Charles David Little Photograph Collection

Charles David Little Photograph Collection, 1903-1905

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Little, C. David (Charles David)
Title: Charles David Little Photograph Collection
Dates: 1903-1905 (inclusive)
19031905

1905 (bulk)
19051905
Quantity: 0.10 cubic feet, including 13 photographs, (2 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
Collection Number: P 126
Summary: The Charles David Little Photograph Collection is comprised of photographs assembled by Charles David Little, a student at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) from 1900-1905. The collection documents student life at OAC in early 1900s and includes images of the OAC Cadet Corps, student athletes, other members of the student body, and athletics staff. Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
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: This collection is open for research.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Charles David Little – from Houlton, Oregon, a small community later incorporated by present day St. Helens, Oregon in Columbia County – attended Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) from 1900 to 1905. There is, in fact, some inconsistency with regards to his name. While the 1902-1903 General Catalog refers to Little as David Charles Little, the 1903-1904 and 1905-1906 General Catalogs refer to him as Charles David Little. Moreover, captions on the backs of several photographs in the collection refer to Little as Captain C. David Little, suggesting that his first name was Charles, though he may have gone by David.

While at OAC, Little studied mechanics and mineralogy. He also played guard on the football team, and served as Captain of 1st Battalion, “D” Company in the OAC Cadet Corps.

Little was born in Nebraska in 1880 or earlier and moved to Oregon with his family between 1880 and 1900 (based on census records). In 1910, he was a working as a mine engineer in Idaho and he apparently died in Idaho in 1961.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Charles David Little Photograph Collection is comprised predominately of studio photographs featuring Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) students, and taken between 1903 and 1905. These images capture OAC cadets, football and track and field athletes, and other members of the student body. Most of the collection's images are 8"x6" or larger, and are mounted on card stock.

Prints of the OAC cadets include an image of the cadet battalion marching in a parade to honor Theodore Roosevelt in Portland, Oregon in 1903. No street signs are readily identifiable, but contemporary signage - for Owl Cigars, Malley's Wholesale and Retail Groceries, and Yeoman's House - is featured in the mid-ground of the image. Little appears in several of the cadet-related photographs, and is identified as Captain C. David Little.

The collection also includes photographs featuring members of the athletics staff, and of the 1905 OAC football team. Of particular note is a 13.5"x10.5" composite image of the 1905 OAC football team (P126:013). Also included is an image of Professor Will Orian Trine, who served as OAC's Physical Director (Director of Physical Education and Intercollegiate Athletics) in the early 20th century (P126:008). Professor Trine is pictured in full military dress. A portrait of OAC football players Harvey Earle Rinehart and Joel Emily, both pictured in early 20th-century football gear, is also included (P126:009).

Contemporary campus buildings featured in the images - formerly known as Mechanical Hall, Agricultural Hall, and Benton Hall - are identified by the building name used at the time the photograph was taken. In instances where the building name has changed, the name used at the time of the finding aid's publication appears in brackets.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Charles David Little Photograph Collection (P 126), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Charles David Little Photograph Collection is comprised of one series: Photographs, 1903-1905. The photographs are arranged in the order assigned during the collection's preliminary processing.

Acquisition Information

The Charles David Little Photograph Collection was accessioned by the Oregon State University Archives in the 1960s. Additional information about the collection's provenance is unavailable. The collection is now housed in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Processing Note

A preliminary container list for this collection was published in 2012. This finding aid was updated in 2018 to reflect current arrangement and description best practices and in 2019 to incorporate additional biographical information, an expanded description of the collection contents, and a revised name for the creator and collection.

Related Materials

The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings contain numerous photograph collections documenting the student experience at Oregon Agricultural College during the early 1900s including the Bertha Andresen Photographs (P 026), Alva Aitken Photograph Collection (P 116), Jerry D. Belcher Collection of Oregon Agricultural College Track Photographs (P 128), and the Joshua Robert Akers Photograph Collection (P 244).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Photographs, 1903-1905Return to Top

The Charles David Little Photograph Collection is comprised of photographic prints depicting Oregon Agricultural College campus scenes and student activities during the early 1900s. Campus buildings are identified by the building name used at the time the photograph was taken. In instances where the building name has changed, the name used at the time of the finding aid's publication appears in brackets.

Description	Dates
P126:01: OAC cadets on parade in Portland, Oregon	1903
P126:02: The OAC student body assembled beneath the Administration Building [Community Hall]	1905
P126:03: Group portrait of OAC cadets	1905
P126:04: Group portrait of male OAC students	1905
P126:05: Group portrait of OAC students assembled in front of Mechanical Hall [Kearney Hall]	1905
P126:06: Group portrait of OAC cadets assembled in front of Agricultural Hall [Furman Hall]	1905
P126:07: Group portrait of OAC cadets assembled in front of Mechanical Hall [Kearney Hall]	1905
P126:08: Portrait of OAC football trainer W. O. Trine wearing military dress	1905
P126:09: Portrait of OAC football players Includes: Earle Rinehart and Joel Emily	1905
P126:10: Portrait of an unidentified OAC track and field athlete in a shot put pose	1905
P126:11: Male OAC students engaged in calisthenics	1905
P126:12: OAC cadets engaged in military drills adjacent to Agricultural Hall [Furman Hall]	1905
P126:13: Composite portrait of the OAC football team Includes: Little, Root, Abraham, Williams, Pilkington, Griffith, Rinehart, Coach Steckle, Manager F.C. Stimson, Cherry, Cooper, Trainer W. O. Trine, Dolan, Bundy, Walker, Dunlap, Lawrence, Emily, and Assistant Manager S.L. Damon	1905

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Football--Oregon--Corvallis.
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
Track and field athletes--Oregon--Corvallis.

Corporate Names

Oregon Agricultural College--Football.
Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
Oregon Agricultural College--Track and field.
Oregon Agricultural College. Cadet Corps

Form or Genre Terms

Photographic prints.

Archives West Finding Aid

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