OREp192.xml Guide to the W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection 1913-1956 Powell (W. Lester) Photograph Collection Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen. Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections & Archives Research Center 2013
121 The Valley Library Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-4501 Phone: 541-737-2075 Email: scarc@oregonstate.edu Web: http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu
Finding aid encoded by Megan Guerre and Elizabeth Nielsen. 2013 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections & Archives Research Center Special Collections & Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-4501 Phone: 541-737-2075 Email: scarc@oregonstate.edu Web: http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu
P 192 Powell, William Lester, 1893- W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection 1913-1956 1913-1917 0.25 cubic foot, including 317 photographs 1 box The W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection consists of images taken and assembled by Powell documenting Powell's student years at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). Powell attended OAC from 1912 to 1917. Materials in English. Biographical Note:

W. Lester Powell attended Oregon Agricultural College during the 1912-1913 through 1916-1917 academic years. He enrolled initially as a forestry student, but changed to horticulture in 1915; he did not complete a degree from OAC. Powell was a photographer for the 1916 Orange yearbook and also for Ball Studio in Corvallis. During the 1920s and 1930s, he lived with his family on Kiger Island near Corvallis. William Lester Powell was born February 18, 1893 and graduated from Citrus High School in Azusa, California, in 1912. He died in 1978 in Medford, Oregon.

Powell's daughter, Mary Lou (known as Lou), was born July 21, 1918, in Seattle. She graduated from Corvallis High School in 1936 and attended Oregon State College in 1936-1937 and 1937-1938. Her married name was Lou Richards.

The W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection consists of images taken and assembled by Powell, primarily during his student years at Oregon Agricultural College in the mid 1910s. The photographs depict campus activities, including pageants; athletics, especially football; and forestry students and faculty in forest campus and on forestry trips. The collection also includes images of Corvallis and Benton County; of special note are images of the small town of Wells, in north Benton County, that was removed in the early 1940s in order to establish Camp Adair. Images of land being cleared for Grant Street in Corvallis are also included.

Almost all of of the images are from Powell's student years at OAC; however, the collection includes a photograph of a 1935 pruning class at Oregon State College and a reunion photograph of the Class of 1916, probably in 1956.

The collection consists primarily of photographic prints. Most of the prints (210 items) are affixed to album pages; the remainder of the prints (89) were originally affixed to album pages and have been removed; 18 copy negatives are also included in the collection. Several of the images were published in the 1916 Orange yearbook.

Collection is open for research.

The W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection is arranged in 3 series: I. Photographic Prints, circa 1913 - circa 1956; II. Album Pages, circa 1913-1917; and III. Copy Negatives, circa 1913-1917.

W. Lester Powell Photograph Collection (P 192), Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

W. Lester Powell's daugher (Lou Richards) loaned the collection to Bob Zybach in 1990 for his research of the Soap Creek area. Richards identified materials that she was willing to have donated to the Archives and other items that she was willing to have duplicated and the originals returned to her.

The photographs were donated to the OSU Archives in 1990 by Bob Zybach.

The Special Collections & Archives Research Center includes many collections documenting the activities and experiences of Oregon Agricultural College students during the 1910s. These include the Leslie Miller Scrapbook and the John W. Trigg (P 227), Marshall S. Wright (P 276), and J. Llewellyn Spriggs (P 285) Photograph Albums.

 Oregon Agricultural College--Students. College sports--Oregon--Corvallis. College students--Oregon--Corvallis. Forestry schools and education--Oregon--Corvallis. Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis. Corvallis (Or.) Wells (Or.) Film negatives. Photograph albums. Photographic prints. Colleges and Universities Forestry and Forestry Products Sports and Recreation Student Life Oregon Corvallis Washington Photographs Series I Photographic Prints circa 1913 - circa 1956 89 photographs

Series I consists of snapshots, photographic postcards, and a few professional photographs; most have been removed from album pages. The photographs depict Oregon Agricultural College students participating in student activities and attending athletic events; Powell's fraternity brothers; forestry students and faculty, including George W. Peavy, in forest camps; and Marys Peak and forest scenes. Of special note are several duplicate prints of Wells, Oregon, a small town in north Benton County that was evacuated and demolished in the early 1940s to establish Camp Adair.

