J. Neilson Barry Papers, 1897-1961

The letters in this box are those that were not interfiled into J. Neilson Barry's topical research files. In some cases the letters were of a general or miscellaneous nature that either defied classification or could not be identified; or they were wide-ranging letters exchanged with a particular person or institution on a variety of topics. Many of the research topics in the research files are represented here; for example, Barry and Eugene B. Chaffee discussed several areas of Idaho history, and the correspondence with the Oregon Historical Society discusses many themes in Oregon history. Not all of it is research correspondence, per se; some of it (particularly in Folders 1 through 4) is of a miscellaneous nature, such as letters to the editor, inquiries to merchants, and the like. All the correspondents are, however, included in the collection's index of correspondents. The one letter from H.L. Mencken (Folder 13) is a friendly letter, evidently in response to one from Barry, inviting him to submit an article to the American Mercury. A letter to Boise State University from E.W. Giesecke, written in 2004 describing Barry's home, Barrycrest, has been added to the file of correspondence between Barry and Giesecke (Box 9, Folder 10). The letter includes some reminiscences by Giesecke about Barry and two photos of the house.

The early history of Astoria, John Jacob Astor's short-lived fur trading outpost near the mouth of the Columbia River, was one of J. Neilson Barry's primary research interests. He was particularly interested in determining the routes of travel of the overland Astorians (especially Wilson Price Hunt and Robert Stuart) and in ascertaining the names of all persons who worked at or visited Astoria, the names of those who stayed on in Oregon, and the names of ships that called there. He began preparing an annotated edition of Washington Irving's Astoria, but did not obtain the commitment of a publisher and never completed the project. He did, however, publish an article, "Astorians Who Became Permanent Settlers" in the Washington Historical Quarterly in 1933. Much of Barry's correspondence and research material on Astoria and Astorians is gathered in Files 1 through 8 (Folders 1 to 126). There is additional material in the Miscellaneous Subject File under names of individuals; and bodies of other related materials in File 33 (Ross Cox), File 35 (Marie Dorion), File 72 (South Pass / Robert Stuart), and elsewhere in the collection. Portions of Barry's Astoria files were microfilmed by the Oregon State Library in the early 1950s.

Included in this File are Barry's notebooks recording events at Astoria chronologically (Folders 14 to 20), an index of places associated with Astoria and Astorians (Folder 21), and other compilations.

Mainly notes and compiled bibliographical references on the persons and topics listed.

Barry sought to trace the route of Wilson Price Hunt's disaster-plagued overland expedition from St. Louis to Astoria. Correspondents include B.W. Driggs, Howard B. Lott, A.C. McCain, and Louie W. Shevling. See also File 71 (Snake River and Snake River Canyon); the Miscellaneous Subject File folder on Donald McKenzie (Folder 978); and Map folder 1302.

Mostly maps drawn by Barry himself. See also Miscellaneous Subject File, Folder 669, for township maps; Folder 939 in the Miscellaneous Subject File (Lapie Map); and Folder 1328 in the Maps (Series 4 for a town plan.

J. Neilson Barry compiled these folders (arranged alphabetically by last name) with references to and information concerning persons who lived, worked, or visited Astoria. Data on Astorians who remained in Oregon was used as source material for his article, "Astorians Who Became Permanent Settlers" (Washington Historical Quarterly, 1933). The names of Astorians should also be checked against the compilations in Files 67 through 70.5 (Persons) and names of persons in the Miscellaneous Subject File.

Research material and references to outposts of Astoria.

See also the folders on Ships in the Miscellaneous Subject File (Folders 1115-1127). E.W. Giesecke cited Barry's research in his series of articles, "Search for the Tonquin," in Cumtux (1990). His articles and other notes have been added to the collection (Folders 122 and 123).

In 1846, Sam Barlow obtained a charter allowing him to cut a toll road from Tygh Valley, Oregon, to the Willamette Valley, enabling westbound pioneers to leave the Columbia River at The Dalles and avoid both the rapids and ferry charges. Over its many years of operation, there were many course variations. Barry traced much of the route on hand-drawn township maps, and was interested in other cross-country routes from the Columbia to the Willamette. The file includes several letters (1941-1942) from W.J. Williams, who was particularly interested in the descent on the steep grade of Laurel Hill. For information on other emigrant trails in Oregon, see the folders on Trails, Roads, and Routes (Folders 1169-1177) in the Miscellaneous Subject file.

Folders 140 and 143 contain extensive lists of battles and other fights between Indians and whites, mainly in Oregon. Folder 141 includes letters (1926) from W.P. Gray, captain of the steamer Spokane, with his recollections of the fighting involving his ship in 1878. Gray's obituary is in Folder 867 in the Miscellaneous Subject File. Portions of File10 were microfilmed by the Oregon State Library in the early 1950s. Notes on forts in Washington are found in File 40, Forts: State of Washington.

