Archives West Finding Aid

The Luther Cressman Papers, which span the years 1930-1990, consist of papers, field journals, publications, negatives, and photographs all relating to his work as an anthropologist. The collection documents his years as a professor at the University of Oregon, his involvement with other organizations, and his work after retirement. Many documents in the collection pertain to his research at Fort Rock where he discovered the sagebrush sandals considered to be the oldest known sandals in the world. The material from this research includes correspondence, publications, field notes and slides and photographs. The collection is organized into six series: personal papers, professional papers, publications, field notes, negatives and photographs, and index citation cards.

The Personal Papers series is arranged into two subseries: correspondence and Margaret Mead. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by general subject and contains incoming and outgoing letters. Researchers will be particularly interested in the Margaret Mead papers, which include media surrounding the controversy over her research in Samoa and an editorial Cressman presented in response.

The Professional Papers series is arranged into seven subseries: correspondence, Fort Rock, John Day Association, National Science Foundation, University of Oregon papers, general papers, and reference articles. The correspondence is organized into two parts, the first alphabetically by name and the second part is general correspondence arranged chronologically. The Fort Rock Cave subseries is especially interesting as this is where Cressman discovered the 9,000 year-old sandals.

The Films series contains five reel-to-reel films: three films documenting Cressman's field work, and two copies of the film, A Search for Vanished People.

The Publication series is arranged into six subseries: A Golden Journey, Klamath Prehistory, Prehistory of the Far West, minor publications, speeches, and publications about Cressman. The first three contain correspondence about publication and working and final drafts of the manuscripts. The publications about Cressman contain newspaper articles written about Luther Cressman.

The Field Notes series is arranged chronologically and contains expense books, notebooks, and loose papers from his field research. The Catlow Caves field book from 1937 has extensive research information regarding his excavations.

The Negatives and Photographs series is arranged into four subseries: negatives and photograph keys, mixed media, negatives, and photographs. The negatives are organized into three different categories: roman numeral, numbered, and general. These are especially interesting and relevant to his fieldwork. The index cards in boxes 17 and 18 provide information about the first two categories of negatives. The other negatives lack descriptions and are labeled as general. They are ordered numerically by a system used before the negatives were donated. The mixed media contains a film showing Luther Cressman's memorial service and audiotapes.

The Index Citation Cards series is arranged first by author and then by state. These cards contain information about reference articles and research locations.