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City of Portland photographs collection, circa 1925-1945

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Portland (Or.).
Title
City of Portland photographs collection
Dates
circa 1925-1945 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 cubic feet, (7 document cases)
Collection Number
Org. Lot 50
Summary
Photographs of Portland, Oregon, taken by photographers employed by the City of Portland. Includes street scenes, neighborhoods, businesses, thoroughfares, the harbor, and maps of the city.
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

Portland, Oregon, began as a clearing on the west bank of the Willamette River in 1844. The new city was incorporated in 1851 and prospered because of its advantageous location near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, among other factors. Its growth was spurred by flourishing agriculture in the Willamette Valley, the California gold rush, the Indian wars of the 1850s, and gold discoveries in eastern Oregon and Idaho in the 1860s. By the Civil War, Portland was the principal metropolis of the Pacific Northwest with a population of around 3000. The arrival of the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in 1883 and 1884 contributed to a new boom in prosperity, and in 1891 the city annexed the municipalities of Albina and East Portland on the east side of the Willamette. Residential growth was most dramatic in the eastern districts after 1900, and expansion was especially rapid after the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905. By 1910 Portland's population was over 207,000, and it continued its rapid growth up to the 1930s.

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Content Description

The collection consists of images taken throughout Portland, Oregon, with emphasis on the downtown and eastern portions of the city. Included are street scenes, thoroughfares, business establishments, and neighborhood views. The bulk of the images appear to date from the late 1920s and early 1930s. Many may have been created in relation to specific city projects, such as street paving, sewer installation, and improvement of blighted neighborhoods. Visible in many of the photographs from the early 1930s is a man holding a number -- probably a city employee engaged in a particular project. In general, the photographs provide detailed documentation of the city's built environment, much of which is still extant.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Negatives used to create these prints are housed in the City of Portland Archives and Records Center.

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

City of Portland photographs collection, Org. Lot 50, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by subjects, with files numbered to correspond to the Oregon Historical Society's Photograph Files. Neighborhood numbering corresponds to the system used by the Oregon Historical Society (e.g., "SW1, NW4, etc.).

Location of Originals

Original negatives of these photographs are housed in the City of Portland Archives and Records Center.

Acquisition Information

Original negatives were obtained from the City of Portland; prints in this collection were made by the Oregon Historical Society.

Related Materials

Negatives for these images are held by the City of Portland Archives and Records Center, Portland, Oregon.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

  • City of Portland Photographs Collection

Finding aid prepared by Margaret Crable and Geoffrey B. Wexler
2010

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