Our Digital Winter Wonderland
December 18, 2018
By OHS Staff
From time to time, Dear Oregon will feature collective posts from OHS Staff. As we near the solstice and prepare for a brief hibernation here on the blog, we wanted to share with you some of our staff’s favorite winter photos from OHS Digital Collections (OHSDC). Now featuring over 20,000 photographs, documents, and oral histories, it isn’t hard to get lost exploring the OHSDC.
We will be taking off the next two weeks for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and returning with a brand new post on January 8, 2019. Until then, thank you for reading and embarking on this new digital adventure with us, and we will see you in 2019!
“Capturing graceful white-feathered, black-beaked swans on a partially frozen lake in black and white cellulose nitrate accentuates the coolness of the day and adds elegance to a rustic setting. Cygnets on shore linger close to cob and pen. Through bare branches, do I glimpse a peregrine falcon and a trio of snow geese? Tangled brush keeps their identity a mystery.”
– Linda Roth, Museum Education Assistant
“I've always loved this photo of swans on an icy pond. It's a quiet shot, almost more like a painting than a photo, and it evokes that peaceful silence that falls on snowy winter days.”
– Katie Mayer, Digital Project Archivist
Two swans in partially frozen pond
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 371, 0371N3336
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/two-swans-in-partially-frozen-pond
“This photo brings back fond memories of going sledding with my dogs in winters past.”
– Laura Cray, Digital Services Librarian
“I specifically searched for “dog” and “snow” because I knew those would be my favorite winter photos. How fun is it to enjoy a winter day with your dog! If I had a sled, I’d take my dogs on a ride too (although they are much bigger than the dog in the photo). ”
– Tara Cole, Museum Educator
Unidentified boy and dog on sled, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 377, 377N0187
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/unidentified-boy-and-dog-on-sled
“I love Charlie Brown trees and always look for one in the forest.”
– Debora Sanberg, Museum Store Coordinator
Snow scene, January 9, 1909
William L. Finley Photographs Collection, Org. Lot 369, b11, Finley A1208
“I like it when winter brings things to a standstill and we all take a break.”
– Eliza Canty-Jones, Oregon Historical Quarterly Editor and
Director of Community Engagement
Photograph of a ship in ice on Willamette River in Portland, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 371, 0371N5354
“The area around the family home of William and Irene Finley near Jennings Lodge is featured in many of the photographs in the William L. Finley Photographs Collection.
In January of 1909, snow blanketed the area, and Finley’s photo so perfectly captures the winter scene, you can almost hear the wind blowing the snow through the rafters of the unfinished house across the river.”
– Jay Cosnett, Web Strategist
Snow scene looking down river from the bank below Spooner's
William L. Finley Photographs Collection, Org. Lot 369, b11, Finley A1217
“I like this picture because when I was a little girl, I remember having a silver thaw. It was after Thanksgiving, and my uncle, aunt, and their four children, who were in town from Roseburg, were stranded at our house for a week. It was amazing to see icicles clear to the ground!”
– Tina Cooley, Visitor Services Representative
Silver thaw, Sellwood water tower, ca. 1900–1920
Portland General Electric Photograph Collection, Org. Lot 151, Box 21, PGE 139-4
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/silver-thaw-sellwood-water
“Nothing says winter like sweaters, ice, and hockey. This hockey player might be having second thoughts about having her picture taken, but her gloves and protective gear let us know she is ready for action!”
– Andrew VanDerZanden, Manager of Merchandise Operations
Hockey player, January 1, 1923
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 371, 0371N4721
“It’s a photo that reminds us what winter is all about: snowball fights!”
– Helen Ryan, Rose Tucker Fellow
Snowball fight, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 374, 374N0488
“I love this January 1907 view of Celilo Falls — Oregon’s harsh winter snow and ice could not silence its powerful rushing waters. In March 1957, The Dalles dam reservoir submerged the falls and part of a nearby village, making this Kiser Photo Company image an important reminder of the past.”
– Erin Brasell, Editorial, Design, and Production Manager, Oregon Historical Quarterly
Celilo Falls in winter, Columbia River, January 1907
Kiser Photo Co. photographs, Org. Lot. 140, OrHi 67579, bb000192
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/celilo-falls-in-winter-columbia-river-january-1907
“I’ve skied the Pacific Northwest my whole life and thought I’d done it all, but not this!”