 1 P192:001 Folk dancing woman 1 P192:002 Women performing folk dances at OAC 1 P192:003 May Pageant at OAC 1 P192:004 Mines Building

Batcheller Hall

 1 P192:005 Working in college iron foundry Summer of 1913 or 1914 1 P192:006 Gathering of students and faculty in front of Benton Hall 1 P192:007 Delta Upsilon Fraternity brothers

Includes W.L. Powell.

 1 P192:008 Class of 1916 reunion circa 1956 1 P192:009 Women engaged in tug of war competition 1 P192:010-P192:011 Crowd next to freight train 1 P192:012 Group of posing men 1 P192:013-P192:014 Fraternity group 1 P192:015 Ahneek recruits 1 P192:016 Group of posing men 1 P192:017-P192:019 Participants in minstrel show 1 P192:020 Fraternity group 1 P192:021 OAC runner 1 P192:022-P192:024 OAC baseball players 1 P192:025 Three OAC track runners 1 P192:026 Athletes standing outside armory 1 P192:027-P192:028 Serpentine lines 1 P192:029 Student body - pre-football game activity 1 P192:030 Serpentine line 1 P192:031 OAC vs. Whitman football game 1 P192:032 Halftime show 1 P192:033 Football game 1 P192:034 Track athlete 1 P192:035 Football at OAC 1 P192:036 OAC athlete 1 P192:037 Football at OAC 1 P192:038 Shot putter 1 P192:039 Student body - pre-football game activity 1 P192:040-P192:041 Serpentine line 1 P192:042 Halftime show 1 P192:043 Pruning class 1935 1 P192:044 Marys Peak timber circa 1915 1 P192:045 Forest river 1 P192:046 Forestry cooking school 1 P192:047 George W. Peavy at top of Marys Peak circa 1915

Published in 1916 Orange yearbook, p. 442.

 1 P192:048 OAC faculty member at top of Marys Peak circa 1915

Published in 1916 Orange yearbook, p. 442.

 1 P192:049 Marys Peak foresters camp circa 1913 1 P192:050 Sawmill 1 P192:051 Rhododendron excursion to Newport 1915 1 P192:052-P192:053 Guarding the fountain 1914

Published in 1916 Orange yearbook, p. 446.

 1 P192:054 Stacked wood 1 P192:055 Oregon wilderness 1 P192:056 Gamma Tau Beta fraternity house

Burned after frat moved to 22nd St.

 1 P192:057 Forestry building in Portland (Lewis and Clark Exhibition) 1 P192:058-P192:059 Forestry students in camp 1 P192:060 OAC foresters circa 1915 1 P192:061-P192:062 Forestry camp 1 P192:063 Foresters 1913 1 P192:064 Marys Peak 1 P192:065 Les Powell's car at Big Sulphur Springs 1915

1 of 3 cars on the OAC campus.

 1 P192:066 Logs held for rafting 1 P192:067 Foresters at Windriver Nurseries, Washington

Published in 1916 Orange yearbook, p. 452.

 1 P192:068 Wind River Nursery, Washington 1 P192:069 Timber in Wind River, Washington, area 1 P192:070 Foresters circa 1915

Published in 1916 Orange yearbook, p. 452.

 1 P192:071 Foresters cooking 1 P192:072 Foresters 1 P192:073-P192:074 Along the Redwood highway, California 1 P192:075 Forest 1 P192:076-P192:077 Mountain views 1 P192:078 Willamette River, Corvallis 1 P192:079 Oregon wilderness 1 P192:080 Man in boat on Marys River circa 1915 1 P192:081 Man in forest 1 P192:082 Forestry camping trip 1 P192:083 Forest and cabin (Probably California Redwoods) P192:289-P192:292 Wells, Oregon 1917 4 duplicate prints made in 1990 1 P192:289 Wells warehouse

Photograph taken from Coffin Butte of area before Camp Adair. Cleve Williamson house. Large block walnut- Stelmaker place just south of the tree. Church about center.

