Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-06-10
OBJECT is WORTHY.

1t is reported that the Oregon His
torical Society viii ask the next Legis-
lature to appropriate an amount suf-
ficient to erect permanent home for
the large and valuable collection OF
relics, documents and papers now on
display in the Portland City Hall, to
be known as the History Building. For
years this valuable collection has been
given a place in the Portland city
building free of rent, through the
kindness of the city officials. The
time has come, however, when all this
room is needed, and an emergency
faces the Society. 1t must have a
fireproof building in which to properly
classify and index this material, and
of sufficient size to accommodate col
lections for years to come, in order
to make is usable. The building
should also be arranged in such a
manner as to make it possible for
every institution of learning in Ore
gon, and the public generally, to have
access to these collections, Such ac-
cess is not possible under present CON
ditions.
Although the work of gathering a
historical collection has been in pro-
gress less than twelve years, an idea
of its magnitude and value may be
gained from the following summary;
1t contains $500 documents, 224
diaries and account books, 165 maps
and charts, 172 bound volumes of
newspapers, $4,000 unbound news
papers, IL, 700 books, 10000 pamphlets
10000 letters, 1850 pioneer relics,
$500 pioneer, Indian and scenic pho
tographs, 80 historical scrapbooks, and
probably 10000 historical scraps not
vet booked. In addition, there is a
vast amount of material not included
under any Of the above heads. None
of this collection belongs to the Histor-
ical Society. By the terms of its
charter, everything secured by the So
ciety is held by it in trust for the peo-
pie of the State of Oregon.
The Importance of providing a suit
able building for the safe-keeping of
this valuable collection will at once
appeal to every citizen who has pride
in 0regon's past and interest in its
future welfare. Aside from any sen-
timental view of the subject, the move
ment to secure State historical
building is commendable from a prac-
tical, business standpoint. Such
building, owned and maintained by the
state, would be one of the best adver-
tisements Oregon could have.
The building should be located in
Portland, in order to give the greatest
possible number of strangers visiting
the state an opportunity to see the
collection. The structure should be
large enough to accommodate not |
only the historical records and relics, !
but to afford space for permanent
exhibit of Oregon products. Such
of "past and present" |
would tell the story of the states de-
velopment in all lines of commercial, S
industrial and social activity more !
eloquently than any words.
1t is only right and proper that the L
state should bear the comparatively
small cost of erecting such building. I
It need not necessarily be expensive,
but should be constructed of frepro0f \
and should be made to pre-
sent an attractive appearance. In
,recting such building, Oregon would
out be following in the lead of prac-
.ically all of the more progressive q
states of the Union. A building of e
he character suggested would be a ;
'redit to the state and would, in ad- u
lition to providing permanent home o
or priceless historical collection, r'
tand for all time as a memorial to r
he pioneers, and would bear witness u
o the fact that 0regonians of the .
resent day and age anpreciate the u
achievements of the noble men and u
Vomen who rescued Oregon from the II
wilderness and placed in the diadem u
f states one of its brightest jewels. u