1905 Composition Book of a Descendant of Oregon’s Nahum King, Detailing Experiences at the Lewis and Clark Fair, Great California Earthquake

On offer is an exceptional and complete composition book written by Ms. Bertha Anna King. Ms. King’s family were among the early settlers of the state of Oregon, and she is descended from Nahum Amos King. Nahum A. King was a War of 1812 veteran, who was a survivor of the “Lost Wagon Train” on the Oregon Trail. Kings Valley, Oregon is named for him as he is known to be the first white settler in the region. Our author, Bertha Anna King, was born in Oregon in February of 1889. She passed away in January, 1987, weeks shy of her 99th birthday. She never married. During her life, she graduated from  Oregon Agricultural College and worked as a schoolteacher while helping her parents with her many brothers and sisters in Oregon. 

This composition book was kept when King was 16 years of age, apparently as part of her high school education studies. It was written in 1905-1906. It contains a number of essays on a variety of topics including: Some Thoughts about the Lewis and Clark Fair, Resume: Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, The Origin and History of Halloween, The Panama Canal, What has so far been accomplished, Resume: The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale, Observations Made and Lessons Drawn from the Recent Cataclysm in California, The Future of Alaska and Debate: Girls Tryout O. A. C. Feb. 17, 1905, among many others 

Two prominent articles are the descriptions of the Lewis and Clark Fair and the great earthquake in California.

An excerpt of King’s description of the Lewis and Clark fair follows: 

“I visited the fair in August, a poor time to see the surroundings which have been called the chief beauty of the Exposition, for the hills were then obscured with smoke, but this did not diminish the brilliancy of the lights. Never had I imagined anything so splendid as those dazzling lights. They were to be seen everywhere, out lining the buildings, among the trees, in tree shaped groups on the bridges and across the river, making the stars look dim. The fair grounds have a different aspect by day, the buildings still dazzle the eyes but it is only by their whiteness and the sun. Most of the buildings overlooked Guild's Lake, but the Government exhibit was on an inland reached by the Bridge of Nations. This was a very interesting exhibit. There were a large number of life like wax figures. I came to look at almost every person I saw to make sure if he were real or not. I remember admiring one wax figure which surprised me presently by walking away. We saw many modes of camps and one of the Annapolis Naval Academy…”

An excerpt of her description of the California earthquake follows: 

“Soon after five o'clock on the morning of April eighteenth, San Francisco, the Queen City of the Pacific Coast, was visited by the greatest earthquake known in the history of California. Within a short time, the world knew of the trouble and was sending money, provisions and advice to the stricken people. The earthquake shocks lasted about three minutes and increased in violence. People rushed from their rocking dwellings clad only in their night garments, only to be endangered by the falling buildings. Three hundred thousand were soon homeless. To add to the terror and confusion, fire broke out and as the water mains were broken by the shocks, dynamite was the only means by which the fire could be checked but it proved almost useless and two days passed before the flames were brought under control. Ten square miles had been burned over. Meanwhile the city was put under martial law…”

The composition book also includes nine individual pages, written in a very obviously different hand. The larger of the two consists of six double-sided pages and is a reflection on the economic troubles of the time in which it was written. It is unsigned and undated but appears to have been written by a younger man, likely during the Great Depression. His thoughts on self-sufficiency and ‘socialism’ echo down to the debates in the United States today.

For a historian, this composition book and the included ephemera offer an excellent look into the world at the beginning of the 20th century as seen through the eyes of a young woman in western United States. For a genealogist, this is a direct connection to one of the original settlers in Oregon and a family that played an important role in opening up the state to settlement.

Measuring 9.5 inches by 7.5 inches, it contains 200 numbered pages and is 100% complete. The hard cover is intact but bears a great deal of staining from age. The binding is in good condition as are the pages. The handwriting is quite legible.