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Portland Chamber of Commerce records, 1890-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Portland Chamber of Commerce (Or.)
Title
Portland Chamber of Commerce records
Dates
1890-1984 (inclusive)
Quantity
14.5 cubic feet, (2 document cases, 11 record cartons, 3 flats boxes, and 2 oversize folders)
Collection Number
Mss 686
Summary
Records of a civic and business organization of Portland, Oregon, including minutes of meetings, financial records, membership lists, stock books, and records concerning buildings and property, subject and reference files. Also includes records of the Portland Commercial Club, the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, and other Portland organizations.
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

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Dedicated to promoting the commercial interests of Portland and Oregon, the Portland Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1890 as the successor to the Portland Board of Trade. In 1915 it merged with the Portland Commercial Club.

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Content Description

The collection contains three groups of materials received by the repository at various times. The first group, Mss 686, consists of financial records, building committee records, records of stock transactions, and membership lists, all of which date from the early years of the Chamber in the 1890s. Also included are materials relating to Raymond B. Wilcox. The second group of materials, designated Mss 686-1, is a folder of monthly reports, 1948-1952, detailing economic and industrial conditions in Portland.

The third and largest group of materials, designated Mss 686-2, contains minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors, 1915-1917; minutes, reports, and correspondence of committees, 1890-1975; membership lists; records concerning Chamber buildings and property; records of Chamber projects and activities, 1915-1982; subject and reference files; and Portland Commercial Club records, 1893, 1903-1915. Also included are Portland Retail Trade Bureau bulletins, 1963-1965; Downtown Promotion Committee correspondence, 1968-1969, and minutes, 1962, 1964-1965; Oregon State Chamber of Commerce minutes and reports, 1918-1931; and "Raw materials survey" records, 1947-1959.

The last group of records is a folder of materials relating to the Portland Commercial Club. These include correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, between Henry R. Beckwith, president, and representatives of New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson and President William H. Taft, regarding visits to Portland in 1911. Subjects include itineraries, speaking engagements, travel plans, and security. Programs for the Taft dinner as well as programs for dinner honoring James R. Garfield and president Theodore Roosevelt are also included.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Portland Chamber of Commerce records, Mss 686, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series corresponding to accessions received at various times:

  • Series A: Mss 686, 1890-1937
  • Series B: Mss 686-1, 1948-1952
  • Series C: Mss 686-2, 1890-1984
  • Series D: Mss 686-3, 1911

Separated Materials

The following materials were separated to the photographic collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library:

  • 123 loose pictures
  • Geo. M. Weister Co., Oregon Views, albums 1, 3, 4; two unnumbered albums of Columbia River Highway scenes
  • R. I. Gifford, Oregon scenic views, 2 albums
  • Winter Photo Co., Oregon scenic views
  • Oregon views: album of photos by Prentiss, Gifford, Kiser, and Weister
  • Oregon industries: album compiled by Portland Chamber of Commerce
  • F. I. Jones, Construction of the Bonneville Dam

The following manuscript materials were separated from the collection:

  • Scrapbook on the construction of the Bonneville Dam
  • Scrapbook on longshoremen's and other strikes on the Pacific coast, 1935
  • Columbia Gorge Preservation Committee, record book, 1931-1932 (now Mss 661)

The following was separated to the government documents collection of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library: U.S. Interstate Commece Commission, Before the Interstate Commerce Commission in the matter of the joint application of Great Northern Pacific Company, Northern Pacific Railway Company and Great Northern Railway Company, for an order approving and authorizing the acquisition by Great Northern Pacific Railway Company of control through lease and stock ownership, of Northern Pacific Railway Company and Great Northern Railway Company...Applicant's exhibits 2-66 (Lacking dockets 6409-6410), 1927.

Acquisition Information

Mss 686-1, gift of City of Vancouver, B.C., Archives, 1978.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Business--Oregon--Portland
  • City planning--Oregon--Portland
  • Industries--Oregon--Portland

Personal Names

  • Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
  • Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
  • Garfield, James R.
  • Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930.
  • Wilcox, Raymond

Corporate Names

  • Oregon State Chamber of Commerce
  • Portland Board of Trade (Or.)
  • Portland Chamber of Commerce (Or.) (creator)
  • Portland Retail Trade Bureau (Or.)
  • Downtown Promotions Committe (Portland, Or.)

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)--Economic conditions.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ledgers
  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Minutes

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Beckwith, Henry R. (creator)

    Corporate Names

    • Portland Commercial Club (Or.) (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Geoffrey B. Wexler
2006

CC0

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