Lane County Historical Museum publications include:

1) The Oregon Trail and 19th Century Lane County
2) The Lost Wagon Train of 1853
3) The Story of Eugene
4) Yesterday’s Adventure: A Photographic History of Lane County
5) A Journey Through Lane County History

(See Museum Store link for price and ordering information.)

Recommended Resources for Teachers and Students

* Indicates the book is available at the Lane County Historical Museum Bookstore

Books About the Oregon Trail and/or Pioneer Life

*Freedman, Russell, Children of the Wild West. Scholastic Inc., New York, 1983.

A fascinating collection of period photographs taken during the 1800s along the Oregon Trail and at pioneer settlements in the West, with accompanying narration. The book is divided into different sections: Going West, Settling Down, The American Indian, Frontier Schools, Building the West, and Games, Parties and Celebrations.

Greenwood, Barbara, A Pioneer Sampler: The Daily Life of a Pioneer Family in 1840. Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1995.

This book describes the pioneer life of a fictional family, the Robertsons, on a backwoods farm in 1840. It takes the family through a typical year of household chores, schooling, farming, story-telling, and holidays and special events, among other topics. Includes black and white illustrations and lots of kid-friendly, hands-on activities.

*Kalman, Bobbie, Historic Communities: Tools and Gadgets. Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, 1992.

Describes useful objects that were made more than 100 years ago from natural materials, e.g., wood, leather, bone, and metals such as iron and steel. Tools used for cooking, washing, light and heating, storage, farming, milling, logging, metalworking, woodworking, printing, weaving and spinning, and medicine and dentistry are described and shown in illustrations and photographs. There is also a short section on children’s toys and gadgets.

Kalman, Bobbie, Historic Communities: 19^th Century Clothing. Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, 1993.

Lots of information and pictures of clothing worn by adults and children during the 1800s. Includes pioneer clothing for work and dressy occasions, footwear, hats, hair styles, and sportswear. Also discusses handmade versus mass-produced clothing, and changing ideas of cleanliness during the 19^th century.

Kalman, Bobbie, Historic Communities: A One-Room School. Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, 1994.

This easy-to-read book describes what it was like going to school in pioneer days, with information and stories about the schoolhouse, teachers, the three Rs and school supplies, traveling to school, the daily routine, lunchtime, recess, pranks and punishments, and special events. Lots of colorful artwork and photos of children in period dress.

*Kalman, Bobbie, Historic Communities: Pioneer Projects. Crabtree Publishing Co., New York, 1997.

A fun collection of pioneer-style crafts for kids to make out of common materials. Includes easy-to-follow directions for projects such as braided rugs, cornhusk dolls, wreaths and flower frames, stitched pillow hearts and potpourri pot rests, button boxes, simple toys, block and sponge paintings, stenciled checkerboard, embossed cards, and decoupage works of art.

Levine, Ellen, If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon. Scholastic Inc., New York, 1992.

Contains lots of information for students about life along the Oregon Trail. Poses 31 questions that are answered in 2-3 pages of easy-to-read text and colorful illustrations. Topics include: reasons for emigrating, provisions that were taken, dangers and difficulties of the Trail, daily chores and routines, schooling, food and clothing, entertainment, and obstacles, e.g., rivers and mountains.

*Steber, Rick, Campfire Stories: Tales of the Wild West Series, Vol. 12. Bonanza Publishing, Prineville, OR, 1993.

Short (1-page) entertaining stories that have been passed down through the years about life in the Wild West. Simple, kid-friendly language and black and white illustrations make this a great resource for teachers and parents to read aloud or children to read on their own.

*Steber, Rick, Oregon Trail: Tales of the Wild West Series, Vol. 1. Bonanza Publishing, Prineville, OR, 1986.

Similar to the short stories described in Campfire Stories, except these stories all take place along the Oregon Trail.

*Steber, Rick, Pioneers: Tales of the Wild West Series, Vol. 11. Bonanza Publishing, Prineville, OR, 1993.

More short stories about life along the Oregon Trail and in pioneer settlements.

Stein, R. Conrad, Cornerstones of Freedom: The Oregon Trail. Children’s Press, Chicago, 1994.

Tells the history of Oregon Country and the Oregon Trail, starting with Lewis and Clark’s 1804 expedition. It describes each wave of people who traveled to the territory: the trappers and fur traders during the 1820s and 30s; the missionaries in the 1830s; and the emigrant farmers and families during the 1840s and later. Lots of information for intermediate students about life on the Oregon Trail made vivid by old photographs, paintings, and maps.

*Williams, Jacqueline B., The Way We Ate: Pacific Northwest Cooking, 1843-1900. Washington State University Press, Pullman, WA, 1996.

