The Schoenrock Collection consists of 104 photographs taken in and around Requa, California, during its heyday as a bustling cannery town, dating from approximately 1890 to 1925. Requa is located at the mouth of the Klamath River on the Yurok Indian Reservation. These photographs were collected largely in the form of postcards by Naomi Bailey Schoenrock. Many of them were sent to her by her father, William T. Bailey, who operated the largest of the Requa canneries. They were taken by a variety of photographers who, following the fashion of the time, printed and sold some of their work on postcards.

The William Schoenrock Collection of 178 photographic images survives today as one of the best sets of views of the early days of Requa, Del Norte County, California. The assemblage would quite accurately be designated as the William T. Bailey - Naomi Schoenrock Collection, for it is those two persons who were most responsible for the amassing of this collection. It is the son of the latter, William Schoenrock, who was responsible for their preservation.A social dance was given at Lou Lockwood's on the 2nd....Mrs. Lockwood acted as hostess....Mr. Lockwood furnished the music.W.T. Bailey left [Requa] for Crescent City to meet the steamer Thistle to ship a load of lumber to be used to finish the cannery [at Requa].The contract for building the Klamath Road from Last Chance to De Martins has been given to W.T. Bailey for $985.[Requa] has a large salmon cannery owned by the Klamath Packing and Trading Co., whose San Francisco office is in the apartments of R.D. Hume & Co. W.T. Bailey is superintendent of the company's business at Requa, and he will always be found willing and ready to escort visitors through the works and explain the different machines and apparatus used in the business of canning.W. T. Bailey anticipates putting a cable across the Klamath River, 1700 feet in length. This is 300 feet longer than the cable across the Eel River, but is it thought that the cable can be successfully placed, notwithstanding the distance. The cable will be similar to the one used on Smith River, the current forcing the boat across. With a good cable, the ferry at Klamath will be comparatively safe. The ferry is owned by Bailey and Fortain.An injunction was won by Bailey and Fortain against the other ferry run by T.H. Griffin. Bailey and Fortain are still attempting to stretch a cable across the Klamath.Klamath River salmon bring the top-notch in market, as their reputation for superiority is far famed. The cannery and business generally is owned conjointly by the R.D. Hume Estate and Mr. W.T. Bailey, the latter being superintendent thereof, which position he has held for a number of years....The cannery is one of several buildings that form a bustling village known as Requa. The settlement includes a post office with Mr. Bailey as postmaster; a general store owned by the Hammond Company of Humboldt; a hotel and feed stable conducted by H.F. Webster, who is newly in charge, and will forthwith erect a more modern hotel building; a blacksmith shop (north of town); some dwellings, and two places for satisfying the unnatural thirst. Mr. Webster has also leased for a term from W.T. Bailey the public ferry at Klamath River....

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Collection is open for research.