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Marshall Newport Dana Papers, 1869-1969

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Dana, Marshall N. (Marshall Newport), 1885-1966.
Title
Marshall Newport Dana Papers
Dates
1869-1969 (inclusive)
1910-1966 (bulk)
Quantity
18 records cartons
1 flat box.
Collection Number
Mss 1798 (collection)
Summary
Papers of Oregon journalist and civic leader Marshall Newport Dana, mostly documenting his professional activities. Included are materials relating to Dana's editorial work for the Oregon Journal, such as research notes and drafts of writings, plus extensive files on organizations in which Dana was involved. Especially well documented is his work on issues such as civic and regional planning, conservation, and river and harbor improvements. Of special interest is Dana's manuscript diary of his fact-finding trip to Asia in 1947. The collection also contains materials created by Dana's second wife, Martha Ferguson McKeown Dana.
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.

The collection is stored off-site. Researchers must contact the repository a minimum of one week in advance of use. Arrangements can be made by calling 503-306-5241 or sending email to libreference@ohs.org.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Marshall Newport Dana, journalist and civic leader, was born on October 17, 1885 in Milltown, Ohio. He was educated in the public schools of Newport, Ohio, Doane Academy, and Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Dana moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1908 and joined the Oregon Journal as a reporter. After several years he was assigned to the editorial staff, advanced to Associate Editor in 1920, then editor of the Editorial Page from 1938 to 1951. He was chosen by the U.S. Department of War to go to the Far East with General McArthur's forces in 1947, the first of several trips to Asia. Other trips were to Alaska, the Canal Zone, Mexico and the Middle East.

Dana retired from the Oregon Journal in 1951 and the following year published his history of the paper, The first fifty years of the Oregon Journal. He then served as Assistant to the President of the United States National Bank in Portland until 1963, dealing with civic and business activities relating to the building of the state and region. He conducted extensive research and wrote on the history of the bank.

Dana's interest in the development of harbors, waterways and conservation led him to the following positions: member, Portland Commission of Public Docks 1954 to 1960 (Chairman in 1957, named Honorary Lifetime Commissioner in 1960); Chairman, Portland Metropolitan Waterfront Planning Committee; president, National Reclamation Association & Oregon Reclamation Association; National Rivers & Harbors Congress, Regional Director for the Northwest and member of its National Advisory Council; advisor for the National Recovery Act in the Pacific northwest (appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt); Works Progress Administration, Regional Chairman; National Resources Board, District Chairman; National Park Service, Consultant; Inland Empire Waterways Association, Regional Director; Portland Chamber of Commerce Waterways Committee; Agricultural and Recreational and Natural Resources Committees, Chairman and member; Columbia Basin Inter-Agency Committee Recreational Sub-Committee, Chairman; National Committee of Forest Credits; Northwest Rivers and Harbors Congress Projects and Resolutions Committee, Chairman; Master Harbor Plan, Chairman.

Other bodies on which Dana served were: Battleship Oregon Commission, Chairman; State Patrol Board; Oregon Economic Council; Pacific Ports Mayors and Chamber of Commerce; President's Conference, Osaka, Japan; Lewis & Clark Trail Commission; Boy Scouts of America, Oregon Branch; President; State & Portland Councils of Churches; Portland Symphony; Secretary, Highway Lifesavers; Linfield College Board of Trustees, Chairman; War Loans 1917-1918, Director; Oregon Tuberculosis Association, Director; Portland Presidents Council, President 1918-1920; Sons of American Revolution, President; Oregon and Portland Advertising Clubs, President; Pacific Coast Advertising Clubs Association, President; Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Chairman.

In 1951 Dana was chosen Oregon's Man of the Year, and in 1958 he received the U.S. Department of Interior's Conservation Service Award. Dana was also a member of the First Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School. A lifelong democrat, he was urged to run for Governor in 1948 but declined. He was the author of many publications aside from his history of the Oregon Journal, including Mr. Tourist in Oregon (1915), More power to you (1934), and Their world and ours (1949).

Dana was married twice. His first wife was Nora Valentine Carl, whom he married in 1910. They had three children, Marjorie Elizabeth, Marshall Norman, and Mary Lois. Nora Dana died in 1959, and the following year Dana married the widow Martha Ferguson McKeown. He died at the age of 80 on 24 June 1966.

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Content Description

The collection covers all aspects of Dana's professional activities and includes some items documenting his personal life. There are extensive files relating to Dana's speaking and writing activities, including drafts and notes for his speeches and articles in the Oregon Journal, and materials relating to his work in conservation and regional planning. Files on organizations in which Dana was involved include the Greater Portland Plans Association, the U.S. Forest Service, the Pacific Northwest Trade Association, and the Lewis and Clark Trail Commission. Materials relating to Dana's work on the Oregon Journal include research on the history of the newspaper, and materials relating to Dana's trip to New Zealand in 1929. Of special interest in Dana's hand written diary from his fact-finding trip to Asia in 1947.

Also included are materials relating to the publications of Martha Ferguson McKeown Dana, Marshall Dana's second wife.

Two of the scrapbooks document conventions of the Pacific Coast Advertising Clubs Association, 1926-1927 in San Francisco (1926 July) and in Portland (1927 June 19-22), as well as Dana's activities as president of the organization. The third scrapbook relates to the charitable and civic work of Portland resident Mrs. R.E. Bondurant, 1913-1924.

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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 of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Marshall Newport Dana papers, Mss 1798, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series

  • Series A: Personal materials
  • Series B: Correspondence
  • Series C: Speeches and writings
  • Series D: Oregon Journal materials
  • Seres E: U.S. National Bank materials
  • Series F: Reclamation and conservation materials
  • Series G: Scrapbooks

Acquisition Information

Gift of Martha Ferguson McKeown Dana, 1969-1970.

Future Additions

An additional box of unprocessed materials will be added to the collection at a future date.

Separated Materials

Photographs received with the collection have been housed with the Photographic Collections in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library as ORG. LOT 412.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Contents List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Alaska—Description and travel.
  • Bennett, Edward H. (Edward Herbert), 1874-1954.
  • City planning—Oregon—Portland—History—20th century.
  • Conservation of natural resources—Oregon—History—20th century.
  • East Asia—Description and travel.
  • History
  • Japan—Description and travel.
  • New Zealand—Description and travel.
  • New Zealand—Economic conditions—1945-1984.
  • Parks—Oregon—History—20th century.
  • Portland (Or.)—History—20th century.

Personal Names

  • Bondurant, Mrs. R.E.
  • Dana, Marshall N. (Marshall Newport), b. 1885.
  • Jackson, Charles Samuel, 1860-1924.
  • McKeown, Martha Ferguson, 1903- .
  • Raver, Paul J.

Corporate Names

  • Greater Portland Plans Association.
  • Linfield College.
  • Oregon Journal (Portland, Or.).
  • Oregon State Hospital.
  • Oregon State Planning Board.
  • Pacific Coast Advertising Clubs Association.
  • Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission.
  • Pacific Northwest Trade Association.
  • Portland (Or.). Commission of Public Docks.
  • United Nations Conference on International Organization.
  • United States National Bank of Oregon.
  • United States. Lewis and Clark Trail Commission.
  • United States. Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission.

Geographical Names

  • Columbia Gorge.
  • Willamette River.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Diaries.
  • Scrapbooks.

Titles within the Collection

  • Battleship Oregon Commission.


2003

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