African Americans in Multnomah County Archives

1. Records related to Vanport (1942-1948).

In the County Sheriff’s Office records there are a number of black and white photographs of Vanport. Most of them do not include images of African Americans, but a few do. There are also two motion pictures of Vanport – on within a day or two of the flood; the other several weeks later. There is also a Vanport City map with a Portland trolly map on the back. There is also a roll of microfilmed Sheriff’s Reports dealing with the Vanport Flood.

In the County Library records there is a series of monthly reports from the Vanport Branch Library. They frequently touch on race relations in the city and individual stories of African Americans.

2. Diversity and Equity Office (1967-2012).

The records of the Diversity and Equity Office contain most of the information about Multnomah County’s work in making a more inclusive workplace. Of special note are the records of the Managers of Color interest group and the PNW Diversity Conference.

3. Demographic records (1900-1990)

There are several groups of records that include racial/ethnic identification as part of demographic data collection. The County Poor Farm Admissions Records (1900-1982), Cancelled Voter Registration Cards (1908-1987), and Record of Infectious Diseases (1907-1942) all capture this information. The Sheriff’s Office Record of Criminals (1929-1942) also captures this information in addition to having high resolution mug shots.