A family packs peaches near Clarkston around 1910. The photo is part of Asotin County Heritage’s recently digitized collection of Asahel Curtis photos of the area. (Photo courtesy of Asotin County Heritage)

Since its creation in 2007, the State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage program has worked with libraries, museums or historical groups in rural parts of the state to help them digitize their historic and culturally significant documents and photo collections so everyone can see and enjoy them.

As the name implies, WRH tries to help these organizations preserve their rural-based photos and docs and make them accessible in just a few clicks.

Washington Rural Heritage has been especially busy lately, helping local groups share their historic offerings:

• The North Olympic Heritage website has posted the first of an ongoing series of oral histories projects called “Listen Up! Stories from the Northwest Corner,” planned by the Port Angeles Public Library. It’s a collection of audio interviews of Olympic National Park patrons and rangers in which they talk about their experiences visiting, living in, and working at national parks throughout America. Since the National Parks Service’s centennial is this August, it’s a timely project! You can listen to the audio recordings here.

• Fans of legendary Northwest photographer Asahel Curtis will be happy to know that Asotin County Heritage recently added a collection of about 100 Curtis photos of the Clarkston area. Most of the shots show farming and orchard life in this far southeast corner of Washington.

• Finally, a new collection from the Rockford Area Museum and Historical Society, in partnership with the Spokane County Library District, is now live. You can view it here.

Washington Rural Heritage’s digital depository currently includes material from the holdings of 113 institutions and 323 privately held collections throughout the state.