E. R. Jackman

Edwin Russell (E.R.) Jackman (February 14, 1894 – May 12, 1967) was an American agricultural expert from Oregon. He helped form the Oregon Seed Growers' League and the Oregon Wheat League. In 1964, he joined Reub Long to write The Oregon Desert, which is still a very popular book fifty years after its original publication. Jackman's professional papers and photograph collection are maintained in the Oregon State University archives.

Early life

Jackman was born on February 14, 1894, in Stillwater, Minnesota. He grew up on his father's potato, grain, and livestock farm in Flathead County, Montana. From 1913 to 1917, he attended Montana State College in Bozeman (now Montana State University - Bozeman). He then served briefly as an Agricultural Extension Agent in Blaine County, Montana, before entering the United States Army in the fall of 1917. He was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he served as a First Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Following World War I, Jackman attended Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). He majored in Agronomy, receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1921.

Agriculture expert

After he graduated from Oregon Agricultural College, Jackman was appointed the state's Agricultural Extension Agent for Wasco County, Oregon. As an extension agent, he worked for Oregon State University as part of the United States Department of Agriculture's Federal Cooperative Extension Service (now known as the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. In this capacity, he was responsible for advising local farmers and ranchers on modern agricultural techniques, land use, and recommended conservation practices. In 1926, he resigned to enter commercial business, but returned to the Extension Service in 1929. From 1929 until 1953, he served as a farm crop specialist; then from 1953 until his retirement in 1959, he was engaged as a range crop management specialist.

Books

After he retired from the Extension Service, Jackman wrote four books. In 1962, he wrote Gold and Cattle Country along with Herman Oliver. In 1964, he joined Reub Long to write The Oregon Desert, which remains an extremely popular work over forty years after it original publication. The book highlights Eastern Oregon history, high desert geology, rural culture, and native folklore. It is also filled with Reub Long's humorous stories. As of 2003, the book was in its fourteenth printing. In 1967, Jackman co-authored two other books. First, he worked with Charles Simpson to produce Blazing Forest Trails, then Jackman joined John Scharff to write Steens Mountain in Oregon's High Desert Country. Like The Oregon Desert, his Steens Mountain book is still available decades after its original publication.

Legacy

Jackman died in Portland, Oregon, on May 12, 1967. His legacy includes the E.R. Jackman Foundation, which was created in his honor to support Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences. Oregon State University also sponsors the E.R. Jackman Internship Support Program, which provides financial assistance to undergraduate students enrolled in the university's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The Oregon State University library holds Jackman's professional papers and photograph collection. The Edwin Russell Jackman Papers include manuscripts, personal papers and other archival materials. These files contain articles written for Oregon State University publications, national publications, and specialized trade journals. It also has tapes of radio and television talks, Jackman's speech notes, and the manuscripts for his four books. Summaries of Jackman's papers and photograph collection are available on-line through the Oregon State University library archives and records management program.