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Category: Washington history

Add a message to the state’s Time Capsule!

Add a message to the state’s Time Capsule!

Centennial Time Capsule, located at the south end of the Capitol, will receive more items soon. Have you ever wanted to send a message to the future? Now’s your chance. The Capsule Keepers are asking Washingtonians to write messages to future generations that will be kept inside the state’s Centennial Time Capsule. Messages will be microfilmed and sealed in the Time Capsule until its 2389 opening, 500 years after Washington reached statehood in 1889. As part of the Washington 125…

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Happy 125th birthday, Washington!

Happy 125th birthday, Washington!

Members of the 2014 Capsule Keepers sit on the Rotunda floor as they and hundreds of others listen to the state’s 125th birthday celebration program in the Capitol. You only turn 125 once. And the state of Washington did it right. Hundreds gathered in the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday afternoon to join in the state’s 125th birthday celebration. Among the state officials speaking at the event were Gov. Jay Inslee (First Lady Trudi Inslee also spoke) and Secretary of State Kim…

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GC2G exhibit gone; WA 1889 exhibit coming soon

GC2G exhibit gone; WA 1889 exhibit coming soon

It seemed like yesterday, not over a year ago, that the popular Grand Coulee to Grunge exhibit first appeared on the walls in our front lobby in the Capitol. The exhibit showcased what’s made Washington great and world famous since it attained statehood in 1889, including our triumphs in aerospace, agriculture, engineering and technology. The exhibit also highlighted the mark Washingtonians made in music, from Bing Crosby to Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana. But GC2C is no more, at least at…

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Looking back at WA’s 1889 fall election

Looking back at WA’s 1889 fall election

(Images courtesy of Washington State Archives) Two big dates for Washingtonians are coming up this fall – the statewide General Election that ends Nov. 4 and our 125th birthday as a state on Nov. 11. Since we often like to blog about history or elections, our State Archives staff once again has come through, retrieving two historical documents from this date 125 years ago that bring elections and statehood together. On Oct. 1, 1889, voters chose Washington’s first elected state…

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Check out new edition of Simply Washington!

Check out new edition of Simply Washington!

Several years ago, we unveiled a fun, colorful booklet called Simply Washington, which highlights and explains many aspects of our great state. Not being ones to sit still, we decided it was time to create a whole different look and feel to this publication, which is popular with teachers, students and tourists. We’re pleased to unveil the new and improved Simply Washington online! It’s available online here for free! For the revamped edition, we’ve gone with slightly smaller dimensions than…

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Historian to share story behind Capsule Keepers

Historian to share story behind Capsule Keepers

Secretary of State Ralph Munro (left) and Gov. Booth Gardner with several of the Capsule Keepers during the Centennial Celebration in Olympia on Nov. 11, 1989. Standing behind Gardner is Knute Berger, who will give a talk Monday about  the history of the Capsule Keepers. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives) Journalist and historian Knute “Skip” Berger is speaking in Olympia Monday (Sept. 8) at noon about the history and role of the Capsule Keepers, the group tasked with maintaining…

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Our Capitol, now and way back then

Our Capitol, now and way back then

The Legislative Building as it currently stands. (Photo courtesy of Katy Payne) Washington’s Capitol, known as the Legislative Building, is well known for its grandeur and magnificence. As you stand on one of the 42 steps (the significance being because Washington was the 42nd state) leading to one of the massive 2,000-pound bronze front doors and look up, it might astound you how much larger the building is in person than it seems in photographs. Rising to 287 feet, it…

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Anniversary for one of WA’s most scenic highways

Anniversary for one of WA’s most scenic highways

Governor Dan Evans addresses the crowd at Newhalem at the opening of the North Cascades Highway in 1972. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives) One of Washington’s most scenic highways is celebrating its birthday. On Sept. 2, 1972 – 42 years ago – the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) opened to the public. While it is relatively young compared to other highways, it was a long time in the making. In 1895, the project received its first state dollars, and…

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SecState partnering with Karshner Center

SecState partnering with Karshner Center

Secretary Wyman and crew this week celebrated a new partnership with Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts. Wyman and her Legacy Washington team traveled to the newly renovated Karshner Center in Puyallup, meeting with Puyallup School Superintendent Tim Yeomans and top officials of the district and the Center that operates one of America’s few district-owned teaching museums. The stunning museum, with longhouse-style great hall, classroom, gallery and natural history and performing arts spaces, is housed in a repurposed…

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