SOHS Research Website

The SOHS Sawyer Collection

The images presented here are part of a donation we are calling the Sawyer Collection. The images have come from multiple photography studios, some of them unidentified. Most were taken by the Kiser Studio of Portland, Oregon in the 'Teens and early 'Twenties, especially of rugged scenes in Crater Lake and Glacier National Parks and along the Columbia River. A small collection was taken 1905-07 by photographer H. G. Peabody of Massachusetts and Maine urban and coastal scenes. An anonymous collection portrays architectural and rural views taken in Central Mexico in the same era.

The collection was saved and cared for by William Gruber, who had a long working relationship with the Portland photography studio Sawyer Service Inc. Gruber was the inventor of the popular View-Master, which he produced in collaboration with Sawyer’s. According to the donor, in 1939 Sawyer’s was poised to dispose of these glass plate negatives in order to focus on the View-Master, when Gruber offered to take the plates. Over the past eight decades, the Gruber family has meticulously maintained the collection of approximately 3,000 plates, weighing roughly half a ton. Southern Oregon Historical Society received the plates as a donation in 2019, and has made them publicly available with additional grant funding from Oregon Parks and Recreation and the Oregon Cultural Trust.

SAWYER COLLECTION INDEX WILLIAM GRUBER WHEN THE COLLECTION ARRIVED AT SOHS

Title
SWY1547		Okanogan--Country near Town
SWY1548		Okanogan--Bench Land & Pleasant Valley
SWY1549		Okanogan--Bench Land & Pleasant Valley in Distance
SWY1550		Okanogan--Along the Okanogan River
SWY1551		Okanogan--Along the Okanogan River from Okanogan to Omak
SWY1552		Okanogan--Young Orchards near Omak
SWY1553		Okanogan--Orchard Ground near Omak
SWY1554		Okanogan--Scene in Spring Coulee
SWY1555		Okanogan--Spring Coulee Showing Carpenter Ranch
SWY1557		Okanogan, Washington--Evergreen Fruit Ranch--Row of 2-Year-Old Ben Davis
SWY1558		Okanogan, Washington--Orchard of Dr. J. I. Pogue--18-Year-Old Spitzenberg
SWY1559		Okanogan, Washington--Orchard of Dr. J. I. Pogue--12-Year-Old Roxbury Russet
SWY1560		Okanogan, Washington--2-Year-Old Apple and Peach Orchard, Pogue Flat--Frank Garver
SWY1561		Okanogan, Washington--Pogue Flat
SWY1562		Okanogan, Washington--Young Orchards, Pogues Flat
SWY1563		Okanogan, Washington--Young Orchards, Pogues Flat
SWY1564		Oroville, Washington--Look Down the Similkameen River, Great Northern Track
SWY1565		Oroville, Washington--Loaded Apple Trees, Okanogan Smith Ranch
SWY1566		Oroville, Washington--Okanogan Smith Ranch--Oldest Apple Tree in State of Washington--45 Years
SWY1567		Oroville, Washington--Epsom Salt Lake
SWY1568		Oroville, Washington--Epsom Salt Lake
SWY1569		Oroville, Washington--Town and Similkameen River
SWY1570		Oroville, Washington--Bench Land in Vicinity of Town
SWY1571		Oroville, Washington--Farming Land near Oroville
SWY1573		Oroville, Washington--Bowerman Fruit Ranch
SWY1574		Oroville, Washington--Town, Okanogan River, Similkameen River
SWY1575		Oroville, Washington--Okanogan River, End of Osoyoos Lake Orchard Tracts
SWY1576		Oroville, Washington--Okanogan River, town of Oroville, Osoyoos Lake
SWY1577		Oroville, Washington--Osoyoos Lake
SWY1578		Whitestone Flats, Washington
SWY1579		Whitestone Flats, Washington
SWY1580		Whitestone Flats, Washington
SWY1581		Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Yearling Trees
SWY1582		Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Yearling Trees
SWY1583		Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Young Orchard
SWY1584		Brewster, Washington Orchards Just Below Town
SWY1586		Brewster Nursery near Brewster, Washington
SWY1587		Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Pear Trees
SWY1588		Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Winesap
SWY1589		Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Spitzenberg
SWY1590		Brewster, Washington--Hundreds of Acres of This Kind of Orchard Land Awaiting Development
SWY1591		Libby, Montana Clay Banks
SWY1592		Libby, Montana--Town from Clay Bank
SWY1593		Libby, Montana--Town and Lumber Co. Plant
SWY1594		Libby, Montana--Dawson Lumber Co. Plant from Clay Banks
SWY1595		Libby, Montana--Dawson Lumber Co. Plant, Telephoto
SWY1596		Libby, Montana--The Kootenai River Showing the Great Pine Belt
SWY1597		Libby, Montana--Kootenai River
SWY1598		Libby, Montana--Kootenai River
SWY1599		Libby, Montana--Kootenai River, Great Northern Railway

