The collection consists of a two-part document by Robert A. Nisbet, Jr. titled, "The History of Summer Lake Hot Springs with an Addendum on James 'Blackie' Parker Art." The first part provides a history of Summer Lake Hot Springs, a resort near Paisley, Oregon, including notes about John C. Fremont's observations of the area in 1843, and details about the site's ownership history and what facilities were erected at the site. This history also includes images of the owners and their families, and of site buildings. The history concludes with notes about the resort's use as a camp for National Guard firefighters during the Brattain forest fire in September 2020.

The second part of the document consists of a brief biographical sketch of James "Blackie" Parker (1924-2015), who recuperated at Summer Lake Hot Springs following an injury in the 1960s, and who made numerous woodcarvings, some of which were still at the resort in 2020. In addition to the biographical sketch, this section includes photographs of Parker and of his woodcarvings, including ones that his wife, Mabel Parker (1914-2000), painted.