Happy belated birthday, Washington! Last Sunday marked The Evergreen State’s 123rd birthday (and a good-looking 123 at that!) It was on Nov. 11, 1889, when Washington joined the Union as the 42nd state.  That was the date when President Benjamin Harrison signed the proclamation declaring Washington a state.

Since this was before even phones were around, official word about statehood came in the form of a Western Union telegram sent that day to Washington’s first governor, Elisha P. Ferry. But the telegram couldn’t be handed over until the telegraph messenger collected 61 cents from the Clerk of the Territorial Legislature.

This historic telegram is the first “candidate” in November’s Archives treasures blog series.  This is actually an encore appearance on our blog for the telegram.

Two other interesting, rare or cool items from our State Archives will be featured later this week, followed by an online poll allowing you and others to choose your favorite.