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Archives Spotlight: Seattle’s first retail store sat on Alki Point

Archives Spotlight: Seattle’s first retail store sat on Alki Point

“That’ll be six dollars,” Charles C. Terry probably said to J. N. Low on November 28, 1851. Low bought two axes from Terry, the first sale at Seattle’s first store, located in the town of New York, which is now known as Alki Point. The next time you tell yourself Seattle is super expensive, remember this sale. Six dollars in 1851 is roughly $180 in 2018. Pretty steep for a couple of axes, right? Then again, I haven’t checked prices…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Champion B. Mann

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Champion B. Mann

Champion B, Mann   From the Desks of the Central Library Staff Longtime Olympia political fixture, C.B. Mann was born Nov. 2, 1844 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Mann attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon and graduated from Portland Business College before arriving in Olympia in March 1870. He was assigned to the position of Territorial Librarian and served from Aug. 1 to Nov. 6, 1870. C.B. initially held the occupation of school teacher in Oregon and was chosen school district…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Sylvester Hill Mann, 1870

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Sylvester Hill Mann, 1870

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff He was born May 6, 1817 in upstate New York. Raised in Pennsylvania, Mann was a soldier in a volunteer unit during the Civil War in 1862-1863. His occupation as a Methodist minister took him all over the Pacific Northwest. The Mann family arrived in Oregon’s Willamette River Valley via the Isthmus route in 1864. By 1870 Rev. Mann was sent to Olympia, where he found himself appointed to fill out the…

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Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Andrew Jackson Moses, 1859

Profiles of Washington Territorial Librarians – Andrew Jackson Moses, 1859

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff Called “a family of rascals” by one historian, the Moses brothers (Simpson, A.B., and Andrew, a native of South Carolina) along with Elwood Evans, came from Ohio to Olympia 1851 via the Nicaragua route. Simpson had been appointed the Collector and Andrew became a merchant on Main Street (Capitol Way). He had the instincts of an information professional when he ran this notice in the Feb. 5, 1853 issue of the Columbian…

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Author of Sisters Brothers visits Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

Author of Sisters Brothers visits Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

Sisters Brothers is a book about two brothers from gold-rush era Oregon and California who are employed as henchmen. They ride horses, camp out on the trail, try to gather clues about their target, and eventually uncover a lot more than they probably wanted to know about him. What starts out as a simple job becomes something more fantastic, and the two become entangled in the life of a man they set out to eliminate. As I was reading this book last…

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Frisky Oregonians top 41 percent turnout

Frisky Oregonians top 41 percent turnout

The national media paid far more attention to Super Tuesday primaries in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Arkansas, but our neighbors in Oregon were busy voting too – and far exceeded the turnout posted in those other states. Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown said Wednesday that over 41 percent of Oregon registered voters returned their mail-in ballot by the Tuesday deadline, eclipsing her earlier prediction of 37 percent.  Oregon had a hotly contested governor’s primary in both parties, and Brown also attributed…

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Oregon update: Voters OK income tax hikes

Oregon update: Voters OK income tax hikes

While Washington lawmakers and Governor Gregoire contemplate the prospect of tax hikes to help close a $2.6 billion budget shortfall, Oregon voters have upheld the Oregon Legislature’s decision to boost corporate and personal income taxes to the tune of over $730 million. Oregon voters, balloting by mail, on Tuesday approved a pair of referenda, both by a margin of better than 53-47.  Measure 66 will raise the margin income tax rate on personal income above $125k for individuals and $250k…

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Oregonians to decide fate of income tax hikes

Oregonians to decide fate of income tax hikes

While Washington lawmakers cogitate over how to close a $2.6 billion budget gap, our neighbors to the south are deciding whether to go along with the Oregon Legislature’s decision last year to boost income taxes to fill a $733 million hole. Oregonians, voting by mail over the last couple of weeks, get final say on two referenda.  One raises the personal income tax rate for the richest taxpayers and the other would boost the state’s minimum corporate inc0me tax, now…

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Digital Updates

Digital Updates

From the desk of Judy Pitchford Volume 4, #2 November 2009 for Digital Updates Historical Newspapers in Washington – 1 new title. The years 1861-1864 have been added to the Puget Sound Herald in Historical Newspapers in Washington online project, which now covers six years of Steilacoom pioneer news, from 1858 to 1864. Classics in Washington History We have added a new category – 20th Century Events – to our Classics in Washington History.  This category currently contains the Works…

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State government money woes sweep West Coast

State government money woes sweep West Coast

Governor Gregoire and the Washington Legislature are cringing at the thought of a projected $2 billion budget gap this winter, and that number is expected to rise a bunch more in Thursday’s revenue forecast update.  This after closing a $9 billion gap in April. Does misery love company? Then take note that our sister states of Oregon and California are facing dire straits. Today’s LA Times says the fresh deficit of $21 billion is looming for the not-so-Golden State, even…

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