– Kristen Pilgrim, Education Manager
Skiers in swimsuits, posing in the snow, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 374, 374N0531
“I love this photo of Maud Bohlman shoveling snow because she appears to take such delight in the task. I, too, love to shovel snow in the quiet of winter day, although preferably not in a full-length skirt.”
– Shawna Gandy, Library Director
Maud Bohlman shoveling snow, January 1909
Herman T. Bohlman Photograph Collection, P202, series 3, Box 07, Oregon State University Libraries
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/maud-bohlman-shoveling-snow
“Not only cold and snowy, but Portland must have been very silent that day.”
– Karen Peinl, Administrative & Development Assistant
Silver thaw on East 60th between East Stark and East Glisan Streets, 1916
Portland General Electric Photograph Collection, Org. Lot 151, Box 21; PGE 139-14
“Swimming in a mineral spring on a winter day in Government Camp seems like a fantastic idea and not at all a recipe for hypothermia. It just goes to show that any sport is a winter sport if you do it in the wintertime.”
– Silvie Andrews, Museum Cataloger
Swimmer diving into outdoor pool on winter day
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 374, 374N0489
“I had to laugh when I found this photo. I immediately wondered how many passengers would volunteer to grab a shovel and clear the highway today.”
– Penny Huelat, Museum Store & Visitor Services Representative
Bus passengers(?) clearing snow on route between Portland and The Dalles, 1925–1926
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 376, 376G0096
“I vote for any picture with a dog!”
– Kerry Tymchuk, Executive Director
William Finley Jr. and Pete the dog, January 1909
William L. Finley Photographs Collection, Org. Lot 369, b35, Finley D420
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/william-finley-jr-and-pete-the-dog-2
“Having moved to Oregon in grade school from California, I can still remember how exciting it was to get a sled for Christmas and use it on the snowy hill in front of our house.
And, being a late-blooming Oregonian, these kids accurately depict my general skills when it comes to winter sports.”
– Rachel Randles, Director of Marketing & Communications
Children sledding on street, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 371, 0371N4940J
“I like the mixture of the old tradition and new technology and that the angle of the shot highlights the massive engine replacing Santa’s reindeer.”
– Scott Daniels, Reference Services Librarian
Man in Santa suit sitting on airplane, ca. 1923–1936
Oregon Journal Negative Collection, Org. Lot 1368, Box 371, 0371N4997
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/man-in-santa-suit-sitting-airplane
“Since I was the archivist for PGE, my pick is naturally from that collection. While we have many of the more disastrous sort (think, Lots of broken and snow covered utility poles), I like this one from 1916. It shows an amazing number of power lines over the street, giving us a great idea of what people might have seen day to day during this period of time. I also really like that despite the icy conditions, people seem to be going about their day, even with those nefarious icicles hanging over their heads.”
– Lindsey Benjamin, Archives Specialist
Silver thaw, possibly at SW Washington and Park in Portland, Oregon, 1916
Portland General Electric Photograph Collection, Org. Lot 151, Box 21, PGE 139-2
“I chose this photo because, despite being a black-and-white image from over a century ago, it isn’t hard to imagine one’s self at that spot taking a winter stroll, listening to the comforting crunch of snow underfoot. It was taken in an area near Jennings Lodge in January 1909.”
– Jeffrey Hayes, Archivist
Snow scene looking down the path at Spooner's gate, January 1909
William L. Finley Photographs Collection, Org. Lot 369, b11, Finley A1212
“On Williams Avenue in winter, before junky condos and cookie-cutter restaurants — when the trolley ran and milk was delivered by horse pulled cart — there was a constant fear of silver thaw and the occasional scent of death.”
– Matt Cowan, Archivist for Photography & Moving Images
Silver Thaw, Williams Avenue, Portland, Oregon, January 27, 1907
Ober Donation, Acc 24600, Box 1
http://ohsresearchlibrary.tumblr.com/post/120803709874/silver-thaw-williams-avenue-portland-january
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