The collection focuses on Modoc Indians and the Modoc War of 1872-1873, John Charles Frémont's Second and Third Expeditions to the American West, and U.S. Supreme Court litigation between California and Nevada about a boundary dispute. Francis S. “Van” Landrum was a businessman, registered engineer and land surveyor in Klamath Falls, Oregon as well as a noted amateur historian and author.

Land (cadastral) surveys accomplished under the U.S. Government's Rectangular Survey System are the basis for the establishment of land titles and boundaries within Oregon. The initial point for the land surveys in Oregon is referred to as the Willamette Stone, and the principle survey meridian is named the Willamette Meridian. Collection contains a set of copies of nine township maps in Southern Oregon: Willamette Meridian.