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Time to vote clock
April special election is underway

April special election is underway

For about 20 percent of Washington voters, today marks the beginning of the chance to cast ballots in a special election. Ballot boxes opened this morning for the April special election, the second of four election cycles for Washington voters in 2018. There’s plenty of time to participate: Election day is April 24, and the deadline for in-person voter registration with county election officials is April 16. So what’s on the ballot? For voters in 15 of Washington’s 39 counties…

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Lights, Signals, Buoys, and Daymarks — Our Rich Heritage

Lights, Signals, Buoys, and Daymarks — Our Rich Heritage

From the desk of Rand Simmons The meagre lighthouse all in white, haunting the seaboard, as if it were the ghost of an edifice that had once had colour and rotundity, dripped melancholy tears after its late buffeting by the waves. ~Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit A lighthouse is … Although we often think of a tower with a bright light at the top, located on an important or dangerous waterway, lighthouses are quite varied in architecture. They had, and still have, two…

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Classic WA photos: View from Mt. Constitution

Classic WA photos: View from Mt. Constitution

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives) The San Juan Islands’ most breathtaking (literally if you ride your bike or hike to get there) vantage point is atop Mount Constitution on Orcas Island. Once you reach its summit after entering Moran State Park, you’re treated (weather permitting, of course) to a stunning 360-degree view that includes Mount Baker and Mount Rainier, plus Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. On the summit stands a stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps…

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Library Jewel #3: 1910 photo album of NW Washington

Library Jewel #3: 1910 photo album of NW Washington

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Library) If you want to see how beautiful Washington looked more than a century ago, just go to the State Library for a look at some classic black-and-white photos of the Evergreen State. They include a 1910 photo album of more than 50 photos of northwestern Washington, including Orcas Island and the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The photo album was owned by A.H. Cruse. It’s the third and final Library Jewel for October. Our online poll…

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From Your Corner of Washington: San Juan Islands

From Your Corner of Washington: San Juan Islands

(Photos courtesy of Benjamin Helle) Catch a short and scenic ferry ride from Anacortes and you’re on your way to any of the many beautiful San Juan Islands. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and covered by tall evergreens, San Juan, Lopez, Orcas and Shaw islands offer endless and unique adventures for the island-goer. Visiting any one of these islands anytime of the year is recommended, but a visit during fall showcases the many seasonal festivals happening in this unique part…

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From Digital Archives: Photos of CCC workers

From Digital Archives: Photos of CCC workers

CCC workers build a guard rail for a road at Moran State Park. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives.) If you love old, classic photos, our Digital Archives has tons of them, covering many subjects. One example is the vast collection of photos featuring the incredible work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps throughout Washington in the 1930s. These photos are from the Digitial Archives’ collection of State Parks and Recreation Commission, Photographs of Park Development, 1933-1938. Many of…

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Washington Rural Heritage awards 2010 grants

Washington Rural Heritage awards 2010 grants

Our fourth year is off to a fantastic start as we bring in brand new projects, revitalize some old ones and continue with several more. Washington Rural Heritage will fund seven projects through funds made available by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Asotin County Library will partner with the Asotin County Museum to digitize historic photos, a collection of branding boards and various other items and artifacts in…

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