These folders pertain to Barry's interest in the precise locations of the successive fur-trading posts at the mouth of the Boise River established by John Reed, Donald McKenzie, and Hudson's Bay Company. By Barry's time, the main channel of the river had shifted considerably, relocating the river's mouth and complicating his search. He corresponded with historian Annie Laurie Bird and other local people in attempting to locate the path of the original channel, and prepared a number of hand-drawn maps. Some of the letters by Barry in these files are photocopies (apparently made many years ago) of his originals letters sent to personnel of the Idaho State Historical Society. Additional correspondence about this topic is found in the correspondence with Eugene B. Chaffee (Box 9, Folder 6); oversize maps are located in Maps folder 1303.

This file contains more than 100 letters to and from Barry chronicling his interest in Captain Benjamin Bonneville's explorations in the Pacific Northwest, 1832-1834, and the identification of places mentioned in Bonneville's 18-page handwritten report of July 1833, particularly places in Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Barry was instrumental in unearthing and publicizing the 1833 report (found in War Department files). He prepared an annotated typescript (File 161) from photostats he obtained from the War Department. The Washington Historical Quarterly published a transcript from Barry's photostats in July 1927, though he was critical of that work for its lack of annotations. Among Barry's correspondents in these files are B.W. Driggs, Philip Rand, and W.A. Ricks (Idaho) and Grace Raymond Hebard (Wyoming). Additional letters about Bonneville are located in Folder 1213, Wallowa region, in the Miscellaneous Subject File.

Barry traced the claims over time of European powers and the United States to the territory of the Pacific Northwest, making note of developments, chronologically, in a series of notebooks (in Folders 170 and 171). The file includes some sketch maps but no correspondence. Much related material is found in Files 84 to 87 (Treaties). See also Miscellaneous Subject File for folders on Colorado, Map of (Folder 795) and Northwest Boundary (Folder 1013).

See also Miscellaneous Subject File for Simon Fraser and Fraser River (Folders 845 and 846).

The material in this file concentrates on the Hudson's Bay company's activities and personnel in what became the American Pacific Northwest. See also Maps folder 1305.

These files contains hand-drawn and commercial maps, as well as Barry's notes, about posts, forts, and routes of fur traders, in Canada, particularly British Columbia.

Barry was interested in the natural history of the Cascades of the Columbia River and the Indian legends of the Bridge of the Gods, as well as the military history of the vicinity, particularly the battle there in 1856. Barry mixed his notes in some of his booklets, so some of these folders contain notes on aspects of the Cascades not indicated by the folder titles. Folder 209 contains a printed prospectus for building the 1926 steel Bridge of the Gods (also found in Folder 288). Correspondents in the Sheridan Point file (Folder 208) include D.A. Brown, who wrote about the restored Fort Rains there as well as other Columbia River blockhouses. More notes and letters about the Cascades are in File 29 (Columbia River: Drowned Forest).

In 1936, J. Neilson Barry published a series of articles in the Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon), entitled "How Oregon Was Acquired: An Expose of the Champoeg Myth." In particular, he wished to debunk a popular notion that Oregon became part of the United States by a vote of its early settlers at Champoeg on May 2, 1843. He believed that the importance of the May 2 meeting was exaggerated in other respects, too, including the claim that it represented the beginnings of civil government in Oregon. These files reflect his continuing research on what exactly took place at various meetings at Champoeg, who was there, the wording of monuments and signage at Champoeg State Park, and the broader question of the origins of civil government by the American settlers in Oregon. See also the folders on Ewing Young's estate (Folders 1264-1267) in the Miscellaneous Subject file. Portions of Barry's Champoeg files were microfilmed by the Oregon State Library in the early 1950s.

J. Neilson Barry made a detailed study of early land ownership and donation claims in the Champoeg vicinity. He created detailed hand-drawn maps of the townships and sections, noting early ownership and the presence of structures such as barns, houses, etc. See also Maps folder 1306.

Chiefly photostats of primary source documents Barry used in his research and prepared for duplication and distribution. For maps of Champoeg Park, see Map folder 1306.

Notations, year by year, on important events in Oregon, with bibliographical references.

John Colter, one of the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition, returned to the Rocky Mountains as a trapper after the conclusion of the expedition in 1806. On William Clark's 1814 map, Clark added the route of Colter's travels in 1807. The anomalies and inaccuracies of that map have given rise to questions about Colter's actual route, however. Barry pursued the problem, analyzing the information and trying to sort out the verifiable geographic locales from the disputable ones. He also investigated the 1933 discovery of a stone in eastern Idaho with an inscription allegedly by John Colter. More information on the latter is also found in File 39, Fort Henry / Carved Stones. Correspondents include Merrill D. Beal, Carl E. Jepson, Roy A. Phillips, John E. Price, and Howard R. Stagner. See also Map folder 1307.