Biographical Note

Randall Vause Mills, born in Wisconsin in 1907, was an English professor with a variety of interests related to the Pacific Northwest. Educated in California, he received his undergraduate degree in 1929 from UCLA and his master's from UC-Berkley in 1932. He joined the University of Oregon English faculty in 1938.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mills wrote two books and numerous articles. One of his primary interests was the history of transportation in the Pacific Northwest, especially steamboats and railroads. Growing up he had a chance to see steamboats in action and, at one point, worked for a steamship company in Los Angeles. His first book, Stern-Wheelers Up Columbia, was published in 1947 and gives a general account of steamship navigation on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. His interest in railroads took hold as a young boy, continuing throughout his life and culminating in 1950 with the publication of his book Railroads Down the Valleys: Some Short Lines of the Oregon Country. Steamships and railroads were the subjects of numerous other published articles as well.

Another subject for which Mills showed enthusiasm was folklore, particularly proverbs, dialect, songs, superstitions and place names. He was the founder and first president of the Oregon Folklore Society. Serving as Director for the Oregon branch of the American Dialect Society, he also chaired the state sub-committee for the collection of dialect sayings. He held the positions of associated editor for Western Folklore. The University of Oregon has named its Folklore Archives in honor of Mills.

Mills also found the subject of covered bridges of interest. He investigated all aspects, from builders to construction to materials to need and location.

Randall Mills died in 1952 at the age of 44.