An audio recording of an oral history of Frank Bud Smith on logging. Interviewee is noted as Frank on cassettes; Francis on transcript file. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Oliver Vandomelen about his experiences with farming and logging in Oregon, recorded on May 15, 1978. Vandomelen was born in Banks, Oregon, in 1906. He was a member of the Dutch-Catholic clan who settled in the town of Verboort and has spread to the northern part of Washington County. Growing up in the unincorporated area of Oregon called Mountaindale, Vandomelen helped on his father’s farm doing every bit of chore imaginable. The Mountaindale store had been in the area before he was born, so it was really old. When his father lost the farm during the Great Depression, Vandomelen found work on other farms and was able to survive until he got into logging with his brother-in-law. He talks about the best ways to log with horses, the ideal conditions under which to log in the woods, and his first experiences to getting the hang of logging. Vandomelen lived in or near Cornelius for seven years. He then bought land in Mountaindale and started his own farm. He mostly grew strawberries, but also had grains, some oats, barley, and wheat among others. Vandomelen talks about the benefits of using horses rather than machines when plowing land. He also mentions the different kinds of crops that farmers used to grow in the area, including growing corn to send to the Bird’s Eye cannery in Hillsboro. When describing logging, he mentions the different woods and sawmills that were around, including Sherman’s Mill. Much of the areas in Washington County where people were farming, logging, and living were made up of unincorporated communities such as Mountaindale, Bacona, Shady Brook, Green Mountain, and Dixie Mountain, among others. Snooseville was another where it was so named because of the snoose (snus) that was used by the area’s inhabitants. Vandomelen briefly mentions that Native Americans must have been in the area at one time, because his father and others would find many arrowheads while farming. Vandomelen talks about the local dance halls with its dancing and fights and his own experience with them. He talks about how his children grew up in the area also and how he was seeing new people move into the area. At the end of the interview, Vandomelen says that he will continue farming strawberries with horses as long as he can. Voices in the recording are clearly audible throughout, but there are some background noises of dogs barking and a baby crying. Vandomelen’s wife also chimes in periodically. The recording ends in the middle of a question in the interview. There is a full transcription of the interview along with a two-page introduction and an index.
An audio recording of an oral history of Robert Benson on the history of Washington County, including a discussion of his family, the history of Hevetia, Indians in Washington County, and reflections on the importance of local history. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Robert Benson on the history of Washington County, including a discussion of his family, the history of Hevetia, Indians in Washington County, and reflections on the importance of local history. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Robert Benson on the history of Washington County, including a discussion of his family, the history of Hevetia, Indians in Washington County, and reflections on the importance of local history. There is a transcript of this 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 Luz Villaroel, including her work with the Beaverton School District as an ESL Counselor. File includes finding aid. There is a transcript of this interview.
The third and last part of an audio recording of an oral history of Enedelia Schofield recorded in March, 2013, about her life in Forest Grove, Oregon. In this section, she talks about her realization of how her minority status affects other people in situations, studying and passing the bar exam ten years after she had gone to law school, and getting a job as a principal at Echo Shaw Elementary School in Forest Grove, Oregon. Though not well received at first, Enedelia tells the story of how she gained the respect of those working with her and the parents entrusting their children to her school. She held a large part in starting the Dual Language Program at Echo Shaw School. She also describes how she met her second husband and got married. Enedelia finishes with giving the advice to people to get involved in the community and help people not become another statistic.
The second part of an audio recording of an oral history of Enedelia Schofield recorded in March, 2013, about her life in Forest Grove, Oregon. Through this section, Enedelia talks about her time at the Lewis and Clark Law School where she learned the value of study groups and what schools can do for minority students. Through these years in her life, Enedelia redefined what success looked like to her and after working as a clerk for a courtroom for a few years, she switched to education. After teaching at the elementary level, she went into an administrative program that allowed her to also get her master’s degree. Enedelia learned over the years the gift she had of being bilingual and what opportunities were opened up to her, as well as the challenges that were presented. She also talks about what she learned from her first marriage and being a Hispanic woman in each of her social settings. At 11:30 of the recording, there is a few second break as the recording switches.
An audio recording of an oral history of Enedelia Schofield recorded in March, 2013, about her life in Forest Grove, Oregon. She starts with describing her memories of the first four years of her life in Texas and the reasons for moving to Oregon. Staying in migrant camps, Enedelia learned at a young age how to work hard for her education and what she wanted. This interview outlines Enedelia’s life through a private Catholic elementary school, a public junior high school, through high school, and into college at Pacific University. Enedelia faced many hardships throughout her education such as experiencing discrimination for the color of her skin, a teacher changing her name, being questioned for academic achievements, accused for cheating, and speaking English at school and Spanish at home. Her determination to go to college got her into Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where she was able to study her own Spanish culture as well as education. Enedelia has a passion for experiences and how that shapes how people interact with others and learn a second language. There is an attached biography and abstract to the recording.
An audio recording of an oral history of Sabino Sardineta, including coming to Mt. Angel seminary as a boy, working as a priest, and a discussion of labor camp conditions in the county.
An audio recording of an oral history of Sabino Sardineta, including coming to Mt. Angel seminary as a boy, working as a priest, and a discussion of labor camp conditions in the county.
An audio recording of an oral history of Sabino Sardineta, including coming to Mt. Angel seminary as a boy, working as a priest, and a discussion of labor camp conditions in the county.
An audio recording of an oral history of Sabino Sardineta, including coming to Mt. Angel seminary as a boy, working as a priest, and a discussion of labor camp conditions in the county.
An audio recording of an oral history of Sabino Sardineta, including coming to Mt. Angel seminary as a boy, working as a priest, and a discussion of labor camp conditions in the county. There is a transcript of Part 1 of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Lorenzo Rubio, including his chilhood in Mexico, moving to North Plains, and life on the Tankersley farms. There is a transcript of this interview.
An audio recording of an oral history of Lorenzo Rubio, including his chilhood in Mexico, moving to North Plains, and life on the Tankersley farms. There is a transcript of this interview.
