Our collections exist to be used. When students work directly with primary source materials, historic photographs, and documents that are old or unique, they discover an excitement and passion not generated by textbooks.
Primary source documents can inspire, but they also teach about learning to verify sources, tracking down connections, finding evidence from content and from physical clues.
Special Collections and University Archives collects materials in all formats in the topical area Northwest history and culture.
Adair Family
CB Ad11
Reminiscences. Arranged by Laura P. Barker, 1931.
1 folder (photocopies)
General John Adair was appointed Collector of Customs at Astoria, Oregon, by President Polk in 1848. The Adair family traveled to Oregon from Kentucky by sea, via Panama, in 1848-1849. The reminiscences include an account of this trip written by Mrs. Adair (Mary Ann Dickinson Adair).
Akin, James
A 1
Journal, April 15 - October 15, 1852.
1 vol.
Akin traveled overland from Iowa to Oregon in 1853; this journal is an account of his trip. A copy of the journal was published in the Oklahoma University Bulletin, n.s. no. 172, 1919; a copy is included in the collection.
Allingham, George
CA 1851 Jan. 19
Letter, January 19, 1851.
3 pp. (copy)
Letter from Allingham to William M. Allingham, Marysville, Oregon. Comments on the weather; names various persons who have returned from the west coast destitute; suggests return by land is easier and safer.
Allingham, George
CA 1852 Mar. 28
Letter, March 28, 1852.
2 pp. (copy)
Letter from Allingham to William W. Allingham, Marysville, Oregon. Names various families getting ready to emigrate to Oregon, and ponders the possibility for himself.
Baker, Della M.
CB B172
Reminiscences of a trip from Portland, Oregon, to Dawson, Yukon Territory, in 1898. Garden Home, Oregon, 1938.
1 folder
Beeson, Welborn
Ax 799
Papers, 1848-1893.
4 boxes
Beeson was born in Illinois in 1836, and came overland to Oregon with his parents in 1853. They settled in Jackson County, where he became a farmer and was active in politics and the social life of the area. Includes diaries and account books. The 1853 diary contains a narrative of Beeson's overland journey.
Belshaw, George
SFM 224
The Diary of George Belshaw (Oregon Trail--1853). Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, 1960. From a typed copy.
52 pp.
The diary was kept during Belshaw's trip from Indiana to Oregon in 1853.
Bogan, C. S.
CA 1852 Apr. 26
Letters, April 26, 1852; June 27, 1852.
2 letters.
Letters from Bogan to "Uncle and Aunt". They were written from Acapulco, Mexico, and San Francisco, California, and describe the difficulties of the voyage from Panama.
Bond, George, b. 1818
SFM 23
George Bond's Journal of the Family's Immigration to Oregon in 1853. 1938.
8 pp.
Bond was a Baptist minister who traveled overland with his family from Illinois to Oregon in 1853; he eventually settled in Oregon City, Oregon. This is a reprint of the portion of Bond's diary that narrates the overland journey.
Bristow Family
SFM 115
Miscellaneous papers.
1 folder.
Includes several brief accounts of journeys across the plains to Oregon.
Burbank, Augustus Ripley, 1817-1902
A 13
Diary, April 12, 1849 - May 7, 1898.
3 vol. (Vol. 1 is a typed copy; Vol. 2 and 3 are originals) in 1 box.
Burbank left Naples, Illinois, in April 1849 for Sacramento, California, where he started a mule-trading business. After selling out in 1851 he returned to Illinois. In 1853, Burbank and his family left Illinois for Oregon. They traveled by sea, via Panama and San Francisco. Vol. 1 of the diary (1849-1879) covers this trip; the original of vol. 1 is in the Huntington Library. They settled in Lafayette, and returned there in 1867 after living in Portland and Monticello, W. T. The entries for 1849 to 1851 are weekly; from 1851 to 1853 and 1856 to 1879 they are annual summaries. There are no entries for 1853 to 1856. From 1880 on the entries are daily or weekly. Burbank comments on his contemporaries, the growth and progress of Portland and Lafayette, and the building of railroads in the Willamette Valley.
