The SOHS Library is OPEN to the public at 106 N. Central Avenue in Medford, with FREE access to the SOHS Archives, from 12:00 - 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments are not necessary. Please contact library@sohs.org, or call 541-622-2025 ex 200 to ask questions or request research.

 

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     

Displaying 51 - 100 of 2802
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Title
SWY0053

Snowfield, snow, ice, rocks. View of the \"grottoes\" in the southeast portion of Crater Lake.
SWY0054

Looking down cliffs to Crater Lake circa 1915. View looking east from Rim Village area.
SWY0055

Crater Lake circa 1915, man and boat. View from lakeshore below Kerr Notch looking west toward the Phantom Ship and Applegate Peak.
SWY0056

Crater Lake circa 1915. View of Grotto Cove looking south/southeast with Skell Head, Cloudcap, Sentinel Rock in the distance.
SWY0057

Crater Lake circa 1915. View taken to show area north of Skell Channel from the Watchman Slide past Merriam Point to Llao Rock with Pumice Point in the far distance.
SWY0058

Crater Lake circa 1915. View shows the Devils Backbone in the foreground with Llao Rock in the background.
SWY0059

Crater Lake circa 1915 cliffs, view of portion of Devils Backbone looking south.
SWY0060

Crater Lake circa 1915, spire, lake reflection. View of Devils Backbone looking north from shoreline.
SWY0061

View through spires to Crater Lake circa 1915. Vicinity of Discovery Point looking east toward Mount Scott.
SWY0062

Crater Lake circa 1915, spire with Wizard Island
SWY0063

Spire, Crater Lake circa 1915. Area of Devils Backbone looking southeast past Wizard Island to Kerr Notch.
SWY0064

Crater Lake circa 1915. Area of columnar jointing above and west of the Wineglass.
SWY0065

View through arch to Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0066

Looking through arch to Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0067

wildflowers, shrubs likely either Pacific red elder or mountain ash.
SWY0069

wildflowers close up, likely lupine.
SWY0070

wide, wildflowers species Sitka columbine and possibly gentian.
SWY0071

Man w/fish at Crater Lake circa 1915. Location is near the dock on the south shore of lake at the boat landing; Wizard Island in the distance.
SWY0072

Man, fish, rowboat, Crater Lake circa 1915; location is the east side of Wizard Island.
SWY0073

Man cleaning fish, Crater Lake circa 1915. Location was near the boat landing on south shore of lake.
SWY0074

Crater Lake circa 1915. Location of photo is east of Crater Lake Lodge, on the way to Garfeld Peak.
SWY0075

Crater Lake reflection, same photo point as image 74.
SWY0076

Crater Lake circa 1915, cliffs closeup. A portion of Garfield Peak.
SWY0077

Crater Lake circa 1915, photo taken on Garfield Peak., same location as photo #76 (from Garfield Peak).  
SWY0078

Cliffs and Crater Lake circa 1915. Portion of Garfield Peak (Castle Crest) visible.
SWY0079

Wizard Island at Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0080

Cliffs from level of Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0081

Looking through cliffs to Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0082

Spire, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0083

Vista, Crater Lake circa 1915, cliffs
SWY0084

Cliffs from level of Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0085

Wizard Island shoreline, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0086

Wizard Island shoreline, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0087

Wizard Island shoreline, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0088

Wizard Island shoreline, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0089

Wizard Island shoreline, Crater Lake circa 1915
SWY0090

Crater Lake circa 1915 w/island and cliffs foreground
SWY0091

Crater Lake circa 1915, Wizard Island
SWY0092

Crater Lake circa 1915, Wizard Island w/trees, (cracked corner) wide
SWY0093

Crater Lake circa 1915, Wizard Island
SWY0094

Crater Lake Phantom Ship circa 1915, close up reflection
SWY0095

Crater Lake Phantom Ship circa 1915
SWY0096

Crater Lake Phantom Ship circa 1915, close up
SWY0097

Crater Lake circa 1915, trees looking east from Rim Village.
SWY0098

Crater Lake circa 1915 view of Mt. Scott w/tree.
SWY0099

Crater Lake circa 1915 Vista--same view as SWY0098
SWY0100

Crater Lake circa 1915, Garfield Peak and rim at sunset.
SWY0101

Crater Lake circa 1915, same view as SWY 100 (Garfield Peak at sunset from Rim Village).
SWY0102

Crater Lake circa 1915, same view as Garfield Peak at sunset from Rim Village.
SWY0103

Crater Lake circa 1915, Women, below Crater Lake near Lake Trail.