View XML QR Code

Bertha Slater Smith song lyrics and sheet music, circa 1910-1920

Overview of the Collection

Composer
Smith, Bertha Slater
Title
Bertha Slater Smith song lyrics and sheet music
Dates
circa 1910-1920 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (1 oversize folder (12x15) in shared flat box)
Collection Number
Coll 970
Summary
Sheet music and lyrics for a song by Bertha Slater Smith (1875-1936) of Portland, Oregon, "My Old Home in Oregon," and lyrics for Smith's song "Land of Mine." Smith was president of the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers, and coined the Portland Rose Festival slogan, "For You a Rose in Portland Grows."
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Bertha Slater Smith was born in 1875 in La Grande, Oregon, and attended the University of Oregon in Eugene. She later lived in Portland, Oregon, where she was a high school teacher. In 1916, she submitted a proposed slogan for the Portland Rose Festival, "For You a Rose in Portland Grows," which the festival's board of governors unanimously chose out of 12,000 slogans submitted from across the United States.

Smith was also president of the Sons and Daughters of Oregon Pioneers. Her husband was Elmer E. Smith (1870-1942). Bertha Slater Smith died in 1936.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1916-1966; obituary in the Oregon Journal, November 4, 1936; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Return to Top

Content Description

The collection consists of two undated songs handwritten by Bertha Slater Smith, "My Old Home in Oregon" and "Land of Mine." For "My Old Home in Oregon" there are both lyrics and sheet music; for "Land of Mine," only the lyrics are present.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Bertha Slater Smith song lyrics and sheet music, Coll 970, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Benton County Museum in October 2022 (RL2022-141).

Related Materials

Additional materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to Smith are in the Slater family papers, Coll 206.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Music--Oregon
  • Songs, English--Oregon
  • Women composers--Oregon--Portland

Form or Genre Terms

  • sheet music
  • songs (musical compositions)
Loading...
Loading...