Burton Family
Coll. 112
Papers, 1879-1925.
1 box
The Burton family arrived in Oregon in 1844. Collection includes a description of a voyage from Portland to San Francisco in 1881, and by rail to Utah; letters; documents; and miscellaneous materials relating to the family.
Callison, John Joseph, 1830-1852
SFM 219
The Diary of John Joseph Callison: Oregon Trail-1852. Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, 1959.
10 pp.
Diary kept by Callison during his overland journey, April 6 - June 25, 1852.
Cauthorn, James D.
A 17
Journal, March 30 - June 25, 1865.
1 folder.
Cauthorn traveled overland from Mexico, Missouri, to Fort Bridger in 1865.
Condit, Philip
A 019
Diary, May 5 - September 17, 1854.
1 vol.
Condit traveled overland from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the Willamette Valley in 1854. Diary includes list of expenses.
Condit, Sylvanus
A 020
Diary, May 5 - September 16, 1854.
1 vol.
Condit traveled from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the Willamette Valley in 1854. Diary includes list of expenses.
Cooper, Arvazena Angeline (Spillman), 1845-1929
CB C784
Our Journey Across the Plains From Missouri to Oregon, in 1863. The Dalles, Oregon, 1901.
1 folder
Arvazena Cooper and her husband, Daniel Jackson Cooper, and children left Missouri for Oregon in 1863 due to conditions there during the Civil War.
Cornell, William
A 021
Diary, May 4 - October 5, 1852.
1 vol.
Cornell traveled overland from St. Joseph, Missouri, to The Dalles, Oregon, in 1852.
Cranfill, Isom, 1807-1877
Ax 127
Papers, 1847-1877.
1 box
Cranfill was a minister in the Regular Predestinarian Baptist Church. He was born in North Carolina, moved to Tennessee and Illinois, and in 1847 came overland to Oregon. He lived in many different Oregon towns, and worked as a cabinetmaker, farmer, itinerant preacher, justice of the peace, and storekeeper. Collection includes diaries, correspondence, and other miscellaneous papers. His 1847 diary is an account of his overland trip to Oregon.
Crawford, Medorem, 1819-1891
Ax 129
Papers, 1842-1891.
3 boxes
Crawford came to Oregon in 1842 from Havana, NY. He was a provisional government legislator, 1847-1849, a state legislator, 1860, and farmed near Dayton. In 1861, 1862, and 1863 he was in command of emigrant trains which traveled overland to the Pacific Northwest, the last two years as an Army captain. From 1864-1869 he was an Oregon collector of internal revenue, and from 1871-1875 appraiser of customs. The collection contains diaries, including an 1842 diary with Crawford's account of his journey to Oregon; account books; correspondence; and miscellaneous papers.
Crawford, Myrtle Dodd
CB C832
Reminiscences.
1 folder.
Reminiscences of her childhood in Iowa and of a trip to Oregon by train (1880s?). Includes memories of the early 1900s in Eugene and Springfield, and school teaching experiences in Lane County.
D'Arcy, Marianne (Hunsaker), b. 1842
CB D244
Reminiscences of Marianne Hunsaker D'Arcy, 1846-1870. Edited by Daisy Sanford (her daughter).
2 folders. Original and typed copies.
Includes recollection of an overland journey from Illinois to Oregon in 1846.
Darst, Paul
A 26
Diary, June 9 - September 8, 1847.
1 folder.
Darst traveled overland from Fort Laramie to Oregon City, Oregon in 1847. Also includes expense account for a trip to California in 1866.
Dodge, Orvil
A 261
Letters of Orvil and Alice Dodge to David P. Walrad, 1862-1863.
6 letters.
Orvil Dodge came to Oregon from California in 1861. At the time of these letters he was in The Dalles in the 1st Oregon Cavalry. Walrad was his father-in-law. Letters describe The Dalles and comment on life in the militia.
Douglas, James, 1803-1877
A 029
Journal, 1840.
1 folder.
