Dye, Eva Emery, 1855-1947

Eva Emery Dye (1855-1947), Oregon author and historian, was born in Prophetstown, illinois. She was educated at Oberlin College (B.A. 1882, M.A. 1887) and married a classmate Charles Henry Dye in 1882. They moved to Oregon City, Oregon, in 1890, where Charles Dye practiced law and the couple raised four children. Eva Dye published numerous books and articles relating to the history of Oregon and the western United States, many of them works of historical fiction. She was closely associated with the Oregon Historical Society and served on its board of directors.

From the description of Letters, 1901-1902. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 54207551

Eva Emery Dye (1855-1947), Oregon author and historian, was born in Prophetstown, Illinois. She was educated at Oberlin College (B.A. 1882, M.A. 1887) and married a classmate Charles Henry Dye in 1882. They moved to Oregon City, Oregon, in 1890, where Charles practiced law, Eva taught school, and the couple raised four children. Eva Emery Dye published numerous books and articles relating to the history of Oregon and the western United States, many of them works of historical fiction. She was active in community and political affairs, including Chautauqua and the woman's suffrage movement.

From the description of Eva Emery Dye Papers, 1776-1997 (bulk 1890-1940). (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 39874150

Eva Lucinda Emery Dye (1855-1947) popularized Oregon Country history for children and adults, and in the process, she made Sacagawea a heroine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the eyes of the public. She was born in Prophetstown, Ill., to Cyrus Emery and Caroline Trafton Emery. In 1882, she graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and married Charles Henry Dye (1856-1929), a fellow Oberlin student from Fort Madison, Ia. In 1890, the family moved to Oregon City, Or., where Charles practiced law and Eva obtained a teaching position. They built a home at 902 Jefferson Street, where they spent the rest of their lives.

Eva was a nationally renowned author of historical fiction and produced a book for children and three historical novels set in the Oregon Country which went into multiple printings and remained popular for decades. During her lifetime she published: Stories of Oregon, (1900); McLoughlin and Old Oregon (1900); The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark (1902); McDonald of Oregon, A Tale of Two Shores (1906); and The Soul of America: An Oregon Iliad (1934).

Eva's books were the result of intensive research. She made four trips across the United States tracing the steps of Lewis and Clark, spoke with people about the explorers, and examined journals, letters and documents during her research for The Conquest, her most significant work. The Conquest, written for the Lewis and Clark Centennial, portrayed Sacagawea as a model of 19th century true womanhood.

In addition to writing books, numerous articles, and other shorter pieces, Dye was in demand as a speaker by local, regional, and national organizations. The Willamette Valley Chautauqua, which had its first meeting in the summer of 1893 at Gladstone Park, was jointly founded by Eva and her husband, Charles, and evolved from a Chautauqua circle that met in the Dye's home. She was also active in the Oregon Woman's Suffrage Association. As president of the Sacajawea Statute Association, Eva was instrumental in hiring Alice Cooper to sculpt the copper statute of Sacagawea exhibited at the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905. The statue became a permanent fixture in Washington Park at Portland, Oregon.

Eva Emery Dye and Charles Henry Dye had four children, Emery Charles Dye (b. 1884), Trafton Mickelwaite Dye (1886-1974), Everett Willoughby Dye (1896-1988), and Charlotte Evangeline (Eva) Dye Hutchinson (1897-1972). Emery and Trafton graduated from Oberlin College. Emery was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1908; however, he suffered a mental breakdown in young manhood which resulted in his commitment to a state institution for much of his life. Trafton moved to Cleveland, Oh., where he practiced law. Everett graduated from Oregon Agricultural College with a degree in mechanical engineering and settled near Trafton in Cleveland, Ohio. Charlotte graduated from Oregon Agricultural College with a degree in home economics. She married Richard Earl Hutchinson and settled in Los Angeles.

From the guide to the Dye family photographs collection, circa 1855-1945, (Oregon Historical Society)

Eva Lucinda Emery Dye (1855-1947) popularized Oregon Country history for children and adults, and in the process, she made Sacajawea a heroine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the eyes of the public. She was born in Prophetstown, Illinois, to Cyrus Emery and Caroline Trafton Emery. Her teachers were so impressed with her stories, poems, and songs that they encouraged her to send them to area newspapers. She started her career as a published writer as a teenager under the pen name, Jennie Juniper, with poems, stories, and essays in these newspapers.

