Charles Wallace Vail (1901-1965) was the son of an Oregon real estate developer in Oakland & Carlton, Oregon. He worked as a telephone engineer for Coos & Curry Telephone Company and later the local Bell Telephone before launching his commercial photography career during the Great Depression. He operated the Vail Studio in Camas, Washington with his wife, Gladys Young Vail.
Source: Zephyr Used & Rare Books
The city of Vanport, Oregon was envisioned as a temporary housing project for the World War II shipbuilders and their families. At its height, it was the largest public housing project in the United States. The housing units were segregated by race, though civic and social life were integrated. The city was located in present day West Delta Park, adjacent to the Columbia River. Following the conclusion of the war, 20,000 residents (4,000 of which were Black) resided permanently in the city. The concentration of Black residents in Vanport resulted in redlining and overt neglect by the Portland Housing Authority. On May 30, 1948, a dike on the railroad embankment failed, and the city flooded within two hours. In the aftermath, 18,500 residents were displaced; a third of those displaced were Black. The city was not rebuilt, and its former residents were largely left to pick up the pieces of their lives on their own.
Sources: Vanport by Manly Maben, Bleeding Albina: A History of Community Disinvestment, 1940-2000 by Karen J Gibson DOI: 10.1525/tran.2007.15.1.03, The Life and Death of Vanport, 70 years After the Flood by Patricia Kullberg https://www.streetroots.org/news/2018/04/20/life-and-death-vanport-70-years-after-flood
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Photographs include 44 black and white aerial shots taken by Charles Wallace Vail of Vail Studios in Camas, Washington. Photographs provide views of the complete immersion of the Vanport's commercial and residential sections in the days following the flood on May 30, 1948. Includes three photographs of the Bonneville Dam at the time of the flooding. Additionally, the collection includes photos depicting daily life and landmarks in Camas, Washington, as well as Stevenson, Washington, Kalama, Washington, and Bonneville, Oregon. Specific events depicted include Camas Labor Day Parade of September 1934, and a bridge fire over the Washougal River.
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Purchased from Kol Shaver, 2023-11-01. Accession 6556-002 purchased from Zephyr Used & Rare books, November 2023