Logging
Oregon's Douglas fir forests supported a huge logging industry, and photographers captured crews posing with giant trees and enormous logs, springboards cut into trunks, oxen and later steam donkeys hauling logs, and logging railroads. Real photos of logging camps, crews and equipment are among the most sought-after Oregon cards, and photographers who specialized in logging scenes are collected by name.
Sawmills and mill towns
Sawmills rose along rivers and rail lines, and mill towns such as Bend, Coos Bay, St. Helens and many smaller places depended on them. Real photos of mills, workers and company towns are collected.
The Columbia River
Salmon canneries lined the Columbia River from Astoria upstream, and fish wheels, gillnet boats and cannery workers appear on cards. Celilo Falls, a great Native American fishing place, was photographed until it was flooded by The Dalles Dam in 1957. Real photos of fishing and canneries are historically significant.
Sternwheelers and the Highway
Sternwheelers carried passengers and freight on the Columbia and Willamette rivers. The Columbia River Highway, built between 1913 and 1922, was among the first scenic highways in the country, and cards of its construction, bridges, tunnels and Multnomah Falls are collected. Early views are more interesting than later chromes.
Portland and the exposition
Portland's 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition produced many cards, collected by exposition specialists. Portland's streets, bridges, waterfront and neighborhoods appear on cards; real photos of street life and businesses are more interesting than printed landmarks.
The coast
Oregon's coast towns, including Astoria, Seaside, Newport, Tillamook and Coos Bay, had fishing fleets, lighthouses, resorts and dairies. Real photos of coast towns and shipwrecks are popular.
Places and subjects to look for
- Portland: the 1905 exposition, streets, bridges and the waterfront.
- The Columbia: Astoria canneries, Celilo Falls and the highway.
- The Willamette Valley: Salem, Eugene, hop yards and farm towns.
- The coast: Seaside, Newport, Tillamook and Coos Bay.
- Central Oregon: Bend, sawmills and ranch country.
- Eastern Oregon: Pendleton and its Round-Up, Baker City's gold country and ranch towns.
- Crater Lake: early views of the lake and lodge.
The Pendleton Round-Up
The Pendleton Round-Up rodeo began in 1910, and real photos of bronc riders, cowboys, cowgirls and Native American participants are popular with Western and rodeo collectors.
Real photos versus printed views
Scenic views of Mount Hood, Crater Lake, Multnomah Falls and Portland were printed heavily. Real photos of logging, mills, canneries, small towns and rodeos carry most of the value in an Oregon collection.
What is common
Printed mountain and waterfall scenics, Portland landmarks and later chrome coast cards are plentiful.
Why Oregon logging cards are prized
Logging photographers traveled to camps deep in the woods, set up heavy cameras and made images of crews and giant trees that were then printed in small numbers for the loggers themselves. Many camps lasted only a few years before the timber was cut and the crews moved on. Those cards are the main visual record of how the forests were logged, and they are sought by collectors across the country.
Hops, orchards and the valleys
The Willamette Valley grew hops, and real photos of hop yards and pickers are distinctive. The Hood River Valley and the Rogue River Valley around Medford were heavily promoted for their apple and pear orchards in the early 1900s, and cards of orchards, packing houses and new orchard towns document that boom. Real photos of harvest crews and packing houses are collected by agricultural and regional enthusiasts.
Questions about Oregon postcards
Are Oregon logging postcards valuable? Real photos of crews, giant trees and equipment are among the most collectible Oregon cards.
Are Columbia River cannery postcards collectible? Yes, especially real photos of canneries, fish wheels and workers.
Are Pendleton Round-Up postcards worth anything? Early real photos of the rodeo are popular with Western collectors.
Do you buy Oregon collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.