Pioneer life of Mollie Truax Crocker , circa 1890

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Crocker, Mollie Truax
Title
Pioneer life of Mollie Truax Crocker
Dates
circa 1890 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.25 linear feet, (1 container)  :  1 folder
Collection Number
CB C872
Summary
Mollie Truax Crocker was born in Oregon City, Oregon. The collection constitutes her reminiscences of her pioneer life in the Northwest from the 1860s through the 1890s.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Mollie Truax Crocker was born June 3, 1862, in Oregon City, Oregon. Crocker's father was a soldier who traveled with his family throughout the Northwest to different military posts. He became a post trader at Fort Walla Walla and the Lapwai Indian Agency. Consequently, Crocker lived in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington before the family settled permanently in Walla Walla, Washington, following her father's retirement.

In 1880, Crocker married David Benjamin Crocker and the two made their home on the Lapwai Agency where their two children were born. Eventually, Crocker and her family returned to Walla Walla.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Mollie Truax Crocker collection consists of a brief, typewritten autobiography that traces Crocker's life from infancy to old age. As the oldest child of a U.S. Army soldier, Crocker moved about frequently and lived at several different army posts. At the age of 18, Crocker married David Crocker, presumably a military or federal official, who served on the Lapwai Agency. Indeed, the Crocker autobiography offers some insights into the late 19th century U.S. federal policy towards Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. While Crocker may have been unaware of these larger national changes, her autobiography offers some details on these policies through her highlighting of life on the Nez Perce and Lapwai Reservations as well as the war with the Nez Perce.

The Crocker autobiography also discusses other events related to American settlement of the Pacific Northwest. The Truax family finally settled in Walla Walla, Washington, where they opened general merchandise stores. Crocker highlights the difficulties of childbirth and her mother's move to Canada prior to the arrival of her second child. Crocker considered herself a "pioneer" and this biographical narrative offers her own version of the pioneer experience.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

Collection is located with other small manuscripts collections.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life--Northwest, Pacific
  • Indians of North America--Northwest, Pacific
  • Pioneers--Northwest, Pacific--Biography