home

=History of Forest Grove, Oregon=

This wiki contains notes and information pertaining to the history of Forest Grove, Oregon and surrounding communities which include Banks, [|Blooming], Buxton, Carnation, Cherry Grove, Cornelius, Dairy Creek, Dilley, Gales Creek, Gaston, Glenwood, Greenville, Hayward, Hillside, Laurelwood, Manning, Roy, Thatcher and Verboort. Information provided comes from the [|Eric G. Stewart (EGS) Collection], housed at [|Forest Grove City Library] (FGL).

1 Essays 2 Links 3 Oral Histories 4 Organizations 5 Research 6 Timelines 7 Travel ||
 * **Contents**

Essays
These essays were found in the EGS Collection, in the library's vertical files, or were donated by local scholars.
 * //"//19th Century Forest Grove History" by Dr. Peg Gilbert
 * "Back to the Beginnings: The Walker Connection" by Charlotte Filer
 * "A Brief History of the Forest Grove Water System" by Cicero Smith
 * // [|Cornelius History 1845-1993] // (care of Cornelius Public Library)
 * Forest Grove City Directory History 1974 by Johnson Publishing Company INC
 * "First Settlers of the Forest Grove Region" by Dr. Peg Gilbert
 * " 'Gales City' in the Early Days" by Joyce Sauber, from Forest Grove News Times 12/23/81
 * "The History of Banks, Oregon" by Mr. and Mrs. V.B. Bateman
 * "History of the Forest Grove City Library" by Dr. Peg Gilbert
 * "History of Cornelius Cemetery" by Lester Mooberry
 * "History of Rail Transportation in Forest Grove, Oregon" by Jessie E. Sweeney, MLS
 * [[file:Railroad History in Forest Grove.doc]]
 * "The Home Within the Wilderness" by Mildred S. Reeher (1954)
 * //Masonic and Eastern Star Home: A Brief Historical Sketch and Views (1923//)
 * Memo: Summary of Power Resources of the City of Forest Grove (1975)
 * Our Yesterdays - Oregon Life Journeys by WCCLS & Linda Stiles
 * //Pacific University and Forest Grove - A Look Into the Past// by Dr. Peg Gilbert, funded by [|Tualatin Plains Historical Society], "In memory of Mary Windle, a member of a Forest Grove Pioneer family.
 * "Schools and Churches" by Dr. Peg Gilbert
 * "Senior Writing Research Projects on Forest Grove, Oregon (c.1960s)" by Mrs. Beatrice L. Bliss' class, c1960.
 * "Thirty Years of Progress" by Esther Davidson

Please also see the local history index for the Oregon Historical Quarterly, for a list of OHQ papers on the topic of local history: @OHQ articles on FG & Local History.

Links
These links are great online resources to find information on Forest Grove and surrounding communities.
 * KWAY - The Short History of Forest Grove Radio
 * The Oregon Encyclopedia: oregonencyclopedia.org
 * Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries (OCHC) - Historic Cemetery Preservation
 * Washington County Heritage Online (WCHO) - washingtoncountyheritage.org
 * Hidden Cemeteries of Washington County - YouTube Playlist of Tualatin Valley Community Television

Oral Histories
In 1982, FGL staff, then working for Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) Outreach to Elders and Handicapped, conducted an oral history project that culminated in the publication of a book called "Our Yesterdays: Oregon Life Journeys," based on a Washington County oral history project. See Our Yesterdays.

In 1994, local historians and Forest Grove City Library staff created a project called "Telling Our Story, Honoring the Past: The History of the Forest Grove City Library." Below are the transcriptions of the oral histories conducted on history of Forest Grove and the library.


 * //Volume 1: The Early Years//. Interview with Megan Havens, local historian. Interview with Ruth Loomis, longtime resident of Forest Grove.
 * [[file:Telling Our Story transcript vol 1.doc]]


 * //Volume 2: The 1940s and Beyond//. Interviews with Boyd Lewis and Marcia Oriet, longtime residents, patrons and volunteers at Forest Grove City Library.
 * [[file:Telling Our Story transcript vol 2.doc]]

For more library history, see the Forest Grove Library History page.

Organizations
Here are places to do local historical research on the history of Forest Grove and surrounding communities.


 * Banks Historical Society - Chamber of Commerce: Historical Society
 * Friends of Historic Forest Grove - historicforestgrove.org
 * Sojourn Forest Grove - Facebook: Sojourn Forest Grove
 * Pacific University Archives - pacificu.edu/libraries/services/archives
 * Washington County Historical Society & Museum - washingtoncountymuseum.org

Research
Here is the information researchers have found using the Eric G. Stewart Collection at Forest Grove City Library.


 * You can find the full and the simplified index of the history collection here:
 * [[file:EGS_Finding_Aid_9.2014.xls]]
 * [[file:EGS Collection Index Simplified 12.2.14.xlsx]]


 * And, we have a growing Obituary index from the News-Times here:
 * [[file:Obituary Index - (Master) - 9.2014.xls]]

Research topics and subtopics (alphabetical)

 * **Articles (published)** - Historic Building Burns: Blaze Hits Downtown Forest Grove, Fred Lockley, EGS News Times Articles Index
 * **Buildings, Historic** - Holbrook Lodge, Vert Hall, Water Tower (1895-1910), Masonic Grand Lodge , @Chowning Building, Anderson Building
 * **Businesses** - Advertisements, Banks, Creamery, Early Businesses, Hotels, Logging & Mills, Newspapers, Photography Studios, Radio, Restaurants, Theaters & Shows, Turn-of-the-Century Businesses, Forest Grove Undertaking Company (1907-1922)
 * **Cemeteries**
 * **Churches**
 * **Education** - Castle School, Chemawa Indian Boarding School, Forest Grove High School, Pacific University, Public Schools, Tualatin Academy
 * **Events -** Biscuit Contest (1911), Concours d'Elegance (FG Rotary), Ku Klux Klan Initiation (1923), Fourth of July County Barbeque (1862), Election Bet of 1888
 * **Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)**
 * **Geography** -Hagg Lake, Roger's Park, Street Names, Trees
 * **Homes, Historic**
 * **Obituaries**
 * **Organizations -** Girl Scouts, Masons, Pythians, Bide-A-Wee Club
 * **People** - Biographies, Demography (Population), First Nation: Atfalati (Tualatin), Genealogy, Pioneers, List of Names Index
 * **Public Services -** Fire Department, Hospitals, Library, List of FG Mayors, Phone Co., Police, Post Office
 * **Railroads** - FG Streetcar (aka Trolley), Oregon Central Railroad, Oregon Electric, Southern Pacific (Red Electrics), Old Stage Coach Stop

Timelines

 * Forest Grove History Timeline
 * Banks History Timeline
 * Cornelius History Timeline

Travel
Visitors to Forest Grove can access a Historic Walking Tour and other local information using these links:
 * Historic Walking in Forest Grove
 * McMenamins Grand Lodge - History
 * Visitors Information from the City's website