Eva began teaching at the age of 15 to earn money to attend Oberlin College and worked as a teacher off-and-on throughout her college years. At Oberlin, she was elected literary editor of the Oberlin Review, studied the Classics, and won honors in oratorical contests. She graduated as class valedictorian with a bachelor of arts degree, and a week after graduation, on July 13, 1882, she married an Oberlin classmate, Charles Henry Dye (1856-1929).

The couple both taught school at Sidney, Iowa, and then moved to Franklin, Nebraska, where Charles was headmaster of the Franklin Academy. During this time, both continued their academic careers at Oberlin, where Eva received a master of arts degree in 1887. Charles completed his master's degree in 1888 and entered the University of Iowa Law School, where he completed his degree in 1889. Charles opened a law office in Madison, South Dakota, and Eva taught at the State Normal School there.

In July 1890, Charles and Eva Dye moved to Oregon City, Oregon, where he practiced law and Eva obtained a teaching position. Charles was appointed Deputy District Attorney for Oregon City, and he won a seat in the Oregon State House of Representatives. They built a home at 902 Jefferson Street, where they spent the rest of their lives.

Eva Emery Dye began researching and writing Oregon history soon after she arrived in Oregon City. One of her earliest published pieces on the subject was a bulletin in the University of Oregon's Historical Series, "The Hudson's Bay Company regime in the Oregon country" (1898). She produced a book for children and three historical novels set in the Oregon Country which went into multiple printings and remained popular for decades. During her lifetime she published: Stories of Oregon, 1900; McLoughlin and Old Oregon, 1900; The Conquest: The True Story of Lewis and Clark, 1902; McDonald of Oregon: A Tale of Two Shores, 1906; and The Soul of America: An Oregon Iliad, 1934. She wrote McDonald of Oregon at the request of its central figure, Ranald Macdonald (his spelling of his name). In addition, she wrote a book on Hawaiian history, A Royal Romance, which remained unpublished at the time of her death. Although she wrote her books in novel form, Dye took pride in making them as authentic as her historical research could achieve.

Eva Emery Dye also contributed her literary talents to at least two other prominent publications: the chapter, "Historical Sketch of Oregon City" in Portland, Oregon: Its History and Builders by Joseph Gaston, 1911, and the text for photographer Benjamin Gifford's photogravure portfolio, Art Work of Portland, Mt. Hood and the Columbia River, 1912.

In addition to writing books, numerous articles, and other shorter pieces, Dye was in demand as a speaker by local, regional, and national organizations. With her husband, Charles, she was active in church, community, and political affairs in Oregon City and Clackamas County. They jointly founded the Willamette Valley Chautauqua at Gladstone Park, actively supported the First Congregational Church at Oregon City, and were members of the Republican Party. Eva, with her husband's full support, took an active role in the woman's suffrage movement, the Sacajawea Statue Association (to erect a statue at the Lewis and Clark Exposition, 1905), and the effort to preserve the John McLoughlin House at Oregon City through the McLoughlin Memorial Association. The Sacajawea Statue became a permanent fixture in Washington Park at Portland, Oregon, and the McLoughlin House a popular attraction in Oregon City.

Eva Emery Dye received many honors during her lifetime, including an honorary doctor of literature degree from Oregon State College (Oregon State University), 1930, and an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Portland, 1939. Her 80th birthday was declared Eva Emery Dye Day in Oregon City.

Charles and Eva Emery Dye had four children: Emery Charles Dye (1884-?), Trafton Mickelwait Dye (1886-1974), Everett Willoughby Dye (1896-1988), and Charlotte Evangeline (Eva) Dye Hutchinson (1897-1972). Emery suffered a mental breakdown in young manhood and was confined to a state institution for much of his life. Trafton Dye became a successful attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, where he and his wife Mary raised their family. Everett Dye worked as an engineer for steel companies in Cleveland Ohio, where he and his wife, Harriet, raised their family. Evangeline (Eva) Dye married Richard Earl Hutchinson, and the family made their permanent home in California.

From the guide to the Eva Emery Dye Papers, 1776-1997, 1890-1940, (Oregon Historical Society)