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John F. Noble papers, 1849-1950

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Noble, John F., 1828-approximately 1899
Title
John F. Noble papers
Dates
1849-1950 (inclusive)
1849-1900 (bulk)
Quantity
0.45 cubic feet, (1 document case)
Collection Number
Mss 1000
Summary
Papers of an Indian agent, stock rancher, and Army officer of Oregon and Washington State. Includes an incomplete overland diary of 1849; an 1860 diary of a hunting trip on the Deschutes River; a diary of a trip of 1864-1865 through Indian country; survey notes; Chinook vocabulary; papers of Noble & Scholl relating to stock raising near The Dalles, Oregon; military papers; and papers regarding an Indian depredation claim by Brooke, Bomford and Company.
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, Chinook jargon, French
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Biographical Note

John F. Noble was an Indian agent, stock rancher, and U.S. Army officer who lived in Oregon and Washington State. He came overland in 1849 from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as a civilian traveling with the U.S. Mounted Rifle Regiment. He was married to Catherine McIntosh at Fort Vancouver in 1851, and engaged in a stock raising enterprise near The Dalles, Oregon, with Louis Scholl.

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Content Description

Papers of John F. Noble include diaries and other materials related to journeys, his life in Oregon and Washington, and his business interests. The diaries consist of an incomplete overland diary, with a typescript transcription, documenting Noble's trip from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (April 9, 1849) to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (May 6, 1849) as a civilian traveling with the U.S. Mounted Rifle Regiment; an 1860 diary of a hunting trip from The Dalles, Oregon, along the Deschutes River; an 1864-1865 diary of a trip through Indian country, describing John M. Drake's expedition; and an 1865 diary that Noble kept at Camp Watson. Other papers in the collection include 1852 survey notes by George C. Bomford concerning The Dalles; quartermaster accounts, Fort Vancouver, Washington, 1853; election returns and other documents, 1855, of Walla Walla County, Washington Territory; Chinook vocabularies; papers, 1858-1861, of Noble & Scholl relating to stock raising near The Dalles; military papers, 1863-1866, of the 1st Oregon Cavalry Volunteers; and a summary of evidence and correspondence, 1898-1950, concerning the Indian depredation claim case of Brooke, Bomford & Company, a stock-raising firm near Walla Walla in which John F. Noble was a partner.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

John F. Noble papers, Mss 1000, 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.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series:

  • Series 1: Diaries and notebooks, 1849-1865
  • Series 2: General papers, 1855-1950

Acquisition Information

Gift of George T. Ritter, December 1962 (Lib. Acc. 9926).

Processing Note

Minor revisions to collection guide were made in October 2023 to conform to current standard.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Erica Goodwin and Geoff Wexler
2006; revised 2023

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