 1 P192:290 Wells Dale, Oregon Freight Depot 1 P192:291 Old electric train going through Wells

Also depicted in this photograph are Jonny Carter's store and houses belonging to Coleman and then Yenkel.

 1 P192:292 Wells warehouse 1 P192:293 Grant St. and Catholic Hill area 1 P192:294 OSU forestry students at Washington camp Series II Album Pages circa 1913-1917 210 photographic prints

Series II consists of photographs affixed to black paper album pages. Most of the photographs are snapshots or photographic postcards. The photographs depict Oregon Agricultural students; athletes and athetic events; intramural teams; pageants; student events and activities; and picnics, camps, and outings. This series includes numerous images of football players and football games as well as the OAC freshman baseball team and individual players. Also of note are images of land being cleared for Grant Street in Corvallis.

 1 P192:084-P192:106 OAC women performing folk dances at college May Pageant circa 1914 1 P192:107-P192:108 OAC "Rooters", OAC vs U.W. Football Game October 31, 1914 1 P192:109 Serpentine on football field 1 P192:110-P192:111 OAC "Rooters", OAC vs U.W. Football Game October 31, 1914 1 P192:112-P192:114 O.A.C women performing folk dances at college May Pageant 1 P192:115 OAC football player 1 P192:116 Billie Brewer, OAC football player 1 P192:117 Darius H. "Hungry" Smyth, OAC football player 1 P192:118 Football game; goal posts 1 P192:119 Football game 1914

Published in the Orange yearbook, p. 153.

 1 P192:120 Billie Brewer 1 P192:121 Steve Schuster 1 P192:122 Pete Anderson 1 P192:123 Frank "Prunes" Moore 1 P192:124-P192:127 Individual football players 1 P192:128 OAC Football Squad 1914 1 P192:129 Football players including place kicker 1 P192:130 Football player 1 P192:131 Paul Frank Hoerline 1 P192:132 Man on football field 1 P192:133 Thomas Everett May 1 P192:135 Football player 1 P192:136 "Art" Lutz 1 P192:137 Frank "Prunes" Moore 1 P192:138 Football player 1 P192:139 Men on football field 1 P192:140 Punter 1 P192:141 Paul Frank Hoerline 1 P192:142 Peck Huntley 1 P192:143 Leo Laythe 1 P192:144 Football player 1 P192:145 Students 1 P192:146 Students 1 P192:147-P192:149 Group of women 1 P192:150-P192:153 Freshman-Sophomore bag rush 1914 1 P192:154-P192:155 Gathering at bandstand circa 1915 1 P192:156 Freshman-sophomore bag rush 1914 1 P192:157 OAC vs U.of O. scrimmage football game 1914 1 P192:158 Football game 1 P192:159 OAC vs U.W. football game October 31, 1914 1 P192:160 Football game 1 P192:161 Fans in stands at football game 1 P192:162 Football game 1 P192:163 Football game 1 P192:164 Football game 1 P192:165 Football game 1 P192:166 OAC vs U.W. football game October 31, 1914 1 P192:167 Football game 1 P192:168 OAC freshman baseball team 1 P192:169 OAC freshman baseball player 1 P192:170 Roy Houck, OAC freshman baseball player 1 P192:171-P192:172 Football game 1 P192:173 OAC vs U.W. football game October 31, 1914 1 P192:174-P192:175 Football players 1 P192:176 Football game 1 P192:177 Football game 1 P192:178-P192:182 Football game 1 P192:183 Female athlete 1 P192:184 Women running low hurdles 1 P192:185 Female shot putter 1 P192:186 Female relay runners 1 P192:187 De Witt Yeager 1 P192:188 "Billie" King 1 P192:189 Gus Hofer, Team Captain 1914 1 P192:190-P192:195 Fans at OAC vs University of Oregon football game 1914 1 P192:196 Forest with auto 1 P192:197 River 1 P192:198 Automobile 1 P192:199 Man and auto 1 P192:200-P193:201 Man fishing on river 1 P192:202 River 1 P192:203-P192:211 Women performing in a May Day pageant 1 P192:212-P192:222 Snow scenes

On campus and in Corvallis; dogs playing in snow.

