View XML QR Code

Benson family photographs collection, 1896-1970

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Benson family
Title
Benson family photographs collection
Dates
1896-1970 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 cubic feet, (7 document cases; 2 flat boxes)
Collection Number
Org. Lot 1206
Summary
Photographs of the family of Portland businessman Simon Benson and his second wife, Pamelia Loomis, including sons Chester Simon Benson and Gilbert Thereon Benson, and grandchildren Gilbert Thomas Benson and Margaret Benson (later Margaret Maradudin).
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
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Simon Benson (1851-1942), a Norwegian immigrant, found success in the timber business, acquiring 46,000 acres of land over two decades and reducing costs through technical innovation in logging and shipping. He also built the Benson and Columbia Gorge Hotels, and, as a strong proponent of the good roads movement, propelled development of the Columbia River Highway. He married twice, and, with his second wife, Pamela Loomis, he had two sons, Gilbert Thereon and Chester Simon. Gilbert Benson died in 1928, well into graduate studies at Stanford University. Chester Benson married Dorothy Logan, and together they raised son Gilbert Thomas and daughter Margaret (later Margaret Maradudin).

Return to Top

Content Description

Collection consists of photographs of the family of Portland businessman Simon Benson and his second wife, Pamelia Loomis, including Simon Benson, his sons Chester Simon Benson and Gilbert Thereon Benson, and grandchildren Gilbert Thomas Benson and Margaret Benson Maradudin. Includes baby albums and portraits, as well as photographs depicting travel, boating, Stanford University, California, the Oregon Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and Benson family residences in Portland as well as their summer cottage, Riverwood, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Also included are unprocessed negatives, some or all of which may correspond to prints in the collection.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Benson family photographs collection, Org. Lot 1206, 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.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1: Photographic prints
  • Series 2: Photo albums
  • Series 3: Unprocessed negatives

Acquisition Information

Gift of Chester Benson, August 2012 (Lib. Acc. 27705).

Related Materials

A small collection of the Benson family papers, Mss 2352, is also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Boats and boating--Photographs
  • Buildings--Photographs
  • Children--Oregon--Photographs
  • College students--California--Social life and customs--Photographs

Personal Names

  • Benson, Chester Simon, 1902-1971--Photographs
  • Benson, Gilbert Thereon, 1896-1928--Photographs
  • Benson, Gilbert Thomas, 1929-2011--Photographs
  • Benson, Simon, 1851-1942--Photographs
  • Maradudin, Margaret Benson--Photographs

Corporate Names

  • Stanford University--Photographs

Family Names

  • Benson family--Homes and haunts--Photographs
  • Benson family--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • California--Description and travel--Photographs
  • Columbia River Gorge (Or. and Wash.)--Photographs
  • Oregon--Description and travel--Photographs
  • Pacific Coast (Or.)--Photographs
  • Portland (Or.)--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • photograph albums
  • photographs

Shawna Gandy
2014; revised 2024

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...