Douglas traveled by sea from Fort Vancouver to California in 1840. The original journal is in the Provincial archives, Victoria, B. C.
Duniway, Abigail Scott
Coll. 232B
Papers, 1853-1992.
14 boxes, 1 folio, 2 volumes.
Collection includes 1852 journal kept by pioneer and suffragist Abigail Scott (Duniway) during her family's trip to Oregon. Original of 1852 journal and photocopy of 1853 revision. Collection also includes photocopies of John Tucker Scott letters from the Oregon Trail, 1852.
Dyson, George
Ax 244
Papers, 1861-1931.
1 box.
Dyson was born in England and came to the US about 1845. In 1861 he went to California, via Panama, and worked in California and Nevada as a tinsmith and a gold miner. He returned to the Midwest but came west again in 1874, to Brownsville, Oregon, where he established the town's first newspaper, the Brownsville Advertiser, in 1878, mined in central Idaho in the 1880s, and moved to Eugene, Oregon, in 1899, where he resumed his trade as a tinsmith. Papers include diaries, correspondence, business records, and manuscript periodicals.
Eakin, Jane
A 30
Diary, 1866.
1 folder.
Eakin traveled overland from Illinois to Eugene, Oregon, in 1866.
Eakin, S. B.
A 031
Diary, 1866.
1 folder.
Eakin traveled overland from Illinois to Eugene, Oregon, in 1866.
A 032
Papers, 1853-1860.
1 folder.
Ellmaker traveled overland from Iowa to Oregon in 1853. Includes a narrative of the trip, a sketch of the Ellmaker family, and letters from Reuben Ellmaker to Enos Ellmaker.
Evans, Mrs. S.D.
CB Ev16
Account of a trip from Washoe, Nevada, to Douglas County, Oregon, in 1863.
1 folder. Typed copy.
Mrs. Evans's husband was killed by Indians in 1861. She and her two children traveled from Nevada to their farm near Roseburg, Oregon, in 1863.
Fear Family
Ax 34
Papers, 1865-1931.
5 boxes; about 1,500 letters.
Frazer, Thomas, b. 1813
CB F869
Reminiscences of Thomas Frazer, to 1853, Including the History of the Frazer Family in America.
1 folder. Original and typed copies.
Describes Frazer's childhood in Massachusetts, early life at sea, a trading voyage to California and Oregon (via Panama), 1850-1851, and experiences as a trader in the southern Oregon mines, 1852-1853.
Frush, William H.
A 038
Diary, May 15, 1850 - September 25, 1850.
1 folder.
Frush traveled overland from Knox County, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, in 1850. The original diary is in the Coe Collection, Yale University Library.
Gaylord, Orange, b. 1823
A 040
Diary, March 13, 1850 - September 9, 1851; March 7 - October 13, 1853.
1 folder.
Includes accounts of Gaylord's overland trip from Illinois to California in 1850, voyage to Oregon from San Francisco, return to Illinois via Panama and New York in 1851, and an overland return to Oregon in 1853.
Geary, Edward R., 1811-1886
CA 1851 Apr. 17
Letter, April 17, 1851.
12 pp. (typed copy)
Letter from Geary to John McLellan, Fredericksburg, OH. Describes a voyage to the Pacific Coast via Panama, and first impressions of Oregon. The text was copied from the Wooster Democrat, Wooster, Ohio, June 19, 1851.
Giles, Daniel, b. 1836
CB G391
Autobiography of Daniel Giles.
1 folder (typed copy).
Includes story of his overland journey from Iowa to Oregon in 1852, and his experiences in gold mining and Indian fighting in southern Oregon, 1853-1855.
Goltra, Elizabeth J.
A 034
Journal, April 29 - September 29, 1853.
1 folder.
Goltra traveled overland from Missouri to Oregon in 1853.
Gordon, Wyona Eliza Surfus
CB G659
Reminiscences. Colton, Oregon, 1963.
1 folder.
Describes an 1883 overland journey from Topeka, Kansas, to Oregon City, Oregon. She attended Philomath College and later taught school in Portland.
