OHY_Lot453 Guide to the Oregon Flax Industry Photographs Collection 1912-1961 Oregon Flax Industry Photographs Collection Finding aid prepared by Sharon M. Howe Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Oregon Historical Society, Research Library © 2004 Finding aid encoded by Sharon M. Howe 2004 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS 2nd edition ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). May 2007 Corrected <controlaccess> terms, MKF. 2015 Revised to reflect updates to best practices. Oregon Historical Society, Davies Family Research Library Org. Lot 453 Oregon flax industry photographs collection 1912-1961 1918-1949 Approx. 0.36 cubic feet 48 photographs in 13 folders The collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints documenting the flax industry in Oregon, from farming to harvesting to processing and production. Photograph captions are in English Historical Note

Flax was grown at least by 1844 near Tualatin, and was grown by other farmers throughout the mid-19th century. A flax oil mill was established at Salem in 1867, and the first flax-spinning mill was operating at Albany by the 1870s. An exhibit of Oregon flax won the bronze medal and certificate of merit at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. By the 1890s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was touting Oregon and Washington as good flax growing areas; however, costly hand labor required to harvest and process it and competition with European producers limited flax production.

In 1915, the state of Oregon built a flax processing plant at the state penitentiary in Salem, and this plant became known as the State Flax Industry. The state joined the Works Progress Administration to construct three cooperative processing plants at Springfield, Canby, and Mount Angel in 1936. Six processing plants and two spinning mills were operating in Oregon by 1941, and production reached its peak during World War II.

The state’s flax production, which continued to be centered in the Willamette Valley, primarily produced linen tow, rope, and other lower grade products rather than fine linen.

This artificial collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints documenting the flax industry in Oregon, from farming to harvesting to processing and production. The images were brought together at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library from several sources. The collection also includes images of the Mount Angel Flax Festival (later became the Oktober Fest) in the 1930s and flax exhibits produced by the Oregon State Flax and Linen Board and the Oregon Women’s Industrial Forum. Of special note is a set of images made in 1918 of the State Flax Industry at the Oregon Penitentiary in Salem and a group of images from Katherine Gabriel, who was secretary of the Oregon State Flax and Linen Board. Two images are mounted on matt board, indicating they were probably used for an exhibit. Only a few photographers are identified.

The collection is arranged into 12 folders, alphabetically, according to topics that reflect various aspects of the flax industry. A folder of related background material also is included.

The collection is open to the public.

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 before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Oregon flax industry photographs collection, Org. Lot 453, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Library accession nos. 9478 and 9658 and Photo accession no. 0000D048.

DeLoach, D.B., and Edward L. Rada. The Oregon Fiber-flax Industry with Particular Reference to Marketing. Corvallis: Oregon State College, 1942.

Oregon Historical Society Research Library includes the Arthur Prentiss Photographs, Org. Lot 301, which document flax growing and harvesting in 1929, and the Charles Wagner Photographs, Org. Lot 452, which document the state flax industry in the 1940s. Oregon State University Archives (Corvallis) holds a large collection of Flax Photographs, 1938-1959, in the Bioresource Engineering Department Photograph Collection (P 106).

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Hacker, Robert L. Maxwell, Ben Oregon. Flax and Linen Board. Oregon Women's Industrial Forum. Gladys Gilbert Studio (Portland, Or.). Flax industry--Oregon--Photographs. Flax industry--Employees--Oregon--Photographs. Flax processing--Oregon--Photographs. Flax--Harvesting--Oregon--Photographs. Linen industry--Oregon--Photographs. Textile fiber industry--Oregon--Photographs. Mount Angel (Or.)--Photographs. Oregon Photographs Agriculture Labor History Photographic prints.

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

0 Background material on this collection undated 1 Flax exhibits circa 1937

Subjects include Oregon State Flax and Linen Board members Frank L. Chambers, Fletcher Linn, Walter W.R. May (chairman), Mrs. W.W. (Katherine) Gabriel, secretary; E.G. Robinson, Duncan Chindgren (vice chairman) and the Oregon Women’s Industrial Forum flax exhibit at National Domestic and Linen Show.

 2 Flax farmers--Event, Springfield, Or. circa 1935

Probably sponsored by Oregon State Flax and Linen Board.

3 Flax farms 1912 1961

Depicts the inspection of flax fields, Silverton, Or. and flax barns, Benton County, Or.

 4 Flax Festival, Mt. Angel, Or. circa 1936 1938

Note: Flax Festival became the Mt. Angel Oktober Fest

 5 Flax harvesting--Hand pulling 1918 1939 6 Flax harvesting--Mechanical pulling 1939 7 Flax plants--State Flax Industry, Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem, Or. 1917 1918 1925 8 Flax plants--Dayton (Or.) Flax Growers Cooperative 1942

Depicts flax storage sheds under construction

 9 Flax plants--Mt. Angel, Or. 1936 1939

Depicts O.I. Withers, Joe Bernt, E.J. Griffith, Gov. Charles H. Martin, and Walter W.R. May examining blueprint of new flax plant and other images of the plant.

 10 Flax plants--Oregon Flax Textiles, Inc., Salem, Or. 1946

Depicts new plant manufacturing rugs and mops.

 11 Flax retting 1918 undated 12 Linen weaving--Oregon Linen Mill, Salem, Or. 1927 February

Said to be first linen made in Oregon from Oregon-grown flax.