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Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives: OSU

This guide provides a list of archival collections related to hops and brewing history, as well as tips and resources for doing research.

How to use these collection descriptions

While not exclusively about hops, brewing, or barley, these OSU collections have records related to research into these areas. Click the collection title to link to the collection guide, then do a "find in page" search of the finding aid page or click the link to the "other reference guides" to search the preliminary folder title inventory.  

University records

Agricultural Experiment Station Records, 1889-2002

The Agricultural Experiment Station Records document agricultural research in Oregon from the founding of the Experiment Station in the 1880s. Research activities were conducted on the Oregon State University campus and at branch stations throughout Oregon. Of special note are the hops research reports, dating from 1930. 

Hops Research Reports, 1956-1995

Efforts at Oregon State University to improve hop production scientifically started in the 1890s, but were largely abandoned with the beginning of Prohibition. Oregon State University and the United States Department of Agriculture formed a partnership in 1930 to establish a research program dedicated to developing new hop varieties suited for growing in the Pacific Northwest, determining best practices for processing and packaging, and combating pests and disease problems plaguing the industry. These annual progress reports document the research of the hop investigations; the collection also includes reports from programs in other countries.

Crop Science Department Records, 1925-2011

The Crop Science Department Records consist of reports and project files, newsletters, sound recordings, videotapes, photographic slides, and correspondence. Of special note are research project files related to hops and barley.

Extension Service Records, 1903-2011

The Extension Service Records pertain to the administration and programmatic activities of the Oregon State University Extension Service. The records document policies and procedures, research activities, special events, and services provided to Oregonians at the state and county levels. They also document the service's relationship with the federal government and extension services in other states. Of special note are the Extension Specialists' reports and project agreements.

Food Science and Technology Department Records, 1924-1998

The Food Science and Technology Department Records document the instruction, research, and extension programs and include correspondence, research files, minutes, travel reports, grants and awards information, and Extension Station reports. Of special note are canned beer in 1971 and other items related to wine research.

Fermentation Sciences Program Records

Food science and studies on fermentation have long been a part of research at Oregon State University. In 1996, the Department of Food Science and Technology became home to the nation’s first endowed professorship in Fermentation Science. It was also one of the first colleges to initiate a Fermentation Science degree and quickly grew into an internationally renowned graduate brewing research program. The Fermentation Science program, one of just a handful in the nation, has always focused on “hands-on” applied science, including the use of microorganisms as processing agents in the production of wine and beer, as well as a variety of other fermented foods such as cheese, yogurt, soy sauce, pickles, breads and fermented vegetables. The Fermentation Science Program Records consists of publications collected to support program faculty and students in teaching and research.

Student Club and Organization Records, 1931-2008

The Student Club and Organization Records document the approval and recognition of more than 900 student clubs and organizations at Oregon State University. The records for food and fermentation related clubs include annual review forms; constitutions and by-laws; lists of officers, members,  faculty advisors; event and club registration forms; program information and evaluations (cider sale, streak fry in the fall, canned valentines); budget reports (expenditures and profits), and picnics and field trips (costs, locations, dates). 

There have been a variety of clubs in the Food Science and Technology Department: OSU Food and Fermentation Science Club, OSU Food Group, Food Science and Technology Club, Food Science Club, and the Food Technology Club. The Office of Student Involvement provides support services to student organizations and oversees the process for annual recognition of clubs and organizations. 

College of Agricultural Sciences Records, 1895-1999

The College of Agricultural Sciences Records document teaching, research through the Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension programs in agriculture at OSU. The records consist predominantly of the materials generated or assembled by the Dean's Office and reflect the relationships between the College and federal and state agencies and the significant role of the College in Oregon agriculture. Of special note are the records related to the Oregon Hop Commission, 1967-1970.

