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Vern C. Gorst Photographs, circa 1929-1932

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Gorst, Vern C., 1876-1953
Title
Vern C. Gorst Photographs
Dates
circa 1929-1932 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.5 cubic feet (8 boxes)
890 modern copy prints (3 boxes) ; 4" x 5"; 5" x 7"
Approximately 1,275 negatives (3 boxes) : nitrate negatives ; 4" x 5"
Approximately 375 negatives (2 boxes) : internegatives ; 4" x 5"
Collection Number
PH0810
Summary
Photographs of activities in the Pacific Northwest between 1929 and 1932 such as early aviation pioneers, recreational events such as Coupeville's Indian Water Festival, making the world's biggest omelet, fishing derbys. It also includes celebrities such as Doloros Del Rio, Jack Dempsey, Helene Madison and others.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

A Pacific Northwest adventurer and transportation pioneer, Vern Centennial Gorst was born on August 18, 1876 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1888, the Gorst family relocated to the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. From an early age, Gorst displayed an entrepreneurial spirit and a fascination with transportation. He began his first transportation business at age 13, moving chickens across Port Orchard bay using a log raft he had constructed himself. As a young man, Gorst spent several successful years prospecting in Alaska during the gold rush. Later he returned to Puget Sound to invest his gold earnings in the arena of transportation. Over the next several decades, Gorst set to work building a number of transportation companies, with his focus eventually shifting to aviation when, at age 38, he became a self-taught pilot. In 1925, Gorst's interest in flying won him a bid for the first contracted airmail service between Seattle and Los Angeles, and Pacific Air Transport was born. Gorst continued to be an entrepreneur of aviation, starting Seattle Flying Service in 1928, and creating other airline companies including Gorst Air Transport in 1929, Barnes and Gorst Air Mail, and Victoria Air Mail. Vern Gorst died in Portland, Oregon in 1953.

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Content Description

Photographs by Vern C. Gorst documenting Pacific Northwest events between 1929 and 1932. Includes images of events such as Coupeville’s Indian Water Festival, the Ben Paris Fishing Derby, girls modeling spruce bathing suits to promote Hoquiam, Washington's wood week, and the making of the world’s largest omelet in Chehalis, Washington in 1921. Also contains images of early aviation pioneers including Harold Bromley, Reginald Robbins, Captain Frank M. Hawks, Clyde "Upside-Down" Pangborn, Cecil Allen and Don Moyle. The collection is also peppered with occasional images of local and national celebrities including Helene Madison, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Doloros Del Rio, and Jack Dempsey.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Modern prints are available for viewing.

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by Gorst's negative numbers. Where a number is skipped, the negative was deteriorated and had to be discarded.

Processing Note

Processed by Holly Hernandez and Marion Brown, 2009.

Original collection consists of nitrate negatives. Modern prints were made from the negatives in 2008. Some of the nitrate negatives were discarded because they were deteriorated.

Information identifying the photographs was taken from handwritten inventory lists accompanying the collection.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2009 (Last modified: 4/13/2018)

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