Walter S. Brown Photograph Album, 1919-1942

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Brown, W. S. (Walter Sheldon), 1878-
Title
Walter S. Brown Photograph Album
Dates
1919-1942 (inclusive)
1919-1935 (bulk)
Quantity
0.5 cubic foot, including 418 photographs, (1 oversize box)
Collection Number
P 274
Summary
The Walter S. Brown Photograph Album consists of images taken or assembled by Brown during trips throughout the United States and Canada documenting agricultural operations, especially orchards and processing facilities. Brown was a horticulturist and faculty member at Oregon State College from 1913 until his death in 1942.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Horticulturist Walter S. Brown was a faculty member at Oregon State College from 1913 until his death in 1942. His initial position was as the first Extension Horticulturist for Oregon; he was appointed head of the Horticulture Department in 1920. Brown was an authority on northwestern fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants and authored many bulletins and circulars on horticultural topics. Oregon State University's Lewis-Brown Research Farm is named in his honor.

Brown was born in Portsmouth, New York, in 1878; he earned a B.S. from Cornell University in 1904 and an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin in 1906. He came to Oregon in 1909 as president and manager of the Corvallis Orchard Company. He married Clara Louise Raddas in 1912 and had two daughters, Grace and Lois.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Walter S. Brown Photograph Album consists of images taken or assembled by Brown during trips throughout the United States and Canada. The images consist predominantly of photographic prints and postcards; published picture postcards (many in color) are also included in the album. About half of the images depict agricultural operations, especially orchards; nurseries; and fruit processing, packing, and warehouse facilities. Other agricultural subjects include farmhouses and barns, a cropduster airplane, wheat fields, and a cranberry bog. The album includes images of an Oregon Agricultural College student tour of Oregon farms and orchards that included a visit to the Southern Oregon Experiment Station in Medford. Several images of F.C. Reimer, Superintendent of the Station, are included.

About half of the images are of natural features and landscapes, urban parks, and town and city views throughout the United States and Canada. These includes sites in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, California, New York, Alberta, and British Columbia. Oregon locales include Portland, Ashland (especially Lithia Park), Bend, Freewater, Jacksonville, Medford, Mt. Angel, Prineville, and the Sutherlin Valley. Of special note are images of the town of Siletz, Oregon and of the Indian School in Siletz. The album includes images of the Oregon coast, climbers on Mt. Hood, Diamond Lake, Crater Lake, Silver Falls, and the Columbia Gorge.

Washington images include the Spokane Valley Growers packing house and the Wapato Fruit and Cold storage facility as well as scenes of the Wenatchee area and Lake Chelan. Photographs of Boise and Lewiston, Idaho are part of the album. Canadian images include the area of Penticton, British Columbia; Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia; and the Fraser River Valley. A trip to California is documented with images of Donner Pass, the Yosemite Valley, Los Angeles, the Imperial Valley, the Spanish missions, and the redwoods of northern California.

Some of these images depict family vacations, picnics, and outings and include photographs of his wife and daughters; photographs of his brother's house in Portville, New York, are also included. The collection also includes a published obituary, typed eulogy, and materials from Brown's funeral.

A selection of images from the album are available online in The Best of OSU Archives digital collection.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Walter S. Brown Photograph Album (P 274), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The album and related materials were donated to the Archives in 2008 by Walter S. Brown's grandson.

Related Materials

The Horticulture Department Photographs (P 090) document teaching a research activities in horticulture at Oregon State from the early 1900s. Additional materials are available in the Horticulture Department Records (RG 187) and the Oregon State Horticultural Society Records (RG 151) and Photographs (P 054). The Archives holdings include the papers of several horticulture faculty: James R. Baggett, Arthur G.B. Bouquet, William A. "Tex" Frazier, and Melvin N. Westwood.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Agriculture--Northwest, Pacific.
  • Agriculture--Oregon.
  • Fruit processing plants--Oregon.
  • Fruit processing plants--Washington (State)
  • Fruit--Research--Oregon.
  • Fruit-culture--Oregon.
  • Horticulture--Oregon.
  • Horticulture--Study and teaching (Higher)--Oregon.
  • Orchards--Oregon.

Personal Names

  • Reimer, F. C. (Frank Charles), b. 1881.

Corporate Names

  • Butchart Gardens (Victoria, B.C.)
  • Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
  • Oregon Agricultural College. Dept. of Horticulture.
  • Oregon Agricultural College. Extension Service.
  • Southern Oregon Branch Experiment Station.

Geographical Names

  • Cascade Range.
  • Columbia River.
  • Imperial Valley (Calif. and Mexico)
  • Medford (Or.)
  • Pacific Coast (Or.)
  • Penticton (B.C.)
  • Portland (Or.)
  • Siletz (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photograph albums.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Photographic postcards.
  • Picture postcards.