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Tag: Tacoma

Company F at Dayton: Military History in an Unexpected Place.

Company F at Dayton: Military History in an Unexpected Place.

Volunteer archivist, Whitney Wyngaert, discovered a Columbia County Poll Book which contained information that had nothing at all to do with polling voters. Instead, the volume’s ragged, faded label reads “Dayton Nat GR ’94.”  The headers printed on each set of pages claim the volume to be the “Registration Poll Book for Brooklyn Ward, City of Dayton, Columbia County., Wash., for the Year 1893.” The volume was transferred to the archives in 1990 from the Columbia County Auditor, and the…

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Archives spotlight: Historical weather

Archives spotlight: Historical weather

Even if you do enjoy the occasional snow, we can probably all agree that it creates headaches for driving, scheduling, dealing with kids who stay home from school, keeping the driveway shoveled, and so forth. Perhaps this look at a few historical weather storms will help remind us that the current weather isn’t that bad. Walla Walla flood, 1931 Floodwaters overcame the streets of Walla Walla during a storm in 1931. According to a State Archives researcher, this house is located…

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Evergreen State College - Tacoma
How Maxine Mimms brought Evergreen State College to Tacoma: a new Capitol exhibit

How Maxine Mimms brought Evergreen State College to Tacoma: a new Capitol exhibit

A profile of Dr. Maxine Mimms is the latest chapter in Legacy Washington’s new project, “1968: The Year that Rocked Washington.” The profile — part of an exhibit that will open Sept. 13 at the State Capitol — is now online at the project’s homepage. There is an Evergreen State College Tacoma campus because of Dr. Maxine Mimms. She was born in Newport News, Virginia on March 4, 1928 — or “March Forth,” as Mimms puts it with a wry…

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YES program participants
Youth Employment Solutions and WTBBL: Partners for more than 20 years

Youth Employment Solutions and WTBBL: Partners for more than 20 years

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) looks forward to hosting summer workers from the Youth Employment Solutions program once again in 2018. Administered through Washington State’s Department of Services for the Blind, Youth Employment Solutions (YES) is a six-week residential employment experience program for visually impaired and blind workers ages 16-20. At WTBBL, participants work up to 24 hours a week while they partake in team-building activities as well as honing independent life skills outside of work. This…

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1950 highway map
Check out 1950 Washington highway map

Check out 1950 Washington highway map

Most Washingtonians probably can’t even remember life before Interstate 5, I-90 and I-405 were built in our state. But a 1950 state highway map found on our Legacy Washington webpage shows the routes drivers traveled before the arrival of our interstate freeways. You can make some interesting observations by closely examining the map, which was published by the Washington State Highway Commission: The main north-south highway in Western Washington was U.S. 99, which connected Bellingham, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and…

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Want to dig into your family roots? Go to Ancestry Day Sept. 24

Want to dig into your family roots? Go to Ancestry Day Sept. 24

Interested in learning more about your family’s history? Whether you’re a genealogy expert or just starting to dig into your family’s roots, you’re encouraged to attend Ancestry Day in Tacoma Saturday, Sept. 24. The event is co-hosted by Ancestry, the Washington State Historical Society,  and the Office of Secretary of State’s Washington State Archives, Washington State Library and Legacy Washington . “This will be a great event for many people in Washington and the Northwest who want to learn more…

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1873 picnic photo eeks out Library Jewels win

1873 picnic photo eeks out Library Jewels win

Talk about a photo finish. In one of the closest Library Jewels online polls ever, the 1873 photo of a Tacoma family enjoying a picnic edged out the 1784 chart of the Northwest coast of North America in the August edition of the monthly series. The picnic photo received 49 percent of the votes, while the chart gathered 46 percent. A 1934 map of Columbia County was a distant third with 5 percent. We plan to unveil the September edition…

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Voting time for August Library Jewels

Voting time for August Library Jewels

Over the past week, we’ve featured some of the rare, historical and interesting items found in our State Library through our monthly Library Jewels blog series. We’re now ready for you to take a final look at the three August entries and then choose your favorite. They include a 1784 chart of the Northwest coast of North America and coast of northeastern Asia, an 1873 photo of a Tacoma family having a picnic, and a 1934 map of Columbia County….

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Library Jewel #2: 1873 picnic photo

Library Jewel #2: 1873 picnic photo

(Image courtesy of Washington State Library) When you live in a beautiful state like Washington, it’s a given that most people will find a way to enjoy the outdoors. One popular option going back to our territorial days is picnicking. The State Library has this 1873 photo showing how the pioneers did it. (Notice there isn’t any KFC or pop or tortilla chips!) This shot features the Ralstons, one of Tacoma’s pioneering families, enjoying a meal out in the woods….

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