Guide to the Evans Smith McComas Papers
1862-1911

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Overview of the Collection

Creator: McComas, E. S. (Evans Smith), 1839-1911
Title: Evans Smith McComas papers
Dates: 1862-1911 ( inclusive )
Quantity: 1.5 linear feet (1 container)
Collection Number: Ax 181
Summary: Evans Smith McComas came from Iowa to Oregon to work in the mines in the 1860s. He later owned and edited newspapers. The collection consists of scrapbooks and the McComas diary, 1862-1867, which describes his journey on the overland trip to Oregon.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

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

Biographical Note

Evans Smith McComas was born in Ohio. In 1860 he was living in Johnson County, Iowa where he taught school. He came overland to eastern Oregon in 1862 to the mines near Auburn. He tried other means of making a living, but was most successful as newspaper editor, and owned, edited, or contributed to a series of papers in eastern Oregon. He also promoted mines, patent medicines, and real estate.

Content Description

The collection consists of the McComas diary, 1862-1867, and includes his account of his overland trip. Songs, speeches, and ballads are transcribed on the final pages. Four scrapbooks contain items written by McComas or of interest to him. A few of the pieces are by or about William Henry McComas, his brother, who came to Oregon in 1872 and was also in the newspaper business. There are also deed and mortgage records. The McComas diary was published in 1954 by the Champoeg Press, Portland, Oregon, under the title, A Journal of Travel.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access :  

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use :  

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation :  

[Identification of item], Evans Smith McComas Papers, Ax 181, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Administrative Information

Arrangement :

Collection is organized into one series: McComas papers, which includes the McComas diary, newspaper clippings, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, and deed and mortgage records.


Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

McComas Papers
Container(s)
Description
Box
1 McComas diary
1 Newspaper clippings
1 Correspondence
1 Photographs
1 Scrapbooks
1 Deed and mortgage Records

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Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

  • Personal Names :
  • McComas, E. S. (Evans Smith), 1839-1911--Archives
  • McComas, William Henry
  • Subject Terms :
  • Gold mines and mining--Oregon--Auburn
  • Newspaper editors--Oregon, Eastern
  • Overland journeys to the Pacific

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