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Oregon at Work: 1859-2009
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- GenresHistory
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 15, 2017
Oregon at Work is a great insight into Oregon's history of labor. It would be perfect for a course in Oregon history and society. I also really like how representative it is of the various types of labor and the diverse type of people that have shaped it.
Because it is perfect for use in a classroom or other academic setting, it is a little dry and reads very much like a textbook would. But that is neither good nor bad, it just is. It fills a need and a niche well. Worth a read if you are interested in labor, Oregon history or US history.
Because it is perfect for use in a classroom or other academic setting, it is a little dry and reads very much like a textbook would. But that is neither good nor bad, it just is. It fills a need and a niche well. Worth a read if you are interested in labor, Oregon history or US history.
June 6, 2016
Oregon is proud of the work that it took to hew this state from wilderness; after all, “Oregon” used to stretch from Northern California to just around Whistler, BC. If they weren’t clear-cutting what is now Portand’s Forest Park, they were cutting a Donation Land Claim out of dessicated desert rock, and driving railroad spikes with their bare hands. Ultimately, what Oregon wants you to know is How Damned Hard We Worked To Forge This Great State.
Oregon at Work tells you how damned hard everyone worked who came here BP (Before Penicillin). Tom Fuller and Art Ayre have written a pleasant, prosaic, well-laid-out book with lots of white space that will convince your friends from Pittsburgh that you have a gold claim out in the backyard. John McLoughlin, Sam Barlow, Philip Foster—the kind of men who get a road named after them are mentioned, along with those not that lucky: Thomas Van Buren Embree, Arthur Prideaux, William Eads. Men who came west, and all they got for their efforts were calloused hands and a daguerreotype in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society.
Fuller and Ayre show you how arduous it was to carve a living out here when everything had to be made here. Made In Oregon wasn’t marketing, it was a do-or-die ethos that made people successful here. If not, they packed it back east in a wagon if they were lucky, or a pine box if they weren’t. It almost makes me pine for days I’ve never known, to have a résumé like Arthur Barber: “miner, barber, dentist, freight hauler, and bridge builder.” When all else fails, there’s horseshoeing.
Fuller and Ayre try to give women their due prior to World War II, but there is only so much to write about a job market suppressed by the patriarchy (but the authors acknowledge this). Native Americans get their token mention, but again, it’s hard to write a full work history when it ends with sequestering on arid, intractable land. The book is a history of the dominant paradigm, and the authors have thoroughly detailed what information was available to summarize.
Oregon at Work will make for a good start to the history of earning a living in Oregon for those who are curious. To complete the set, pair the book with A Richer Harvest: The Literature of Work in the Pacific Northwest from Oregon State University Press. It will fill in the mortar between the bricks that Fuller and Ayre lay down.
Oregon at Work tells you how damned hard everyone worked who came here BP (Before Penicillin). Tom Fuller and Art Ayre have written a pleasant, prosaic, well-laid-out book with lots of white space that will convince your friends from Pittsburgh that you have a gold claim out in the backyard. John McLoughlin, Sam Barlow, Philip Foster—the kind of men who get a road named after them are mentioned, along with those not that lucky: Thomas Van Buren Embree, Arthur Prideaux, William Eads. Men who came west, and all they got for their efforts were calloused hands and a daguerreotype in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society.
Fuller and Ayre show you how arduous it was to carve a living out here when everything had to be made here. Made In Oregon wasn’t marketing, it was a do-or-die ethos that made people successful here. If not, they packed it back east in a wagon if they were lucky, or a pine box if they weren’t. It almost makes me pine for days I’ve never known, to have a résumé like Arthur Barber: “miner, barber, dentist, freight hauler, and bridge builder.” When all else fails, there’s horseshoeing.
Fuller and Ayre try to give women their due prior to World War II, but there is only so much to write about a job market suppressed by the patriarchy (but the authors acknowledge this). Native Americans get their token mention, but again, it’s hard to write a full work history when it ends with sequestering on arid, intractable land. The book is a history of the dominant paradigm, and the authors have thoroughly detailed what information was available to summarize.
Oregon at Work will make for a good start to the history of earning a living in Oregon for those who are curious. To complete the set, pair the book with A Richer Harvest: The Literature of Work in the Pacific Northwest from Oregon State University Press. It will fill in the mortar between the bricks that Fuller and Ayre lay down.
August 14, 2015
In many ways Oregon has a unique work history. Unlike cities on the East coast with their three hundred plus year histories, Oregon, like much of the West coast has had less than half that time to build economies and a work force. While the Lewis and Clark expedition left Missouri on May 14th 1804, they did not reach the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Columbia River until November 18th, 1805. Even though Oregon was heavily populated by Indigenous Peoples long before Lewis and Clark made their famous Corps of Discovery expedition, it was not until the years 1811-1840 that the Oregon Trail was opened by fur trappers and traders. From 1846 to 1869 some 400,000 people traveled to Oregon via the Oregon Trail.
"Oregon at Work" starts its history at 1859 and continues up through 2009. Though this book ranges to cover a lot of ground in just a few pages, it manages to do a very thorough job describing the hows and wheres of Oregon’s diverse work history. _Oregon at Work_is loosely divided into three sections. Section one covers the years from 1859 to 1900, section two covers the years from 1900 to 1959, and section three covers the years from 1959 to 2009. From the initial cultivations of the rich farmlands of the Willamette Valley, through the intense battleship production of World War II, and right up through today’s modern technology boom, the so-called silicon forest, "Oregon at Work " is a great resource for anyone looking for Oregon history. Authors Fuller and Ayre not only include many, many photos, but do not shy away from taking about the role of women, minorities, and the Indigenous populations. I found "Oregon at Work" both insightful and filled with useful information.
"Oregon at Work" starts its history at 1859 and continues up through 2009. Though this book ranges to cover a lot of ground in just a few pages, it manages to do a very thorough job describing the hows and wheres of Oregon’s diverse work history. _Oregon at Work_is loosely divided into three sections. Section one covers the years from 1859 to 1900, section two covers the years from 1900 to 1959, and section three covers the years from 1959 to 2009. From the initial cultivations of the rich farmlands of the Willamette Valley, through the intense battleship production of World War II, and right up through today’s modern technology boom, the so-called silicon forest, "Oregon at Work " is a great resource for anyone looking for Oregon history. Authors Fuller and Ayre not only include many, many photos, but do not shy away from taking about the role of women, minorities, and the Indigenous populations. I found "Oregon at Work" both insightful and filled with useful information.
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January 30, 2009I learned so much about those that made Oregon the state that it is. I spent nearly two years researching and writing this book along with my co-author Art Ayre. I know anyone who is interested in Oregon history or the history of work will enjoy this book.
I spent many months traveling around Oregon, sitting across kitchen tables with folks who were descended from Oregon pioneers. We traded stories and looked at ancient photographs of their ancestors at work.
The book is also full of interesting tidbits about how much things cost and how much people earned between 1859 and today.
Tom Fuller
I spent many months traveling around Oregon, sitting across kitchen tables with folks who were descended from Oregon pioneers. We traded stories and looked at ancient photographs of their ancestors at work.
The book is also full of interesting tidbits about how much things cost and how much people earned between 1859 and today.
Tom Fuller
January 6, 2011
I loved this book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and looking at all of the pictures. I felt the book did a good job of breaking down the different types of jobs and work environments of Oregon since its foundation until today. It's wonderful book for children or teens who're doing projects in regards to Oregon's history.
July 17, 2009
I was with this one from the beginning, from development to proofs and everything in between.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews