Biographical Note
William Robbins served as a faculty member in the Oregon State
University History Department from 1971 until his retirement in 1999 as
Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History. Robbins earned his B.S. from
Western Connecticut State College and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the
University of Oregon. Robbins was named a Distinguished Professor at OSU in
1997.
Specializing in the history of the western United States from an
economic and environmental perspective, Robbins has written extensively on the
history of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. His books include:
Landscapes of Promise: The Oregon Story,
1800-1940 (1997);
Landscapes of Conflict: The Oregon Story,
1940-2000 (2004);
Hard Times in Paradise: Coos Bay, Oregon,
1850-1896 (1988);
Colony and Empire: The Capitalist Transformation of
the American West (1994); and
The Great Northwest: The Search for Regional
Identity (2001). His 2005 book,
Oregon: This Storied Land was a finalist for
the 2006 Oregon Book Award in general non-fiction.
Content Description
The William G. Robbins Papers consist of materials generated and
assembled by Robbins for teaching, research, and writing. The papers consist of
correspondence (arranged choronologically), annual activity summary files,
article and book reviews written by Robbins, conference papers and speeches,
teaching materials, class notes and papers from his graduate education, and
extensive research and reference materials. The papers also include newspaper
clippings; publications and reports; and a few photographs.
The correspondence pertains to the publication of his research, search
for employment as a university instructor, and Robbins' teaching post in the
Oregon State University History Department and document Robbins' interaction
with colleagues, journal editors, and university administrators. The teaching
materials includes course syllabi, lecture and research notes, graduate student
files, and reference materials assembled for a series of courses on Native
American historical topics. The graduate student files reflect Robbins' role as
an advisor and contain correspondence, meeting notices, essays, and thesis
proposals.
The research and reference materials were assembled by Robbins in the
course of his research and writing and include photocopies from a variety of
archives and primary source repositories.