Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Alfred Powers papers
Powers, Alfred
Mss 2907
4 cubic feet
8 document cases, 2 custom boxes
1834-1963
Collection of historical materials relating to Oregon and Pacific Northwest history, including business records, scrapbooks, catalogs, and ephemera.
English
Collection is open for research.
Acquired from Alfred Powers.
Alfred Powers (1887-1983) was an author, journalist, teacher, book collector, and book binder. He was the author of 18 books and numerous articles; was a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon; served as the head of the Works Progress Administration's Writer's Project; and served as the dean of the State System of Higher Education Extension Service, later known as the Division of Continuing Education.
Alfred Powers papers, Mss 2907, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection includes materials that were previously designated Mss 2907-1 at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. Collection guide was created by Geoffrey B. Wexler in 2008. The guide was revised in November 2024 to conform to current standard.
An oral history interview with Alfed Powers, designated SR 9368, is also held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, and is available online in OHS Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/sr-9368-oral-history-interview-with-alfred-powers.
This collection contains primary source materials relating to a variety of Western Americana, including Oregon and Northwest businesses, Northwest authors, and other authors and organizations. Types of materials present in the collection include correspondence, business records, diaries, printed materials, biographical and autobiographical materials, financial records, scrapbooks, and ephemera. People, organizations, and businesses represented in the collection include: Richard Baird; Frederic Homer Balch; E. W. Ball; Charles Henry Carey; Eli Colter; Sabra Connor; Walter M. Cook; Belle W. Cooke; Robert Duniway; Daniel Giles; Eli Sheldon Glover; Elwin G. Greer; Lafyette Grover; Bernard Hinshaw; Bruce LeRoy; Chester A. Lyon; John McCracken; Joaquin Miller; Joseph Ouper; Emil Peters; M. A. Pflug; George Pope; Dr. D. H. Rand; Oswald West; the Auto Freight Company; Big Brother Farm (Lebanon, Oregon); Ladd & Tilton Bank; the Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty; the Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company; the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company; and the Vancouver Transportation Company. The collection also includes Sunday school records from Aumsville, Oregon; catalogs by Oregon rose growers; papers from the Tule Lake incarceration camp, where Japanese Americans were held during World War II; a record book of an unidentified Portland physician; and information about the origin and unveiling of the Pioneer Mother statue in Eugene, Oregon.
Photographs received with this collection were transferred to the photograph collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, and a ledger of the Drake Brothers photography studio was transferred to the June Drake papers, Mss 1617. Selected items of ephemera were transferred to the library's serials collection and topical collections:
- A booklet, "The University of Oregon Summer Sessions, 1928, preliminary announcement," was transferred to Mss 1504, the Education collection.
- A booklet, "Souvenir commemorating the gala opening of the Tebbets Oriental Theatre," and a 1916 catalog of the Donald Nursery Company of Donald, Oregon, were transferred to Mss 1510, the Business collection.
- Three fraternal organization items, "Constitution, by-laws, manual of the lodge of the Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Oregon" (1911); "Souvenir programme, pilgrimage of the Al Kader Temple to Oasis of Coos Bay, October 4, 1919"; and "Souvenir menu of the Al Kadar A.A.O.N.M.S. pilgrimage" (1926), were transferred to Mss 1511, the Associations and institutions collection.
- Two booklets, "In remembrance of the Midwinter International Exposition, San Francisco, Cal., 1894" and "Views of the PPIE Exposition, San Francisco, 1915," were transferred to Mss 1522, the Manners and customs collection.
- Two menus from the Milwaukee Road were transferred to Mss 2942, the Menu collection.
- A periodical, "Lewis & Clark journal," May 1904, was transferred to the library's serials collections.
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.
Vancouver Transportation Company (Vancouver, Wash.)--Records and correspondence
Ladd & Tilton Bank (Portland, Or.)