An interesting resource for adults to learn about how pioneers cooked in log cabins and early homes during the 19^th century. Includes chapters about water, cook stoves, flour as a staple, improvising in the kitchen, drying, preserving and pickling foods, and farm animals, wild game, fish and berries as sources of food. Although this is not a children’s book, it has some excellent photographs and fascinating facts about pioneer life.

Books About Eugene and/or Lane County’s Early History

Card, Douglas, From Camas to Courthouse: Early Lane County History. Lane County Historical Society and Museum, Eugene, OR, 2008.

A collection of stories and articles about people, places and events in 19^th century Lane County history. Carefully researched with artwork and period photographs, the book has a wealth of information for upper elementary through high school students and teachers.

Kimball, Phyllis and Puhn, John, Skinner’s Mudhole: A History of Early Eugene, Oregon. Eugene Public Schools, 1981.

A spiral bound resource developed for elementary students to learn about the history of Eugene from 1846 to 1900. The book narrates important events in Eugene’s early history and includes black and white illustrations, period photographs, maps, excerpts from letters, questions for students to discuss, and ideas for follow up student projects.

*Lane County Historical Society, Yesterday’s Adventure: A Photographic History of Lane County, OR. Lane County Historical Society, Eugene, OR, 1998.

Another collection of early photographs of Lane County, these photos were published as a project of the Lane County Historical Society in 1998. There are some amazing pictures of grown ups and children in their everyday settings – schools, homes, communities, farms, forests, rivers, mountains – that illustrate the hard work, determination, and sense of adventure that was needed for towns to grow during their early years.

Lane Intermediate Education District, Living in Lane County: A Guide Prepared By a Committee of Third-Grade Teachers of Lane County. Lane Intermediate School District, Eugene, OR, 1969.

Prepared by a “committee of third-grade teachers” in 1969 as a teachers’ guide to the study of Lane County, this book is dated but still contains interesting and detailed information about the geography, history, industries, and recreation of the area. The suggested films and books are probably largely out of print, but the photos, facts and lists of suggested activities are still useful for teachers.

*Eugene Register Guard Co., Looking Back – Lane County: A Pictorial Retrospective of Lane County, Oregon –The Early Years – Mid 1800s-1939. Pediment Publishing, Eugene, OR, 2005.

An interesting collection of early photos of Eugene-Springfield and surrounding communities in Lane County, compiled by the Register-Guard from several sources, including the Lane County Historical Museum, the Springfield Museum, and the University of Oregon Knight Library as well as individuals. The photographs are organized by various topics: “Views and Street Scenes”, “Working the Land”, “Transportation”, “Commerce and Industry”, “Schools and Education”, “University Life”, “Community” and “Recreation and Celebration”. Each chapter has a brief introduction and pictures have detailed captions.

Mason, Glenn, A Piece of the Old Tent: A Catalog of Items in the Lane county Pioneer Museum That Were Brought Across the Plains in the 1840s and 1850s. Lane County Pioneer Museum, Eugene, OR, 1976.

This illustrated catalog was published by the Lane County Pioneer Museum as an interpretive aid for the Bicentennial exhibit, “Lane County, the first thirty years of white settlement, 1846-1876.” It is divided into two sections: a narrative that describes the factors emigrants considered when deciding what to take on the Oregon Trail; and a listing of all the Museum’s documented artifacts that came across the Plains to Oregon during the 1840s and 50s. It is a good resource for teachers to consult, especially if they choose to do a self-guided rather than docent-led tour with students.

*Moore, Lucia W., McCornack,, Nina W., and McCready, Gladys W., The Story of Eugene, 1846-1946: The History of Eugene’s First Century. Lane County Historical Society, Eugene, OR, 1949 (1995; 1999).

This is a classic history of Eugene written by the three Wilkins sisters and first published in 1949. Using documentary research, interviews with aging pioneers, and their own recollections, they tell a story of Eugene, starting with Eugene Skinner, that is filled with facts and anecdotes and interesting photographs. The second and third printing of this book contain a 24-page photographic section that was added by the Lane County Historical Museum. This is a fascinating read for adults but too detailed for elementary students.

Wallin, Cheryl Warren, The Lane County Kid’s Book: Stories to 1900. Silver Pennies Press, Eugene, OR, 1982.

This resource was written as a kid-friendly history of early Eugene and surrounding communities in Lane County. It has short, subtitled sections that tell interesting facts and anecdotes about pioneer life in this area. It also includes black and white illustrations and reprints of old photographs. Perhaps the most interesting parts are excerpts from two diaries written by sixteen year old Jane Paul Eakin in 1866 and Raymond C. Baugh in 1902 plus selections from the book, Reminiscences of Early Eugene and Lane County, by Irena Dunn Williams. The stories they tell truly make history come alive. A fun resource for teachers and students!