11 cubic feet, including 277
photographs (18 boxes, including 1
oversize box and 1 map folder)
Collection Number:
Summary:
The William L. Finley Papers document the
wildlife conservation work of Finley and his wife Irene, and the photography
work of Herman T. Bohlman, who worked with Finley in the first decade of the
20th century. Finley was a photographer, filmmaker, and author who wrote and
lectured extensively on wildlife conservation issues. The collection includes
published and unpublished manuscripts, lecture and field notes, reports,
correspondence, photographs and motion picture films.
Repository:
Oregon State University
Libraries University
Archives
Funding for encoding this
finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
Historical Note
Renowned wildlife conservationist William L. Finley was born on August
9, 1876 in Santa Clara, California. His family moved to Portland, Oregon, in
1887. Finley graduated from the University of California in 1903 and in 1906 he
married Nellie Irene Barnhart. The Finleys lived for many years at Jennings
Lodge, Oregon, south of Portland.
Between 1900 and 1908, Finley and friend and partner Herman T. Bohlman
made several trips around the Pacific Northwest to photograph birds. Finley
published
American Birds in 1907, and subsequently
published two other books and over 100 illustrated articles in newspapers and
wildlife magazines. He helped found the Oregon Audobon Society in 1902,
assisted in setting up Oregon's first Fish and Game Commission in 1911 (Finley
served as commissioner from the Portland area), served as state Game Warden in
the 1910s, and later helped set up the system of federal wildlife refuges in
Oregon. The Finley Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis is named for him. The
Finleys made their first motion picture in 1910, and in the 1920s and 1930s
they made several wildlife films of expeditions that they took to Alaska, the
Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, and other places. They used the films in
nationwide lecture tours sponsored by the American Nature Association.
William L. Finley was a nephew of William A. Finley, the first president
of Corvallis College, which today is Oregon State University. The school
conferred an honorary degree upon him in 1931. Finley died on June 29,
1953.
For detailed information on Finley's life, see
William L. Finley: Pioneer Wildlife
Photographer, by Worth Mathewson (OSU Press, 1986). Copies of this book
are located in the OSU Valley Library, including the University Archives.
Content Description
William L. Finley's papers primarily document his work as a wildlife
conservationist, author, lecturer, photographer, and filmmaker from about 1900
to 1940. The collection also documents the work his wife Irene Finley and
photography partner Herman Bohlman. The collection consists of published and
unpublished manuscripts, lecture and field notes, reports, correspondence,
photographs and motion picture films.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open for research. Original motion picture films are
restricted; researchers are to use VHS or DVD reference copies.
Preferred Citation :
William L. Finley Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis,
Oregon.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The collection is arranged into ten series: I. Manuscripts; II.
Publications; III. Correspondence; IV. Lectures; V. Trip Notes; VI.
Organizations and Issues; VII. Personal Materials; VIII. Motion Picture Films;
IX. Photographs and Painting; and X. Oversize Materials.
Related Materials :
Photographs of and possibly by Finley can be found in the Herman T.
Bohlman Photograph Collection (P 202). Other photographs taken by Finley and
Bohlman and used in
Birds of Oregon can be found in University
Publications and OSU Press Records (RG 18). Finley correspondence is located in
the Roland E. Dimick Papers.
Most of Finley's photographs and many of his films are held by the
Oregon Historical Society in Portland. Other Finley photographs are a part of
the collections of the Washington County (Oregon) Historical Society and the
University of California at Berkeley. The Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife in Salem also holds a sizeable number of Finley photographs.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series I: Manuscripts, circa
1910-1942
10
folders
This series consists of typewritten and handwritten manuscripts
of newspaper and magazine articles, books, lecture notes, circa 1910-1942. Some
were submitted to publications such as
Pacific Monthly, Sunset Magazine,
Century and
Nature Magazine. Many describe
particular species of birds. Authors include William L. Finley, Irene Finley,
Phoebe Finley, Kenneth Reid, and Ed Averill.
This series consists of publications, including typescripts of
articles written by William and Irene Finley and Ed Averill for the
Oregon Journal between 1935 and
1945. The articles describe bird, fish and mammal species, wildlife refuges,
and trips taken by the Finleys. Some are editorial in nature, such as
advocating for a new Portland zoo or calling for certain limits on hunting. The
series also includes articles written for
Nature,
National Geographic, and other
publications.
Container(s)
Description
Box
3-4
Typescripts of articles
published in the
Oregon Journal, 1935-1945
6
folders
4
"A Study in Bird Confidence,"
William L. Finley,
The Condor, July/August 1905
4
"The Cruise of a Modern
Prairie Schooner," December 1910 (article sent to several
newspapers)
4
"Hunting Birds with a
Camera," William L. Finley, reprint from
National Geographic
Magazine, 1923
4
"Camera Hunting in the
Northland,"
Nature, February - May 1927
4
Sketch of Irene Finley's
experiences for the Associated Press, 1928
4
Newspapers -- letters to the
editor and news releases, 1930-1931 and undated
4
Arthur N. Pack's mountain
lion articles, February 1930
4
"Believe it or Not" contest,
Oregonian, 1932
4
"Sportsmen Kill the Goose"
and "Fish,"
Nature article
typescripts, 1933
4
Seth Gordon article
reprints, 1935
4
Article typescripts written
by Phoebe Finley and William L. Finley, Jr. for high school
publications, 1922-1924 and undated
This series consists of correspondence between William and Irene
Finley, between the Finleys and Campbell Church, and pertaining to the Finleys'
1926 Alaska trip.
Container(s)
Description
Box
4
Irene Finley to/from William
L. Finley, December 1928 and January 1935
This series consists of trip notes, most of which pertain to the
Finleys' 1926 Alaska trip. Other notes document a 1931 Alaska trip by Arthur
Pack and William Alakangas, a 1929 trip to Arizona and New Mexico, a 1927-28
trip to the eastern United States, and a 1938 trip to Oregon's Paulina
Lake.
Container(s)
Description
Box
7
William L. Finley,
Alaska, 1926 and undated
7
Irene Finley, notes on
Campbell Church trip, Alaska, 1926
7
Irene Finley,
Alaska, 1926
7
Alaska notes, 1926
7
Arthur Pack,
Alaska, 1931
7
William Alakangas (Chief
Engineer of the
Westward),
Alaska, 1931
This series consists of files pertaining to various organization
and issues. Organizations represented include the Isaac Walton League, the U.S.
Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Bureau of Biological
Survey, and the Oregon State Planning Board. Issues include reclamation in the
Klamath and Malheur basins, salmon and Bonneville Dam, stream pollution, and
mountain lions. Also included is a 1915 report by Stanley Jewett, "Report on
Birds Seen at Netarts Bay."
Container(s)
Description
Box
7
"Report on Birds Seen at
Netarts Bay," Oregon, Stanley Jewett, Jan. 26-Feb. 12, 1915
7
Fouke Fur Company, fur seal
contract, 1931-1933
7
Isaak Walton
League, 1935
7
Pollution of
Streams, 1926
7
Klamath and Malheur
materials, 1930-1935 and undated
7
Klamath
Reclamation, 1917-1935
8
Notes on mountain
lions, 1929 and undated
8
Oregon State Planning
Board, 1934-1936
8
Report, President's Committee
on Wildlife Restoration, 1934
8
Salmon and Bonneville
Dam, 1934-1937 and undated
14
Salmon and Bonneville Dam
drawings, 1934 and 1937
apx 12x17 in.
8
Scheffer Reports (Theo H.
Scheffer) -- waterfowl surveys, 1933-1935 and undated
8
United States vs. State of
Oregon (Malheur and Harney Lakes), 1933-1934 and undated
8
U.S.D.A., Bureau of
Biological Survey, Migratory Bird Advisory Board, 1933-1935
8
U. S. Department of Interior,
agreement between Bureau of Reclamation and Biological Survey, 1935
8
U.S. Department of Interior
proposed name change, 1935
8
U.S. Department of Interior,
Bureau of Reclamation, 1923-1934
Klamath District issues.
8
U.S. Forest Service, "Lake
Survey of the Willamette National Forest", December 1937
This series consists of personal materials and includes academic
materials and ephemera from William Finley's student days at the University of
California, William and Irene Finley's 1906 wedding book, and Phoebe Finley's
notebook on costume design from the 1920s.
Container(s)
Description
Box
9
State Game Commission
letterhead, circa 1911
9
Notebook, "Costume Design,"
Phoebe Finley, circa 1920s
University of
California
Box
9
Exams and scholastic
reports, 1899-1901 and undated
9
Class
notebook, undated
9
Expense
records, 1901-1902 and undated
9
Programs and dance
cards, 1899-1904
9
The Occident (literary
magazine), 1900-1902
14
Composition,
"California's Grecian Theatre," William L. Finley, undated
Series VIII: Motion Picture Films, circa 1927-1935
Series VIII consists of several of Finley's motion picture films
and related materials, such as film ownership notes, lecture posters, title
lists and title placards. The films are silent, black and white 35mm safety
film copies of earlier nitrate films and are grouped into three subseries. The
first group consists of six films of the Pacific Northwest and Montana and date
from 1927 to circa 1930. They document forests, Bonneville Dam, waterfowl,
salmon, Crater Lake, and elk and mountain goats in Montana. The second group
consists of five Alaska films documenting the Finleys' 1926 Alaska trip,
various Aleutian Islands, Kenai, and Mt. McKinley. The third group consists of
short film segments. They show the Finleys on board a ship, probably from one
of their Alaska trips, and in Arizona and New Mexico. The latter includes
footage of cactus and desert wildlife and birds All films have been transferred
and include a BetaSP or MiniDV duplication master and a VHS or DVD use copy.
Container(s)
Description
Film notes, title lists and
ownership information
Box
9
"Exhibitor Says No,"
New Outlook, July 1935
article on showing of motion pictures in non-theater
settings
9
Film notes sent to
Paramount Pictorial, 1933-1934
9
Film title
lists
9
Film
ownership, circa
1930
14
Film ownership
notes, circa
1932
apx 12x17 in.
14
Film lecture poster for
"Wild Animal Ouposts", circa
1927
apx 12x17 in.
Box
10-13
Film title
placards
15
Films
35mm, silent, black and white, safety
base, 1926-1930
All films have been transferred and include a BetaSP or
MiniDV duplication master and a VHS or DVD use copy.
Original motion picture films are resticted; researchers are
to use VHS or DVD reference copies.
Films of the Pacific
Northwest, Montana and Colorado (6 reels)
Box
15
Woods, Waters, and
Wildlife, circa
1930
By William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of the
American Nature Association. Includes footage of fishing at Celilo Falls and
the Oregon Coast (including Cape Perpetua, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Sea Lion
Caves, and Three Arch Rocks). Includes title panels Crater Lake National Park;
The Harvest of the Columbia; and Salmon, the main food of the Indians.
15
The
Forests, 1927
15
The Passing of the
Marshlands, circa
1930
By William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of the
American Nature Association. Includes title panels The Reclamation Service
turns Lower Klamath over to land promoters; Clear Lake Reservation in 1912; A
waterfowl refuge partly drained and leased to stockmen; Malheur Lake
Reservation in 1915; and A dry lake, no birds and a world of dust.
15
Waterfowl, circa
1930
By William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of the
American Nature Association. Includes footage of various birds, including their
nesting sites. The film ends with footage of a pet quail and pet duck with the
family dog. Includes title panels P Ranch, 40 miles of water and marshland,
added to Malheur refuge; Trapping and banding ducks; Winter refuge for
waterfowl; and A new kind of duck dog.
15
Getting Our
Goat, 1930
By William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of
Nature Magazine. Footage
shows Finley donning a goat costume on order to approach the goats more closely
for filming. Includes title panels Ptarmigan or snow grouse; On to Boulder
Pass; Top of the Continental Divide; This was a splendid goat country, but we
still had to climb the peaks to get above the goats unobserved; and It takes a
goat to get a goat.
15
In the Wake of the
Wapiti, 1930
By William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of
Nature Magazine. Filmed
near Red Eagle (Montana?); includes footage of camp, porcupine, elk, moose and
mountain goats. Includes title panels Fool hens; The trail needed patching;
Leaving our horses we crept cautiously to the edge of a steep bank and peered
over; The idea was to lie in wait at the stream crossing below the lick -- and
it worked; and In the moose country.
Alaska films, probably
used in Finley's "Wild Animal Outposts" lecture (5 reels)
Box
16
Wild Animal
Outposts, 1926
By William L. and Irene Finley of
Nature Magazine.
Includes footage of salmon fishing and fish counts. Includes title panels The
story of the Bering Sea Expedition, led by Campbell Church and William L.
Finley, under the auspices of the American nature Association and the Bureau of
Fisheries of the United States Department of Commerce; Smaller craft for
cruising rivers and lakes; Buffy joins the expedition. [water bird]; A salmon
cannery at the head of the bay; Food for a nation in a salmon trap; The future
of the salmon crop is guarded by the United States Bureau of Fisheries; and On
up the river with the salmon run.
16
Kenai and
Kodiak, circa
1930
By William L. and Irene Finley of
Nature Magazine.
Includes title panels Shooting mountain sheep from an ambush; Only Aleuts can
fish here; Climbing to the aery of an American eagle; Nearby dinner for young
eagles; and A joker somewhere the rest never humped and rolled like this.
16
Unimak and
Bogoslof, circa
1930
By William L. and Irene Finley of
Nature Magazine.
Includes title panels Returning to camp -- are we friend or foe?; A nest at the
edge of the crater; Far below, on the beach, live the sea lions; and Are you a
relative of mine?
16
The Pribilof
Islands, circa
1930
By William L. and Irene Finley of
Nature Magazine.
Includes footage the
Westward, Native Alaskan
children and a whale hunt. Includes title panels The bidarrah or ferry-boat at
St. Paul; Santa Claus; The haunts of the blue fox; The lemming of the north; A
Bering Sea beach, home of the fur seals; A stranger on the Pribilofs. [a bear
cub]; Farewell to the Pribilofs -- we go a-whaling; and On the trail of
Jonah.
16
Mt. McKinley National
Park, circa
1930
By William L. and Irene Finley of
Nature Magazine.
Includes footage of glaciers, wildlife, the
Westward and a pet fawn.
Includes title panels: On the lookout for rock ptarmigan; Hunting snowshoe
rabbits; and Tracking mountain sheep.
Box
16
Incomplete film
segments, circa
1930
This includes various scenes (trims and out-takes) on
board a ship and in Arizona and New Mexico. The film segments were spliced
together in 2004. Includes footage of cactus and desert wildlife and birds.
Includes title panels Potatoes may be all right, but crabs caught that very
morning on the beach are better; Queer Creatures of the Cactus Country by
William L. Finley and Arthur N. Pack of Nature Magazine; The Trail of the
Rainbow by Arthur N. Pack and Eleanor Pack; On the plateau above the valley of
the Chama River, New Mexico; We push on by way of lovely Mesa Verde, the home
of forgotten races of mankind; and Repeated cloudbursts bring more
difficulties.
Series IX: Photographs and
Painting, circa 1900-circa 1940
This series consists of photographs and a painting. The bulk of
the photographs are prints used in or similar to those in Finley's
American Birds, taken by Finley
and/or Herman Bohlman. Other photographs depict wildlife, including bears,
mountain goats, birds and wolves; fish ladders at Bonneville Dam; and the
Finleys and their children and grandchildren.
Container(s)
Description
Ten groups of mounted photos, some used in
American Birds, circa
1900-1905
3 file
folders
Red-Tailed
Hawks
Box
17
Bohlman nearing the
aerie of the red-tail in the tall cottonwood
17
Finley and Bohlman
with cameras on a trail
17
Bohlman taking
pictures at the aerie of the Red-tail, 120 feet from the ground
17
Nest and eggs of the
Red-tail, April 15th
17
Another view of
Bohlman taking pictures of the Red-tail nest
17
Young Red-tails in
the downy stage, May 3rd
17
Bohlman unloading
camera equipment in tree
17
Young
Red-tails
17
Young Red-tails in
the nest; river in background
17
Young Red-tails
beyond downy stage (2 images)
17
Full-grown young
Red-tails just before they left the aerie, May 24th
17
A full-grown young
Red-tail, with the tail end of a carp showing in the nest
This series contains oversize materials, including maps and
newspaper features.
Container(s)
Description
Map Case
*
Map of Columbia River &
Sauvie Island, 1934
*
Map of the Eastern Oregon
Livestock Company holdings (may show land sold to the U.S. goverment in 1935
for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge expansion)
*
Newspaper features on
wildlife, 1909-1913 and 1935
mapcase
*
Newspaper feature on Finley's
films (Kansas City), 1939
