Archival Series
Vanport Placemarking Project oral histories
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
A2024-013
AS/30
The Vanport Placemarking Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to marking significant physical locations of the historic Vanport site to provide a place for people to learn, connect, and share stories and memories of Vanport. The organization is installing signage in strategic locations to highlight Vanport’s history and share how it has shaped and impacted the environment and people, including Black communities, women, and Indigenous peoples. In the future, they hope to also incorporate the historical importance of the site for Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican communities. This collection contains audio oral histories recorded as part of the placemarking project documenting the experience and memories of two former Vanport residents, Frank Blair, a member of the Mississippi Band of Assiniboine originally from White Earth, Minnesota, and Ed Washington, an African-American . originally from Birmingham, Alabama, both of whom emigrated to Vanport with their parents employed at the Kaiser shipyards during World War II. In addition to the recordings, this collection includes interview transcripts (Edited and unedited) and field notes taken by the interviewer.