Oregon--History
Oregon--Politics and government
Business enterprises--Northwest, Pacific
Steamboats--Columbia River
Authors, American--Oregon
Roses--Oregon--Catalogs
Nurseries (Horticulture)--Oregon--Catalogs
Mines and mining--United States
Oregon
Businesses and Corporations
Literature
correspondence
business records
financial records
printed ephemera
scrapbooks
clippings (information artifacts)
diaries
Ajax Mine, Colorado--Correspondence and papers (bound volume)
1917 September-December
1
1
Albany Nurseries--Roses catalog
1914
1
2
"Around the Pacific: cruise of the S.S. Malolo" (loose leaf notebook with handwritten diary entries)
1929
1
3
Auto Freight Terminal Company, Portland, Oregon--Shipments to Aurora
1926 August
1
4
Aumsville, Oregon, Sunday school records (2 volumes)
1905-1906
1913
2
1
Baird, Richard--North Yamhill, farmer's market account book
1876-1877
2
2
Balch, Frederic Homer--Correspondence
circa 1932
2
3
Ball, E. W.--Cash book
1886-1906
2
4
Carey, Charles--Incoming correspondence
1934-1936
2
5
Celilo Canal and Columbia River Improvement Association--Scrapbook of clippings and letters assembled by Levi W. Myers
1903
2
6
"Chief Joseph" by Robert Duniway--Typescript of essay
1954
2
7
Colter, Eli (author)--Autobiography (typescript)
1955
2
8
Connor, Sabra--Fragments of diary
1930-1931
2
9
Cook, Walter M.--Portland to San Francisco motor trip log book
1909
3
1
Cooke, Belle W. (author of "Tears and victory")--Biographical data from her daughter
1935
3
2
Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, Forum Songs booklet
undated
3
3
Giles, Daniel--Autobiography, copied by Emil R. Peterson
1946
3
4
Glover, Eli Sheldon--Diary (Works Progress Administration transcription, typescript)
1875
3
5
Greer, Edwin G., "Historical value of Astoria" (manuscript)
1875
3
6
Herneau [Herman?], S., Portland--Cash book
1876
3
7
Hinshaw, Bernard--Drawing for the "History of Oregon literature" (pencil drawings of Harvey Scott and Ella Rhoads Higginson)
undated
3
8
Historical Records Survey (Works Progress Administration), Eastern Oregon counties
1937
3
9
Holt, U. L.--Invoices from merchants in Sitka, Alaska
1906-1909
4
1
"Japanese concentration camp"--Papers found at Tule Lake (California) incarceration camp
1944
4
2
Journal of the Oregon Diamond Coal, Mining, and Developing Company, volumes 1-2
1906-1909
4
3-4
Keikhoven, E. K.--Naval diary
1917-1921
4
5
Ladd & Tilton Bank--Account books of depositors (4 volumes)
circa 1890-1899
5
1
Ladd & Tilton Bank--Advertising and brochures
1911
1921-1922
5
2
Ladd & Tilton Bank--"63 years: then, and now" (booklet of advertisements used in 50th anniversary campaign)
circa 1921
5
3
LeRoy, Bruce, "The history of Fort Vancouver" (typescript)
1958
5
4
Lyon, Chester A., "Big Brother Farm, Lebanon, Oregon" (papers and photographs)
circa 1935
5
5
McCracken, John--Port of Portland time book
1915-1916
5
6
Miller, Joaquin--Article and other materials regarding
circa 1925
5
7
"Mission of Dolores of San Francisco, A.D. 1830" (lithograph)
undated
5
8
Motor boat correspondence (letters to Alfred Powers)
1916-1922
5
9
Oregon Council for the Protection of Roadside Beauty--Year book
1940
5
10
Oregon Fruit Drier (H. S. Jory & Son)--Catalog
1893
5
11
"Oregon: name of mystery," by Alfred Powers (bound typescript)
1940
5
12
Oregon Pioneer Mother statue (Eugene)--Origin and unveiling
1932-1933
6
1
Oregon politics--Scrapbook
1882
6
2
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company--Bills of lading of Wing Sing Long Kee & Co. to Seufert Brothers Packing Company
1906-1909
6
3
"Oregon roses and other beautiful flowers"--Catalog, Clarke Brothers, Portland
1922-1923
6
4
"Oregon's imported song birds from Germany and England: contemporary records, 1890-1907," from the scrapbooks of C. F. Pfluger (scrapbook of clippings)
1890-1907
10
1
Records of the Oregon Song Bird Society, which this scrapbook concerns, are included in the Audubon Society of Portland records, Mss 2990, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Ouper, Joseph--Financial journal, Scio, Oregon
1912-1922
6
5
Pack train trade--Copy of article from Huntchings' California Magazine
1856 December
6
6
Peterson & Dering, Rose Growers--Catalog of roses
1962
6
7
Pflug, M. A.--Cash book
1888-1889
6
8
Pioneer reminiscences regarding wildlife, especially cougars (bound typescript)
undated
7
1
Pope, George--Correspondence
1886-1888
7
2
Portland Academy--Autograph album of student Josie DeVore
1865
7
3
Portland physician's call book and record (printed record book with handwritten entries by an unknown physician)
circa 1891
7
4
Powers, Alfred--General correspondence
1935-1949
7
5
Powers, Alfred, "Oregon petroglyphs" (manuscript and clippings)
circa 1963
7
6
"Prairie fires: notes gathered by Alfred Powers, assisted by Dorothy Schrader, for a prairie fire adventure in the chapter 'Three Dangers of Kit Carson' in the book 'True adventures on westward trails'" (bound typescript)
undated
7
7
Rand, D. H., Dr.--Ledger
1891-1894
7
8
"Secretary's helper" (manual, Grand Lodge)
1872
8
1
"The typewriters used in Portland offices in 1891, as advertised in seven 1891 numbers of the Century magazine" (scrapbook)
1891
8
2
Vancouver Transportation Company--Records of the steamer Undine (2 volumes)
1888-1894
9
1-2
Vancouver Transportation Company--Profit and loss records of steamships Undine, Lurline, and Governor Newell
1874-1894
8
3
"Was Governor Lafayette Grover elected U.S. Senator by fraud?"--Clippings from the Congressional Record
1877 March
8
4
West, Oswald, "The battle of life" (memoirs)--Clippings from the Sunday Oregonian
1937
8
5
"Who's who of Oregon authors" (pamphlet), published by the Oregon State Library
1951
8
6