Gragg Family
Ax 139
Letters and misc. papers, 1859-1930.
3 boxes.
Joseph Gragg came overland to Oregon from Illinois in 1852 and settled on a farm near Monroe. Collection provides commentary on family relationships, farm life, church affairs, schools and teaching, and social life in general. Includes information on the history of Philomath College.
Grover, Lafayette, 1823-1911
A 042
Diary, January 30, 1851 - February 24, 1853.
1 folder.
Includes an account of a voyage from Philadelphia to Portland, Oregon, in 1851.
Helman, Abel D., 1824-1910
A 048
Papers, 1850-1892.
4 folders.
Includes a diary and expense account of a voyage to California in 1850, and to Oregon in 1851, an expense account for a trip from Oregon to Ohio and return in 1853, and a diary for October 7, 1858 - April 11, 1859, and February 1, 1883 - July 30, 1892. Also includes a table of weather data for February 1, 1883 - July 31, 1892, and a journal of the "Mountain Rangers,\" Oregon Militia, 1st Regiment, 1st brigade, Company A, 1863-1866.
Hockett, W. A.
CB H659
Experiences of W. A. Hockett on the Oregon Trail, 1847. Eugene, Oregon, 1914.
1 folder. Typed copy
The Hockett family was in the Lewelling party, and crossed the plains to Portland, Oregon, from Salem, Iowa. Hockett was nine at the time of the trip; his parents died on the trail.
Hoffman, William, b. 1801
A 052
Journal, 1853.
1 folder.
Hoffman traveled overland from Covington, Indiana, to Jacksonville, Oregon, in 1853. Includes autobiographical notes.
Holt, Julia A.
SFM 113
Letters, October 29, 1865 - September 12, 1875.
1 folder.
Letters from Julia A. Holt and her sister Adella Holt to their aunt and uncle in Georgia, giving an account of the Holt family's journey from Lexington, Georgia, via Panama, to Oregon in 1866, and describing their life in Oregon.
Johnson, H.
SFM 67
Journal.
1 item.
Johnson was a Methodist preacher. This journal was kept during a voyage to Oregon during the 1860s.
Johnson, John Lawrence, b. 1830
A 270
Diary, April 1 - August 27, 1851.
1 vol.
Johnson traveled overland from Iowa to Oregon in 1851.
Judy, Laura
CB B864
Caroline Thurman, biographical sketch of an Amity, Oregon, pioneer, n. d.
Typed copy, 7 pp.
Kearney, Philip, 1814-1862
A 065
Diary, March 15, 1850 - June 29, 1851.
1 folder.
Diary of a trip from San Francisco to Vancouver and back to California, 1850-1851.
Lee, Anna, b. 1807
SFM 167
Autobiography of Anna Lee. July 1, 1898
1 folder.
Lee was born in Seneca County, New York, and traveled overland with her family to Oregon in 1847.
Lloyd, William W., 1866-1957
SFM 133
Reminiscences.
1 folder.
Lloyd was born in Adair County, Missouri, in 1866, and traveled overland with his family to Idaho and Oregon in 1876. He became a farmer, stock-raiser, and the first mayor of Halfway, Oregon. The reminiscences tell of his trip to Idaho in 1876, and of his life in Pine Valley, Oregon.
Longsworth, Basil Nelson
SFM 218
Diary of Basil Nelson Longsworth, March 15, 1853 to January 22, 1854, Covering the Period of His Migration From Ohio to Oregon. Eugene, Oregon: Reproduced by the Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, 1959.
79 l.
Account of Longsworth's overland journey from Washington Township, Guernsey County, Ohio, to Oregon in the summer of 1853.
Looney, Jesse
CA 1843 Oct. 27
Letter, October 27, 1843.
3 l. (Typed copy)
Letter from Looney to John C. Bond, Waiilaptu, O. T., advising him on preparations for a trip across the plains.
Luelling, Seth
A 71
Diary, March 23, 1850 - April 26, 1853.
1 folder.
