photographer)
- Maxwell, Ben (photographer)
Corporate Names
- Gladys Gilbert Studio (Portland, Or.). (photographers)
