A group portrait of five men and two boys working on a hops farm near Forest Grove, Oregon, possibly in the Hillside neighborhood. This image probably dates from 1910-1914. The men, who are all wearing work clothes and hats, hold hoes in front of them. One man holds a pipe in his mouth. The hops vines around them hang from strings supported by tall poles. Flaws in the photograph are due to dust and deterioration of the emulsion layer on the negative.
A team of men harvest hay or grain from a field using steam-powered machinery. A steam tractor engine and a "Case" brand boiler pulled by two horses stand on the left. A pile of wood used to power the engine and two barrels sit nearby. A long belt attached to the steam tractor engine is running a third machine, possibly a thresher or baler (right). Men stand atop a horse-drawn wagon behind the machine on the right, carefully raking hay, while another empty wagon stands nearby. A recently-cut field of hay or grain is in the background, alongside a grove of oak trees. Small haystacks lie scattered around the field. This photograph was taken around 1910-1914 near Forest Grove, Oregon (possibly in Banks or Hillside), by William Alonso Clapshaw. Flaws in the photograph are due to dust and deterioration of the emulsion layer on the negative.
Several men and boys stand with a set of Adriance brand reaper-binders in Banks, Oregon, circa 1910-1914. A caption reads: "One Day's Delivery of Binders By John Wunderlich, Banks, Ore." John Wunderlich was a merchant in Banks at the time. Many houses are in the background of this image; a woman stands of one their porches. The reaper-binder machines were used to cut grain and bind it into bundles or sheaves, which would then be pushed into cone-shaped stacks that would be left to dry in the fields. This photograph may have been taken at or near the train depot in Banks. For another version of the same scene, see image: PUA_MS154_055
A steam tractor engine (left) powers a belt that drives a threshing machine (right, behind hay wagon). This photograph was taken circa 1910-1914 north of Forest Grove, Oregon, possibly at or near the property now found at 42440 Purdin Road. The ridgeline in the background of the photograph closely matches the modern view looking southwest from that location.
The men standing on the wagon are loading harvested grain - perhaps oats or wheat - into the thresher, which is separating the grain from the chaff. The grain is coming out of a chute that descends from the lower right side of the thresher. The chaff, or straw, is shooting out of the thresher into the barn on the right. A field with many tree stumps and wildflowers appears in the foreground. The Coast Range, farms and groves of oak stand in the background. For a similar image by the same photographer, see Image PUA_MS154_026.
Threshing of a grain harvest, probably near Forest Grove or Banks, Oregon circa 1910-1914. A steam-powered tractor engine (right) turns a long belt which drives the threshing machine on the left. Men standing on the wagons with pitchforks are feeding harvested grain -- possibly oats -- into the thresher, which separates the grain from the chaff. Men standing by the empty horse-drawn wagon (left) are gathering the grain from a chute that extends from the thresher, while the chaff, or hay, is being shot into the air, forming huge pile (left, background). Additional workers wait nearby, while what may be a covered chuck wagon sits by the steam tractor. Cut grain that is waiting to be threshed waits in the field in the foreground. For a similar image by the same photographer, see Image PUA_MS154_023.
Men on a farm near Forest Grove, Oregon, fill a silo attached to a barn. The man in the bowler hat (right) is tending an engine that is driving a belt. The belt turns a wheel which is attached to a silo-filling machine (center, with tall white pipe extending vertically). The man by the silo-filling machine is feeding hay into its hopper, which the machine chops and then blows through the pipe into the silo. A third man, standing on the wagon drawn by two horses, is delivering the hay -- possibly alfalfa. This was likely to be used as livestock feed. A farm dog stands on the right, and one more man stands almost behind the silo, facing away from the camera. A pulley system is attached to the side of the barn. This photograph was probably taken in the Hillside, Gales Creek or Banks neighborhoods between 1910-1914.
Two farmers wearing overalls and straw hats sit on a pair of plows, each of which is drawn by a team of two horses. A young horse (or possibly a mule?) stands near one of the horse teams. This photograph was taken in the vicinity of Forest Grove, Oregon circa 1910-1914, possibly in the Hillside or Hayward communities northwest of town. A field stands behind them, with a partially cleared forest and several houses on the hill in the background. This photograph appears to have been overexposed, and also has some damage due to deterioration of the emulsion layer on the negative.
