Main content

Glen Shoemaker and Douglas Bates Columbia River Dam Sites Aerial Photographs

Notifications

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Shoemaker

Glen Walter Shoemaker (1892-1982) was a longtime civil engineer contracted with the Portland District U.S. Corps of Engineers, who following World War II became Head of the Appraisal Branch, and was an expert in photogrammetry and applications of aerial photographs for timber cruising, land classification, and appraisal. Biographical information from dealer description of Glen Shoemaker and Douglas Bates Columbia River Dam Sites Aerial Photographs (C1681).

Bates

Douglas Bates (1893-1963) worked at Portland Railway Light & Power Co. before World War I, and later became engineer before the Great Depression with the Portland District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Biographical information from dealer description of Glen Shoemaker and Douglas Bates Columbia River Dam Sites Aerial Photographs (C1681).

This collection includes two series of 177 silver gelatin aerial photographs (sized 7.25 x 9.5 inches up to 8 x 10 inches, a few with notes within the negative) taken by civil engineers Glen Walter Shoemaker (1892-1982) and Douglas Bates (1893-1963) for the Portland District U.S. Amry Corps of Engineers documenting the Columbia River during the Great Depression as construction and installation of power generating machinery at the Bonneville Dam project began changing the flow and nature of the river. The first series, shot in September 1935, was taken from directly overhead, while the second set, taken in May 1937, consists of oblique view images, with both series offering geographic and topographic details of the Columbia River.

The first series, with photographs numbered 58-158 (with a few breaks), follows the Columbia River East frame-by-frame from the Bonneville Dam construction site, past the Cascade Rapids at the Cascade Locks, the Dalles, Celilo Falls, the John Day River emptying into the Columbia River up past Umatilla landing.

The second series, numbered 1-63 (with some duplicates), provides a natural view of the Columbia River Gorge from the Bonneville Dam Site to Walla Walla, with extraordinary detail for the rugged landscape, river flow, town sites, bridges, railroad lines, and highways along the river. The photographs offer details of the Celilo Falls, Tenmile Rapids, and other features later hidden behind the John Day and The Dalles Dams after completion following World War II. In addition, there are several photos of the Stonehenge World War I Memorial and Maryhill Museum on the Columbia River bluffs. It also includes a typescript "Index to Oblique Photographs" that provides specific times the photos were shot as well as the river discharge flow rates at times from 4:30-8:00 PM.

Information was gathered from dealer description.

The order of materials at the time they came to the library were maintained.

Purchased from Zephyr Used & Rare Books in 2021. AM 2022-023

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in December 2021. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in December 2021.

No materials were removed from the collection during 2021 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Author
Faith Charlton
Finding Aid Date
December 2021
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Columbia River Dam Sites Aerial Photographs First Series, 1935 September. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Columbia River Dam Sites Aerial Photographs Second Series, 1937 May. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Print, Suggest