Lyman, Esther and Joseph
SFM 228
Esther and Joseph Lyman Letters About 1853 Lost Wagon Train. Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, [1960].
24 l.
The letters discuss the lost wagon train of 1853.
McClure, Andrew S., 1829-1898
A 074
Journal, May 7 - October 13, 1853.
2 folders.
McClure traveled overland from Kansas to the Willamette Valley in 1853.
McClure, John Hamilton, d. 1916
SFM 221
How We Came to Oregon.
1 folder. Typed copy; published version.
A reminiscence, in verse, of an overland journey from Knox County, Indiana, to Eugene, Oregon, in 1853. A version of this reminiscence was published by the Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society in 1967.
McComas, Evans S., 1839-1911
Ax 181
Papers, 1862-19811.
1 box; 1.5 lin. ft.
McComas was born in Ohio. In 1862 (May 14 - September 19) he traveled overland from Iowa City, Iowa, to Auburn, Oregon. He was a newspaper editor and owner in eastern Oregon. He also promoted mines, patent medicine, and real estate. Collection includes a diary and scrapbooks. The diary is from 1862 to 1867, and includes an account of his trip to Oregon.
Minto, John, 1822-1915
CA 1892 Jan. 15
Letter, January 15, 1892.
6 l.
Letter from Minto to William P. Lord, Salem, Oregon. Recalls experiences with the Applegate party in the Siskiyou mountains, 1847-1848.
Moore, Jonathan Limerick, 1830-1862
A 153
Diary, March 3 - September 16, 1852.
1 vol.
Moore traveled overland from Missouri to Oregon in 1852.
Myer, Nathaniel.
A 086
Diary, March 21 - October 4, 1853
1 folder.
Myer traveled from Iowa to the Rogue River Valley in 1853. The original diary is in the Spencer Collection.
Neall, James and Hannah
Coll 347
Reminiscence, 1888, and copy book, n. d.
James Neall's reminiscences describe the period from 1845 through 1850 when he traveled to the west coast twice, first to settle in Oregon, then to set up a trading post in San Francisco. Hannah Lloyd Neall was a suffragist and was active in literary circles of San Francisco.
Newby, William T., 1820-1884
A 088
Diary and account books, 1843, 1861-1864.
4 vol.
Includes narrative of an overland journey from Westport, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, May 13 - November 5, 1843. He settled on a donation land claim in Yamhill County, Oregon, and founded the town of McMinnville.
Newell, Robert, 1807-1869
A 089
Memorandum of Robert Newell's travels in the territory of Missouri, 1829-1842.
1 vol.
Nicklin, John H.
CA 1851 Feb. 25
Letter, February 25, 1851
8 pp. (typed copy)
Letter from Nicklin to Israel T. Nicklin, Salt Creek, Polk Co., Oregon. Describes an overland journey from Fort Laramie to Oregon, and conditions in Oregon.
Nighswander, Francis Marion, b. 1844
A 091
Journal and misc. papers, 1862-1870.
1 folder.
The journal, which is illustrated with pencil drawings, covers Nighswander's trip from Ohio to California, via Panama, in 1862, and his move to Lane County, Oregon, in 1864. The papers include letters by Nighswander written from Idaho and British Columbia gold fields, 1862-1865.
Owen, Benjamin Franklin
A 093
Journal, 1853.
1 folder, 60 typewritten leaves.
My Trip Across the Plains, March 31, 1853-October 28, 1853.
Parker, Mrs. Inez Eugenia (Adams), 1845-1933
CB P225
Early Recollections of Oregon Pioneer Life. ca.1924
1 folder.
Parker crossed the plains from Illinois to Oregon in 1848, and spent her childhood in Yamhill, Oregon. The Recollections tell of her life in Illinois and Oregon.
Pengra, Charlotte Emily Stearns, b. 1827
SFM 225
Diary of Mrs. Bynon J. Pengra, Maiden Name Charlotte Emily Stearns . . . Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, [1959].
56 pp.
The diary was kept on Mrs. Pengra's overland journey from Illinois to Oregon in 1853.