Agricultural and Resource Economics Department Records, 1909-2008

The Agricultural and Resource Economics Department Records document research, teaching, and extension activities in agricultural economics and farm management at OSU, and provide extensive documentation of the economics of Oregon agriculture. The records include administrative materials, speeches and presentations, reports and original data for studies conducted by the department faculty, and extensive economic and statistical data on agriculture in Oregon assembled by the Oregon Agricultural Information Network. Of special note are the Hop Cost Study, 1935-1936, and Oregon Commodity Data Sheets for Oats and Barley.

Bioresource Engineering Department Records, 1924-2004

The Bioresource Engineering Department Records document the research and extension activities of the department; the design, development, and use of agricultural equipment; and the architectural design of structures primarily for agricultural use. Of special note are the hops project reports and drying studies.

Botany and Plant Pathology Department Records, 1900-2005

The Botany and Plant Pathology Department Records document research, teaching, and outreach activities in botany and plant diseases at OSU. The records include general and research correspondence, reports, teaching materials, research records, and publications. The records address the diseases of economically important crops and plants grown in Oregon. Of special note is the hops research correspondence, especially that pertaining to the brewing industry and the Hop Research Committee (circa 1945-1955).

Agricultural Chemistry Department Records, 1908-1959

The Agricultural Chemistry Department Records consist of reports, journal articles, publications, and research records.

Hugh E. Morrison Papers, 1937-1964

The Hugh E. Morrison Papers consist of materials reflecting Morrison's research on vegetable crop and hop pest control, symphylid control, and the application of pesticides including DDT. Morrison's research focused on hop pests; life, habits, and control of symphylans; injurious soil arthropods; and development of soil insecticides for control of pests affecting crops such as potatoes, corn, carrots, and mint. The collection includes research reports on symphylids, red hop spiders, and cabbage maggots as well as communications between Morrison, other researchers, chemical companies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the methods employed in the research and the results. 

Photographs

Extension and Experiment Station Communications Photograph Collection, 1912-1997

The Extension and Experiment Station Communications Photograph Collection consists of about 25,500 images generated by Experiment Station staff. These images were used in publications, news releases, poster presentations, and displays. Topics include OSU research projects, branch facilities, and events. Of special note are the many pictures of pickers in the fields, most from the late 1940s, researchers in the fields in the 1950s, and Hop Field Day. 

Extension Bulletin Illustrations Photograph Collection, 1915-1963

The Extension Bulletin Illustrations Photograph Collection consists of images created and assembled for use in Oregon State College Extension Service publications and county reports. They document extension activities in agriculture, home economics, and youth programs. Of special note are the photos of equipment, soldiers, community members, and university students picking hops during WWII. 

Agriculture Photograph Collection, ca. 1890-1970

This collection of photos comes from a variety of sources pertaining to agriculture in Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and Canada. Of special note are photos of soldiers, community members, and university students picking hops during WWII. 

Food Science and Technology Department Photographs, 1900-1963

The Food Science and Technology Department Photographs depict the department's food processing and canning laboratories and equipment; research and testing activities of the department; faculty and students; and commercial food packing and processing facilities and equipment throughout Oregon. Of special note are Hops experimental drying studies displays and a collection of 1940s postcards showing a vineyard in Asti, California.

Experiment Station Publications Photographic Collection, 1949-1979

The Experiment Station Publications Photographic Collection document Agricultural Experiment Station research in Corvallis and at Branch Stations throughout Oregon. Of special note are photos of barley field research. 

Extension Service Photographs, 1900-2007

The Extension Service Photographs document programs, activities, and staff, as well as agriculture throughout the state. Of special note are the photos of barley variety trials. 

Soils Department Photographs, 1952-1977

The Soils Department Photographs collection has photos of  department faculty, staff and students, as well as maps, displays, and laboratory and field research. Of special note are the photographs of barley research. 

Agricultural Experiment Station Photographic Collection, ca. 1900-1988 and Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin Illustrations, 1925-1941

These collections contain photographs taken by staff of Station agricultural research in Corvallis and at Branch Stations throughout Oregon. Also included are photographs and other illustrations reproduced in the Station Bulletins published from the mid-1920s to early 1940s.

