Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives

Today marks the anniversary of the inauguration of Washington State’s very first governor, Elisha P. Ferry. The ceremony took place November 18, 1889, at the Territorial Capitol building. Washingtonians celebrated their new statehood on that day in Olympia, as more than 3,000 citizens marched in parades and watched Ferry take the oath of office.

The inauguration took place exactly one week after President Benjamin Harrison’s November 11 proclamation that declared Washington to be the 42nd state.