Alderman Farms had its beginning in 1847, when Albert Alderman settled, cleared and began farming a tract of land in Yamhill County. In 1893 one of Albert's sons, Ennis (1870-1939), began farming a small piece of land given to him by his father. In the 1920s, Ennis and his son, Urie (1898-1964), began expanding the farming operation. Urie, who attended Oregon Agricultural College from 1919-1921, experimented with new crops, constructed an on-farm frozen food plant and sawmill, and maintained his own airborne spraying operation. Alderman Farms peaked in the late 1950s, with at least 3100 acres under cultivation, as one of the largest row crop farms in Oregon. In addition to the primary farm in Yamhill County, Alderman Farms cultivated land in Benton, Linn, Marion, and Klamath Counties. After Urie's death in 1964, much of the Yamhill County farm was sold to the Carlton Nursery Company in 1971.
The Alderman Farm Films were made by Urie S. Alderman. The films are 16 mm, silent, Kodachrome color. Aspects of the farming operation filmed include planting, harvesting, and processing of corn, beans, strawberries, peaches, and potatoes; irrigation; barbecues and other social activities; logging and sawmill operations; political campaigning; and general farm views. Of special note is footage of Mexican migrant farm laborers. Duplicate videotapes in VHS and Betacam SP formats are part of the collection.
The manuscript materials include copies of newspaper clippings pertaining to farming operations, Urie S. Alderman, and L. S. Alderman, 1952-1965; a film list; and a copy of
Digital video duplication masters and DVD use copies are available for all the films.
Collection is open for research.
The collection consists of three series: I. Films, 1943-1950; II. Videotapes, 1996-2001; and III. Paper Records, 1952-1996.
Alderman Farms Films (FV P 214), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
The films, made by Urie S. Alderman, were maintained by the family until 1996.
The films were donated to the Archives in 1996 by Peggy Childs, Jack Shelburne, and Mary Ann Wiser (nieces and nephews of U.S. Alderman.)
Other films and videotapes pertaining to agriculture are located in the
The memoirs of Lewis R. Alderman, a long-time 4-H program extension
agent and brother of Ennis Alderman, are located in the
Series I consists of 16 mm silent color film footage of farming operations at the Alderman Farms near Dayton, Oregon. The reels vary in length from 100 feet to 450 feet. All are stored on 3-inch cores; new leaders were applied in 2010.
Series II consists of videotape duplicates made from the original film reels. They include 9 VHS and 2 Betacam SP videotapes. One of the VHS videotapes includes all the reels; it was made in 1996. Seven videotapes include duplicates of individual reels (reels 1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12); one VHS tapes includes reels 4 and 7. These 8 VHS videotapes were made in 1999. The Betacam SP videotapes include reels 1, 9-10, and 12. They were made in 2001.
Includes newspaper clippings pertaining to Alderman Farms, U.S. Alderman, and L.S. Alderman from 1952-1965; a film list; and