Frank Barst Portland professional wrestling collection

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Barst, Frank, 1902-1974
Title: Frank Barst Portland professional wrestling collection
Dates: circa 1920s-1970s (inclusive)
19201979
Quantity: 3 linear feet, (4 containers) : 2 flat boxes (12" x 15" x 3"); 1 half manuscript box; 1 oversize folder (20.25" x 16.25")
Collection Number: Coll 850
Summary: Frank Barst (1902-1974) was a Portland area sports journalist and columnist. The Frank Barst Portland professional wrestling collection contains 319 photos of wrestlers and promoters, match tickets, annotated match bout reports, wrestling magazines, column clippings, and a poster collected by Barst documenting the Portland professional wrestling scene circa 1920s-1970s.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Additional Reference Guides: See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
Languages: English

Historical Note

Frank Barst (1902-1974) was a Portland area sports journalist and columnist. He wrote prolifically on the world of sports, especially professional wrestling.

Though wrestling was popular throughout the first half of the 20th century in the United States, the sport reached new levels of popularity following World War II. Independent wrestling companies across the country, including the Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling Company in Oregon, formed the National Wrestling Association. With the advent of national television broadcasting in the early 1950s, professional wrestling associations became widely popular. Many professional wrestlers of the time were from various ethnic and minority groups, including Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Japanese Americans, Samoans, and Hawaiians, as well as Little People.

The Don Owen Productions of Portland Wrestling, later known as Big Time Wrestling, was the first wrestling show on television in the Pacific Northwest. The weekly show debuted in 1952 and ended in 1991, making it one of the longest-running wrestling shows on air.

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Content Description

The Frank Barst Portland professional wrestling collection contains 319 photographs of wrestlers and promoters, match tickets, annotated match bout reports, wrestling magazines, column clippings, and a poster collected by Barst documenting the Portland professional wrestling scene circa 1920s-1970s. Prominent wrestlers featured in the photographs include Lord Littlebrook, Haystacks Calhoun, Bull Montana, Prince Kuhio, Bing Ki Lee, Frenchy Robbierre, and Mad Dog Vachon. Some photographs are signed by wrestlers and promotors. Many of the match bout reports are from Don Owen Productions of Portland Wrestling.

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