Perkins, Norris H.
SFM 141
Slow Settles the Dust in Oregon, 1991.
1 volume.
A chronicle of four or five generations of several Oregon pioneer families.
Powell, Philander
A 098
Journal, 1860.
1 folder.
Journal of an overland trip from Arkansas to California, via Denver, Camp Floyd, Utah, and the Carson River, from April 19 to October 10, 1860.
Powell Family
Ax 521
Records, 1851-1918.
12 vol.
Personal, social, and business records relating to the J. A. Powell family and the J. B. V. Butler family of Linn and Polk counties in Oregon. Includes a manuscript overland guide, Fort Hall to John Day River, 1851.
Purse, Grace Guile
Coll. 033
Genealogical papers, 1844-1942.
1 box; 1.5 lin. ft.
In 1920, Grace Purse, a physician in Washington, D.C., began researching her family's history due to her desire to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. The collection contains family correspondence, documents, ledges, and the diary of Molly Guile which describes her family's overland journey from Missouri to Montana in 1869.
Robbins, Kate L.
A 105
Letters, 1855-1886.
99 letters.
Kate (Pratt) Robbins was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts. She came west in 1859 with husband Abner Robbins, first to California, then to Oregon. Letters describe 1859 sea journey and life in Indian Creek, California, as well as living conditions in and near Ochoco and Prineville, Oregon.
Roberts, George
SFM 168
George Roberts and the Hoffman Family, Oregon Pioneers. Sacramento, California: G. and D. Roberts, 1990.
Royal, James Henry Bascom
A 106
Papers, 1849-1855.
1 folder.
Includes journal of an overland trip from Illinois to Oregon, June 5 - October 27, 1853; diaries, June 17, 1849 - February 24, 1853 and December 19, 1853 - July 4, 1855; and two letters from James H. Wilbur.
Rudd, Mrs. Lydia A.
A 107
Journal, May 6 - October 27, 1852.
1 folder.
Mrs. Rudd traveled overland from Missouri to Oregon in 1852.
Scott, Hamilton
A 108
Diary, 1862.
1 folder.
Scott traveled overland from Fremont, Iowa, to Walla Walla, Washington, in 1862.
Shaver, John
A 109
Journal, March 11 - April 2, 1868.
1 vol.
Shaver sailed on the Henry Chauncey from New York to Aspinwall, crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and sailed on the Sacramento to San Francisco.
Snowden, Samuel A.
A 114
Letters, 1851-1854.
1 folder.
Letters describe Snowden's efforts to migrate from England to Oregon Territory, and relate to his first year in the Territory.
Sperry, James B., 1833-1922
CB Sp37
History of the Sperry Family. 1920.
1 folder. Typed copy.
Tells of Sperry's journey from Ohio to the Willamette Valley in 1851.
Springer, Viola, b. 1865
A 116
Journal, May 18, 1885 - February 22, 1886.
1 vol., 1 typescript in 2 folders.
Springer traveled overland from Princeton, Missouri, to Harney Valley, Oregon, in 1885.
Sutton, Sarah
CA Su87
"Crossing the Plains\" (scrapbook), 1854.
1 folder.
Scrapbook contains narrative as printed in a newspaper.
Taylor, Josiah
SFM 099
Letter, February 20, 1853.
1 item.
Taylor emigrated from Indiana to Oregon in the 1850s. This letter is to Samuel Cook (the brother of Taylor's wife, Elizabeth) in Rockford, Illinois, describing their overland journey to Oregon.
Taylor Family
A 121
Records, 1853-1862.
1 folder.
Includes journal of an overland trip from Rockford, Illinois, to Oregon in 1853, by Rachel Taylor; a diary of D. H. Taylor on military service against Indians, January-May 1862; and a genealogy of the Taylor family and related families.
Teal, Joseph Nathan, 1858-1929
Ax 171
Stories from Sage Brush Land. Portland, Oregon, 1921.
1 folder. Typed copy.