Title

SWY1547

Okanogan--Country near Town

SWY1548

Okanogan--Bench Land & Pleasant Valley

SWY1549

Okanogan--Bench Land & Pleasant Valley in Distance

SWY1550

Okanogan--Along the Okanogan River

SWY1551

Okanogan--Along the Okanogan River from Okanogan to Omak

SWY1552

Okanogan--Young Orchards near Omak

SWY1553

Okanogan--Orchard Ground near Omak

SWY1554

Okanogan--Scene in Spring Coulee

SWY1555

Okanogan--Spring Coulee Showing Carpenter Ranch

SWY1557

Okanogan, Washington--Evergreen Fruit Ranch--Row of 2-Year-Old Ben Davis

SWY1558

Okanogan, Washington--Orchard of Dr. J. I. Pogue--18-Year-Old Spitzenberg

SWY1559

Okanogan, Washington--Orchard of Dr. J. I. Pogue--12-Year-Old Roxbury Russet

SWY1560

Okanogan, Washington--2-Year-Old Apple and Peach Orchard, Pogue Flat--Frank Garver

SWY1561

Okanogan, Washington--Pogue Flat

SWY1562

Okanogan, Washington--Young Orchards, Pogues Flat

SWY1563

Okanogan, Washington--Young Orchards, Pogues Flat

SWY1564

Oroville, Washington--Look Down the Similkameen River, Great Northern Track

SWY1565

Oroville, Washington--Loaded Apple Trees, Okanogan Smith Ranch

SWY1566

Oroville, Washington--Okanogan Smith Ranch--Oldest Apple Tree in State of Washington--45 Years

SWY1567

Oroville, Washington--Epsom Salt Lake

SWY1568

Oroville, Washington--Epsom Salt Lake

SWY1569

Oroville, Washington--Town and Similkameen River

SWY1570

Oroville, Washington--Bench Land in Vicinity of Town

SWY1571

Oroville, Washington--Farming Land near Oroville

SWY1573

Oroville, Washington--Bowerman Fruit Ranch

SWY1574

Oroville, Washington--Town, Okanogan River, Similkameen River

SWY1575

Oroville, Washington--Okanogan River, End of Osoyoos Lake Orchard Tracts

SWY1576

Oroville, Washington--Okanogan River, town of Oroville, Osoyoos Lake

SWY1577

Oroville, Washington--Osoyoos Lake

SWY1578

Whitestone Flats, Washington

SWY1579

Whitestone Flats, Washington

SWY1580

Whitestone Flats, Washington

SWY1581

Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Yearling Trees

SWY1582

Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Yearling Trees

SWY1583

Brewster, Washington Orchard Tracts--Young Orchard

SWY1584

Brewster, Washington Orchards Just Below Town

SWY1586

Brewster Nursery near Brewster, Washington

SWY1587

Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Pear Trees

SWY1588

Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Winesap

SWY1589

Adams Orchard near Pateros, Washington--12-Year-Old Spitzenberg

SWY1590

Brewster, Washington--Hundreds of Acres of This Kind of Orchard Land Awaiting Development

SWY1591

Libby, Montana Clay Banks

SWY1592

Libby, Montana--Town from Clay Bank

SWY1593

Libby, Montana--Town and Lumber Co. Plant

SWY1594

Libby, Montana--Dawson Lumber Co. Plant from Clay Banks

SWY1595

Libby, Montana--Dawson Lumber Co. Plant, Telephoto

SWY1596

Libby, Montana--The Kootenai River Showing the Great Pine Belt

SWY1597

Libby, Montana--Kootenai River

SWY1598

Libby, Montana--Kootenai River

SWY1599

Libby, Montana--Kootenai River, Great Northern Railway