 1 P192:223 River 1 P192:224 Auto in woods 1 P192:225 Woman and two men picnicking 1 P192:226 Man and women leaning against fence 1 P192:227 Woman and man picnicking 1 P192:228 Two men posing with car 1 P192:229 Two men in the woods 1 P192:230 Two men posing with car 1 P192:231 Car traveling beside river 1 P192:232 Car parked at side of road 1 P192:233 Car traveling beside river 1 P192:234 Two men and at a campfire 1 P192:235-P192:236 Land clearing for Grant Street in Corvallis

Dynamiting tree stumps (?).

 1 P192:237-P192:238 One of three cars on campus 1 P192:239 Cleared field 1 P192:240 One of three cars on campus 1 P192:241 Cleared field 1 P192:242-P192:243 Powell brothers in California

Studio portrait photographs of two boys.

 1 P192:244 Parade 1 P192:245 Woman posing on stump 1 P192:246 Man and dog 1 P192:247 Dog in man's clothing 1 P192:248-P192:250 Land clearing for Grant Street in Corvallis 1 P192:251 House 1 P192:252 Men posing with tennis racquets 1 P192:253 House 1 P192:254 Man with tennis racquet 1 P192:255 House 1 P192:256 Car, probably one of the three on campus 1 P192:257 Mountain lake 1 P192:258 Camp 1 P192:259 Mountain 1 P192:260 Mountain lake 1 P192:261 Car camping 1 P192:262 Gamma Upsilon football team 1 P192:263 Osolito Club 1 P192:264 Popular members of an OAC club 1 P192:265 Football coach 1 P192:266 Gamma Upsilon vs. Ahneek, Scientific Football Game 1 P192:267 Ahneek Recruits 1 P192:268 Ahneek "Semi-Pro" scientific football team 1 P192:269 Foresters football team OAC 1914 1 P192:270-P192:271 End of Ahneek, Gamma Upsilon football game 1 P192:272-P192:278 Mountain scenes with snow 1 P192:279-P193:280 May Day festival 1 P192:281-P192:282 Posing women 1 P192:283 May Day festival 1 P192:284 Men in graduation regalia 1 P192:285 Dogs by lake 1 P192:286 May Day festival 1 P192:287 Men in graduation regalia clowning around 1 P192:288 Camp in forest Series III Copy Negatives circa 1913-1917 18 copy negatives

Series III consists of copy negatives made in 1990 by the OSU Archives of snapshot photographic prints that were retained by the donor. These negatives depict Oregon Agricultural College students participating in campus activities. Of special note is an image labeled as bachelor's quarters and an image of a group of bachelors sitting at a dining table.

 1 P192:295 Female runners 1 P192:296 Couple on a motorbike 1 P192:297 Woman dancing 1 P192:298 Group of standing men

One of the men in this image has his arms and legs bound.

 1 P192:299 OAC Bookstore shortly after construction 1 P192:300 Lunch Counter, Kandy Kitchen, Ka-Jaz, G.S. Kerr

Perhaps this is a Corvallis business.

 1 P192:301 Upstairs bachelors quarters 1913 1 P192:302 Woman posing in a dress covered in flowers 1 P192:303 OAC Football Team 1 P192:304 Women and team of horses 1 P192:305 View of track and field 1 P192:306 Baseball game 1 P192:307 Bachelors 1913 1 P192:308 Female hurdlers 1 P192:309 Group at the Lady of the Fountain 1 P192:310 Runners emerging from the Armory 1 P192:311 Women participating in tug-of-war 1 P192:312 Heating plant and shops