George Henry Atkinson was an early Oregon missionary and educator who founded Pacific University. He was also involved in the creation of the public school system in Oregon. The collection consists of Atkinson's incoming and outgoing correspondence, along with several of his publications.

Tabitha Brown was an Oregon pioneer and a founder of Pacific University. This collection includes several original letters by Tabitha and Clark Brown, copies of her account of travels on the Oregon Trail (known as the "Brimfield Heroine" letter), written documentation of Brown family memories, and other material related to the Brown Family.

In 1945 Pacific University joined with North Pacific College of Optometry to form the College of Optometry at Pacific University. This collection contains lectures given by optometry professor, C.B. Pratt, spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Harvey Clark was an Oregon pioneer of 1840 who helped to found Pacific University, and who owned much of the land where the town of Forest Grove now lies. The collection includes one original letter by Harvey Clark dated 1843; a facsimile and transcription of a 1844 letter; a transcription of his 1837 "memory book," a book of verses and notes written by friends; and typed biographical notes about Harvey Clark.

The Lymans were a family of early Oregon settlers who were active in missionary, educational and literary activities. The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence between member of the Lyman family and their friends between the years of 1846 to 1883.

Pacific University dates to 1848 in Forest Grove, Oregon. This collection documents its corporate memory and includes materials pertaining to administrative, curricular, and student activities, including minutes, correspondence, brochures, catalogs, reports, newsletters, photographs, and related items.