Stories Teal wrote for his children, telling about his life. Includes a description of Teal's parents' journey from Illinois to Oregon City in 1853, and another move the Teal family made in 1862.
Tetherow, Solomon, 1800-1879
A 123
The Organizational Journal of an Emigrant Train of 1845, Captained by Solomon Tetherow by Solomon Tetherow and An Account of the Wagon Train Mastered by Solomon Tetherow by Fidelia March Bowers. Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Pioneer-Historical Society, 1960.
1 folder. Typed copy; published version.
Thomson, Jeremiah Barnett, 1835-1923
CB T384
Early Days in Oregon; A History of My Boyhood Days, My Trip Across the Plains [in 1853], Service in the Indians Wars, Experiences in the Mines, and the Many Hardships Endured in a Long and Eventful Life. Roseburg, Oregon, 1922.
1 folder.
Thomson crossed the plains from Arkansas to Oregon, via the Arkansas River and the current site of Denver.
Warner, Mason Young, 1868-1957
Coll 245
Papers, 1853-1944.
8 boxes; 4 lin. ft.
Young was a member of a Pleasant Hill, Oregon, pioneer family, and a resident of Eugene. The collection consists mainly of family letters. Also included are two overland journey diaries-of Agnes Stewart (Warner) and Helen Stewart (Love). The sisters were part of the "Warner " train which traveled from St. Louis to Oregon in 1853. The Agnes Stewart diary was published (as edited by Claire Warner Churchill) in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, March 1928, under the title "Journey to Oregon-A Pioneer Girl's Diary.\"
West, George Miller, 1831-1912
CB W52
Autobiography. Red Oak, Louisiana, n. d.
1 folder. Typed copy.
Relates incidents of crossing the plains in the summer of 1853 with the Peter Butler train of Monmouth, Illinois.
Widmer, Margaret Mary
SFM 059
Biographical sketch of Margaret Mary Widmer, daughter of Oregon pioneer Conrad Widmer.
Williams, V. A.
A 134
Journal, April 1 - September 20, 1853.
1 vol.
Williams traveled overland from Iowa to southern Oregon in 1853.
Wilson, Bushrod
A 135
Letters to Joseph Patten Wilson, 1846-1875.
40 letters.
Wilson was born in Maine in 1824 and moved with his family to New York and then Illinois. In 1843 he left home and signed on to a whaling voyage out of New Bedford for three years. In 1849 he sailed from New York to San Francisco and arrived in the gold fields in 1850. After a short stay he moved to Oregon and settled in Corvallis, where he became a carpenter. He was county clerk of Benton County for several years. Letters comment on politics, business, and religion. A letter from cousin Henry Clay Wilson describes prospects of Port Townsend, "Oregon Terr." region.
Wood, Joseph Warren, 1826-1914
A 137
Journal, April 9, 1849 - April 14, 1853.
2 folders.
Journal covers Wood's overland trip from Wisconsin to California and return.
Woolverton Family
A 149
Misc. records.
1 folder; 5 items.
Includes typed copy of 1864 overland journal, Iowa to Oregon, by Mrs. W. A. Loughary.
Wright, Dunham, 1832-1942
CB W931
Reminiscences of an Overland Journey From Iowa to Colorado in 1860, and Adventures in the Salmon River Mines of Idaho, 1862. 1936, 1937.
Typed copy; 16 pp.
Zieber, Albert
A 139
[Diary and letters] 1850
1 folder incl. 1 v., 4 letters
Diary covers period March 28-June 6, 1850, from Peoria, IL, to South Pass.
[Identification of item], Date (if known), Collection Title, Collection Number, Box and Folder number [or photo ID number], Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.
Special Collections and University Archives is the primary repository for the University of Oregon’s archives, rare books, historic photographs, and one of the largest historical manuscripts collections in the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to acquire, preserve, and make available a clearly defined set of primary sources and rare books, reflecting the written, visual, and audio history and culture of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and selected aspects of American and world history. Our diverse collections support all types of research, from K–12 education to international scholarship. We strive to play an active and creative role in the teaching, research, and service missions of the University.
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