Entomology Department Photograph Collection, 1912-2002

This collection consists of photographs generated and collected by the Entomology Department. The materials document the activities of department faculty, staff, and students as well as classes, entomology research and fieldwork, and various insects.

Gerald W. Williams Collection, 1855-2007

The Gerald W. Williams Collection consists of Williams' personal papers, photograph collection, and materials pertaining to forestry, environmental history, Native Americans, and the geography of the Northwest. Of special note are photos of hop pickers, which can be found in the Gerald W. Williams set in Oregon Digital by limiting to that collection and searching for the word "hop."

This collection is closed for research at this time for processing. Materials will become available for researcher use as arrangement and description is completed.

Ken Gray Photograph Collection, 1964-1979

The Ken Gray Photograph Collection consists of prints and negatives showing various insects at their larval and adult stages. Gray donated these images to the OSU Extension Service in the mid-1970s. Of special note are pictures of the hop aphid. 

Bill Reasons Photograph Collection, 1952-1974

This collection consists of photographs taken by Bill Reasons and other OSU Photo Service photographers between 1952 and 1974. Of special note in this collection are color prints of hops flower with pollen.

E.E. Wilson Photographic Collection, ca. 1855-1960

The E. E. Wilson Photographic Collection consists of images of Wilson, his family and friends, OAC campus, Corvallis and the Pacific Northwest. Of special note in this collection pictures of pickers in Yakima, WA.

Wanda Gifford Photographs, 1948-1958

The Wanda Gifford Photographs consist of images taken by  Gifford during the late 1940s and 1950s showing post-war Salem, agriculture in the Willamette Valley, and other Northwest landmarks. Of special note are circa 1950 photos of workers in hop yards. 

Edwin Russell Jackman Photographic Collection, ca. 1875-1964

The collection consists of images collected or taken by E. R. Jackman. Most were taken in the eastern, Columbia Basin, and southern parts of Oregon, where Jackman was an extension specialist. Of special note are photographs from 1944 of hop picking. 

The Daryl Ehrensing Papers

This collection consists of photos that Ehrensing took in his work for the Crop Soil Science Department. There are many crops represented in the slides, but of note is his collections of photos taken in the hop fields and lab in the 1970s. 

These slides have been digitized and are available for viewing in Flickr. 

Other OSU collections

Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program Records, 2006-2014

The Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program Records document farms and ranches in Oregon that have applied for and received recognition as Century or Sesquicentennial Farms or Ranches. The records consist primarily of application materials; a database listing all the farms and ranches accepted into the program is also included. The Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program was established in 1958.  The records are closed for research at this time for processing and digitization, but data can be accessed on the Century Farm and Ranch Public Data Export page.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Oregon, 1879-1956

The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Oregon are an extensive collection of detailed maps of 178 towns and cities in Oregon beginning in the 1880s. The maps depict both business and residential areas and provide information about the location of structures and type of construction. These can be used to locate breweries and other structures like ice houses, but researchers need the name or rough location of the brewery to determine the exact location. 

Metsker's Atlases of Oregon Counties, 1929-1988

The Metsker's Atlases of Oregon Counties consist of 66 atlases and include one or more atlases for all 36 Oregon counties that depict property owners and donation land claims. The bulk of the atlases were published in the 1930s-1950s. Each atlas includes an index map. In addition to property boundaries, the maps show roads; railroads; streams, rivers, and water bodies; and schools. Most of the atlases were compiled by Charles F. Metsker, a civil engineer; the more recent atlases were prepared by Thomas C. Metsker. These can be used to locate hops farms, but researchers need the name of the farm owner to identify the location. 

Horticulture Department Records, 1908-1994

The Horticulture Department Records document the teaching, research, and extension activities in horticulture at Oregon State University and consist primarily of correspondence, reports, and administrative records. Of special note are the materials related to winemaking and wine research in the 1970s.