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Category: Digital Archives

Contest: Guess date when Digital Archives reaches 200 million records

Contest: Guess date when Digital Archives reaches 200 million records

If you’re into genealogy or just like contests, you’ll want to take part in this new one run by our State Archives. The State Digital Archives has nearly 196 million records, and it will reach the 200 million mark in the near future. With the record milestone approaching, the State Archives has started a contest in which the first person to guess the correct, exact date when Digital Archives reaches the 200 millionth record will win an AncestryDNA kit. Don’t…

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Rosario Beach
From the Archives: Classic photo of Rosario Beach

From the Archives: Classic photo of Rosario Beach

While a drive to Deception Pass State Park spanning Whidbey and Fidalgo islands in northwestern Washington is scenic any time of the year, it’s especially gorgeous on sunny summer days. Need proof? Check out this 1936 photo of Rosario Beach, just north of Deception Pass. You can find the digitized photo by going to the Washington State Digital Archives website and then clicking on the State Parks and Recreation Commission, Photographs of Park Development, 1933-1938 collection.

Digital Archives’ classic fair photos

Digital Archives’ classic fair photos

For many people throughout Washington, a summer highlight is attending the local fair. In fact, many folks in the Olympia area have attended Capital Lakefair, which wraps up this weekend. The main fair season is coming up. The Seafair Torchlight Night is July 29 and Seafair Weekend is Aug. 4-6. And the Washington State Fair in Puyallup is Sept. 1-24. Go here to see a listing of fairs, festivals and other events in our state this year. Fairs are fun…

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From the Archives: Classic mountain photos!

From the Archives: Classic mountain photos!

Mountains are among the physical marvels that draw visitors throughout the world to our state and make Washingtonians proud to call this place home. Our mountains serve as grand and inspiring, yet dangerous, playgrounds for climbers, scramblers, backpackers, dayhikers and others wanting to get close to nature. Several of Washington’s most notable peaks are dormant volcanoes, including one (Mount St. Helens) that has been active more than once in recent decades. You can find many classic photos of Washington’s best-known…

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1960 photo of sailboats on Lake Washington.
From Digital Archives: Classic WA sailing photos

From Digital Archives: Classic WA sailing photos

When you visit Puget Sound or one of the many lakes in Washington, especially during the gorgeous summer months here, you’re bound to see someone sailing. (And maybe you’re the one on the sailboat!) Sailing has been a popular activity around these waters about as long as sailboats first appeared here. These photos on the Washington State Digital Archives website confirm it. The top picture shows a couple of sailboats on Lake Washington around 1960. The middle shot features a…

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Peter and Beth Dolliver visit building named after their father, James Dolliver.
Dollivers visit building named after their father

Dollivers visit building named after their father

It isn’t every day that a building is named after one of your parents. In the case of Peter and Beth Dolliver, the James M. Dolliver Building in Olympia is named after their father, who was an advisor and chief of staff for Gov. Dan Evans for 12 years and later a State Supreme Court Justice for nearly a quarter century, including two years as Chief Justice. James Dolliver died in 2004 at age 80. The building, located at 801…

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Batman star Adam West’s connection to Washington State Archives

Batman star Adam West’s connection to Washington State Archives

Like many “Batman” fans, we were saddened to hear of last week’s passing of Adam West. West, who played Batman on the 1960s TV series, died in Los Angeles on June 9 following a brief battle with leukemia. He was 88. What we didn’t know is that our State Archives has a connection to the actor who played the Caped Crusader in the popular yet short-lived series.   Holy Archives, Batman! West had deep roots in Washington! On September 19, 1928,…

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1889 Great Seattle Fire
From Digital Archives: photos of 1889 Seattle Fire

From Digital Archives: photos of 1889 Seattle Fire

When you ask the historical significance of June 6, most people think of the anniversary of D-Day. But June 6 also marks a horrific event in Seattle history. On that date in 1889, a fire destroyed much of Seattle, which was then a timber town and many years from becoming a world-famous city. Our Legacy Washington program’s exhibit on the year when Washington reached statehood, “Washington 1889: Blazes, Rails and Year of Statehood,” includes a section on the 1889 Great…

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Digital Archives map from 1909 shows Washington highways and proposed highways.
From the Digital Archives: 1909 Washington highway map

From the Digital Archives: 1909 Washington highway map

Nowadays, when we look at a highway map of Washington, we see a complex web of gold, red and black lines crisscrossing the state. But it wasn’t always this way. In the early 1900s, highways were a rarity in the Evergreen State. Probably because cars and trucks were rarities as well, considering that the automobile had just been invented. This 1909 map displays Washington’s located and proposed highways, railroads (the dominant form of transportation then) and county seats. The map…

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2017 History Day winners are honored in Olympia.
Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Five Washington students recently showed they might have the stuff to be the next Ken Burns. The Washington State Historical Society coordinates Washington History Day, which features an annual contest for students in grades 6-12 throughout the state. The Washington State Archives supports History Day by having staff volunteer to serve as contest judges. The contest encourages students to become historians by developing research, analysis, presentation and social skills. Working individually or in groups, students select a topic related to…

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