Several men and boys stand with a set of Adriance brand reaper-binders in Banks, Oregon, circa 1910-1914. A faint caption reads: "One Day's Delivery of Binders By John Wunderlich, Banks, Ore." John Wunderlich was a merchant in Banks at the time. The binder machines were used to cut grain and bind it into bundles or sheaves, which would then be pushed into cone-shaped stacks that would be left to dry in the fields. This photograph may have been taken at or near the train depot in Banks. For another version of the same scene, see Image PUA_MS154_022
Charles Imlay oral history recording on Ladd-Reed farm. The Imlay family handled a lot of the Ladd-Reed farm’s grain in the earlier years; storing it, cleaning it and then shipping it to town to be sold. The farm itself produced mainly wheat in the earlier years, but later expanded to producing oats, hay and livestock. Besides this farm Reed also had a farm in the valley that was about 3000 acres. At one point both men believe that Reed owned as many as 14 farms at once. The house on the farmland was run by the foreman; having eight to six rooms and a large kitchen that could fit as many as 40 men at once for a meal. Besides the house there were three different barns for the horses, hogs and cows and a creamery. By 1895 all the livestock had been sold or moved from this main farm to a different, besides the ones used for the creamery. Despite owning the land and farm Charles never recalls seeing Mr. Reed on the farm.
An audio recording of an oral history of John and Olive Mulloy on April 20, 1978, of their lives in Laurel, Oregon. It covers the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century with the settlement of their families in Washington County along with the Native Americans. Interview goes back and forth between John and Olive talking about their family histories, the settlement of Portland, crops in their area, the Milk War in Portland, and the settlement and influence of churches. Recreational activities such as baseball teams, musical bands, and dances are also discussed. There is a short pause in the recording at 30:55. There is a transcript of the first half of the recording with a two-page introduction to the interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Edward Bernards recorded on April 5, 1978, of the Verboort community in Washington County, Oregon. He talks about the early settlement of the Dutch and Chinese in Verboort in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bernards describes the farms and what was produced and shipped around the world, particularly hops. The Catholic Church and community as well as other social activities are discussed, including a Major League baseball player named Larry Jansen. Voices in recording are hard to hear due to white noise, and from 28:40-29:20, background noise makes the voices inaudible. There is a page transcript of an introduction to the interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Peter Hing recorded on April 18, 1978, on his family’s settlement in the early nineteenth century on the west coast and the history of the Chinese population in Washington County, Oregon. He mentions the Race Riots in Portland, Oregon, religion and the conversion of many Chinese to Christianity, the Opium War, family tongs, and the industries that the Chinese laborers were involved in- farming, grubbing stumps, and mining. Hing describes his personal life going to school in the Tualatin area in a one room schoolhouse, his father purchasing land and the hops business in the area, and the importance placed on Chinese children of his generation to continue their education. Many Chinese who went on to college, Hing included, did not find jobs, immediately or ever, in their field of study because of racial discrimination. Hing compares that to his experience in 1978, the time of the interview, and states that there is no discrimination in the hiring process and it is based strictly on merit. Hing also describes the process of borrowing money that the Chinese had in the early twentieth century with the formation of clubs of ten to twenty families. He finishes with distinguishing between the different generations of the Chinese in America and how that has affected the perception of them both in America and in China. There is a typed page of introduction along with the recording and how Peter Hing was chosen to be interviewed.
An audio recording of an oral history of Chester Robinson and his family’s history in Washington County, Oregon, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He describes the settlement of his great-grandfather on the Donation Land Claim and the original file that was signed by President Andrew Johnson. Talks about the farmland and how it has been used over the years, including its connection to the Milk Wars of 1930 and its business with the Red Rock Dairy. Also talks about politics and the county’s Republican leaning, his life as a teenager on the farm, the passing down of farmland in a family, taxes on farmland, and the historic water tower in the area that was built in 1905. The recording has a lot of background noise including other voices and sounds of automobiles outside. There is a transcript with an introduction and an index, but the transcript ends about halfway through the interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Arthur P. Ireland recorded on April 28, 1978. The interview starts with a brief introduction to the Ireland family history dairy farming on their donation land claim starting in the mid-nineteenth century. He describes the uses of certain breeds of cows, the specifics of the dairy market, the building of cheese and creameries factories, and the growth of demand in Portland for milk. From personal involvement, he talks about the Milk War in Portland in 1930 and how the Dairy Cooperative Association was involved. Legislation on dairy production and a typical day on the farm in Forest Grove, Oregon, are also detailed. The last half of the recording is harder to hear due to some background noise and white noise. There is a full transcript of the interview along with an introduction and index to the interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Margaret Derle Perkins on farming and settlement in Beaverton. Second tape is mostly inaudible. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Samuel (Sam) Rich, covering the history of Orenco and the nursery business in Washington County. There is a transcript of this interview.
A video recording of an oral history of Dorothy Schlicting on the Schlicting Family of Sherwood, Oregon and the Schlicting Century Farm. Topics include: the Schlicting brothers immigrating from Germany to the United States in the 1860s and arrival in Oregon in the 1870s; history of their farm from the 1870s onward; founding of the St. Paul Lutheran Church; family genealogy; and other topics.
Part 2 of a video recording of an oral history of Eugene Zurbrugg on his family's history in Washington County and a developer's perspective on urban planning. In Part 2, Zurbrugg talks about various historical items in his home.
