Maybe you’ve heard stories about what Oregon was like in the early 20th century, but have you ever wanted to see it for yourself? We recently came across an incredible collection of rare photographs from the 1930s and 40s that were archived and made public by Yale University. To put together this article I decided to focus on one single year in Oregon’s history, 1939, and to collect some of my favorite images that illustrate what day-to-day life used to look like.
These amazing photos, taken in 1939 by Dorothea Lange, offer us a glimpse into the past to help us imagine how different (and in some ways, how similar) life in Oregon used to be.
Photo Caption: "Woodpiles along the street are a characteristic of Portland, Oregon. Costs five dollars and fifty cents per cord, and must be hauled thirty-five miles. (Shows homeowner on porch.) Portland, Oregon"
Photo Caption: "Wagon built on the farm utilizing parts of wrecked Dodge truck. "The team can haul three times as much." Oregon, Kirby (Josephine County)"
Photo Caption: "Western Pacific line runs through unclaimed desert of northern Oregon. Ten miles from railroad station at Irrigon. Morrow County, Oregon"
Photo Caption: "The doctor arrives in camp, by previous appointment with the nurse. Seen entering the mobile trailer clinic. Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon, FSA (Farm Security Administration) camp"
