Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Scope and Contents

Consists of over one hundred photographs documenting the Rowe family in Spokane and Edgecomb, Washington, and Lawrence County, Missouri. Photographs depict sawmills, steam engine threshers, store interiors, Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," and snapshots of the Rowe family who operated engines and owned farms in Washington state, Missouri, and Kansas.

The majority of the photographs consist of small family snapshots and portraits depicting various family members and friends in Washington and Missouri; these include images of people in World War II uniforms, a 32-horse team pulling a thresher in Eastern Washington (1930), the tombstone of Thomas W. Rowe (1865-1958) and Eva J. Rowe, his wife, in Fellowship Cemetery in Miller, Missouri, hunting scenes, and travel photographs. The photograph of the "Rough Riders," soldiers who had served with President Roosevelt in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish-American War, was taken by Charles A. Libby (1879-1966) during a 1903 welcoming parade for Roosevelt in Spokane. Other images show Thomas Rowe with a steam traction engine and wagon tanker in a wheat field with workers and engineers standing next to the engine, another with a group of farm workers and engineers posing beside a traction engine and thresher, and a third with Rowe posing beside his Port Huron steam traction engine and thresher in front of large stone building. There are also photographs of men operating a steam-powered sawmill to slice a large log; Clark and James Kimball's wagon for hauling logs, a sawmill located at Edgecomb, as well as Thomas Rowe's sawmill operating on the farm of August Carl (1905), with stacks of lumber surrounding the sawmill, a horse team in harness, and a portable steam engine. Two other images show the interior of the general store and butcher shop where Oliver Rowe (1892-1943) worked following World War I as a butcher. There is also a photograph of the Spokane High School football team in the mid-1930s and another group portrait of schoolchildren. Others whose names appear in photograph captions include LeRoy Rowe (1919-2002), Leon Gee, Marian and Ed Bucher, Minor and Roland Gee, Elsie and Eva Bell Rowe, Grandpa Roatch and Clint, Russell, and Dorry Ames.

Collection Creator Biography:

The Rowe family is an American family that was based in Washington, Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Rowe (1865-1958) operated a large farm in Lawrence County, Missouri, owned several sawmills and lumber yards in Missouri, Kansas, Idaho, and Washington, and maintained a business that leased out steam traction engines and threshers for harvests. Oliver Rowe (1892-1943), Thomas's nephew, worked initially as a butcher in Lewiston, Idaho, and later became meat inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture in Spokane, Washington. LeRoy Rowe (1919-2002), worked as an actor and served with the National Guard during World War II.

Acquisition:

Purchased from Zephyr Used & Rare Books in 2021 (AM 2022-073).

Appraisal

No materials were removed from the collection during 2021 processing.

Sponsorship:

Processing of this collection was sponsored by the Delafield fund.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in December 2021. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in December 2021, incorporating some description from the dealer.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Rowe Family Photographs; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dcw6634d80d
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box P-000176