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Tag: North Yakima

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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The 1890 vote that decided Washington’s capital

The 1890 vote that decided Washington’s capital

(Images courtesy of Washington State Archives) Unlike this year, Washington voters in 1890 weren’t pondering initiatives on making it harder to raise taxes or protecting endangered species.  (We couldn’t even vote on statewide initiatives back then!) One issue that statewide voters did consider on this date 125 years ago would have enormous impact on Washington: Which city should be the young state’s capital? The three finalists were Ellensburgh (yes, there was an “H” on the end back then), North Yakima…

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