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Tag: Ellensburg

Unity Through Disaster: Yakima’s Cleanup after the Eruption of Mount St. Helens

Unity Through Disaster: Yakima’s Cleanup after the Eruption of Mount St. Helens

May 18, 1980, a day many Pacific Northwesterners vividly remember, was the infamous day Mount St. Helens erupted and left much of the state in complete darkness. This day was coined “Black Sunday,” and during the following week, nearly 200,000,000 cubic yards of soot and ash were dumped across Washington and covered nearly half the state.[1] The City of Yakima was in the direct path of the ash plume. To make matters worse, the volcano would continue to emit ash…

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Archives Spotlight: How fire shaped Washington’s city growth

Archives Spotlight: How fire shaped Washington’s city growth

Some of Washington state’s most prosperous cities were, at some time in the past, nearly destroyed by fire. In 1887, a fire reduced half of Walla Walla to ash. In 1889, Seattle, Spokane, and Ellensburg all experienced conflagrations that changed each city’s developmental trajectory. Most of that era’s residential and commercial structures were wood-framed, which even with stone or brick cladding made them vulnerable to fires. Also, nineteenth-century firefighters’ training and equipment were far below modern standards, which made it…

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Corporations for Communities Awards 2017

Corporations for Communities Awards 2017

The Corporations for Communities Award honors extraordinary Washington businesses that give their best efforts in helping their communities. On Monday, December 4th, Secretary Wyman presented five businesses with a National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award during a ceremony honoring the businesses for the exceptional work they have done for their communities. Honorable mentions and special recognition went to seven additional organizations. Secretary Wyman selected these businesses to receive the NASS Medallion Award for their efforts to go above and beyond…

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From the Digital Archives: 1909 Washington highway map

From the Digital Archives: 1909 Washington highway map

Nowadays, when we look at a highway map of Washington, we see a complex web of gold, red and black lines crisscrossing the state. But it wasn’t always this way. In the early 1900s, highways were a rarity in the Evergreen State. Probably because cars and trucks were rarities as well, considering that the automobile had just been invented. This 1909 map displays Washington’s located and proposed highways, railroads (the dominant form of transportation then) and county seats. The map…

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SOS Wyman on the road: Ellensburg

SOS Wyman on the road: Ellensburg

Secretary Wyman talks about her office’s programs during lunch with her Kittitas County Advisory Committee. (Photo courtesy of Toni McKinley-Camp) From time to time, Secretary of State Wyman leaves Olympia and visits other parts of Washington to meet with community leaders, take part in historical or cultural events and talk with local media about what our office is doing. After all, since part of her title is “state,” it only makes sense for Wyman to visit communities around our state…

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Lively Art @ the Ellensburg Public Library

Lively Art @ the Ellensburg Public Library

Many libraries are embellished with significant pieces of art found in the building or on the immediate grounds, enhancing their attractiveness to patrons and visitors. Not too long ago I had the opportunity to visit the Ellensburg Public Library, where I encountered quite a remarkable collection of art works. If you’re in Ellensburg, it’s worth a visit to the library just to check them out! Many of the art pieces there grace the exterior building and grounds. These ranged from…

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The Dark Side of Prohibition

The Dark Side of Prohibition

City Attorney F.A. Kern From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: When the following jokey editorial in The Ellensburg Capital was printed June 23, 1921, the 6-year old statewide experiment in Prohibition was clearly not being taken seriously. But a dark side to this light-hearted attitude later engulfed two individuals mentioned in this opinion piece:  AH, HA! THE SECRET IS NO LONGER A SECRET! WHO IS SELLING LIQUOR?  “Listen, dear reader: It…

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An Odd Story About the Odds

An Odd Story About the Odds

Random News from the Newspapers on Microfilm Collection: An Odd Story About the Odds From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: This tale of coincidence caught my eye as I was perusing through the Yakima Herald. It can be found on page 3 of the May 30, 1889 issue, less than six months before Washington became a state: The Strange Story of Dick See “The story of the arrest of Richard See,…

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From Your Corner Of Washington: Dick & Jane’s Spot

From Your Corner Of Washington: Dick & Jane’s Spot

Photo courtesy of Jim Nielend Dick and Jane’s Spot “Art for the heart, from the heart, in the heart of Washington” 101 North Pearl St., Ellensburg, WA 98926 If you’re ever rolling through Ellensburg, check out this vibrant and eye-catching corner, you can’t miss it! Dick and Jane’s Spot is made up of their own homemade artwork but also various other artists that they have compiled together. It’s so intricate! All the different artistic elements that they incorporate can keep…

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Whitman County, Ellensburg, Pomeroy and Columbia County Add to Collections

Whitman County, Ellensburg, Pomeroy and Columbia County Add to Collections

As part of their 2009 Washington Rural Heritage grant work, funded by LSTA, four libraries have added brand new material to their previously published collections. Whitman County Library widened their digitization efforts this year and offered scanning services to patrons of all libraries in their district. Whitman County Heritage now includes material from all around the county — users can browse items by community from their home page and are able to view rare images from small towns like Ewan,…

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