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Tag: Classics in Washington History

Introducing Primarily Washington, a new education resource

Introducing Primarily Washington, a new education resource

How do you make history exciting and real to today’s always-connected students? You meet them online. For the last few years, the Washington State Library, Washington State Archives, and Legacy Washington have been meeting with Washington teachers. We asked for their help in finding a better way to serve our education community, promote education and lifelong learning, and connect Washingtonians to their history. After extensive cooperation with teachers and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, we are proud to…

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Zine winners collage
Announcing the winners of our 3rd Annual Zine contest!

Announcing the winners of our 3rd Annual Zine contest!

How many of us remember sitting through dry history classes in school?  And yet history done right is a fascinating and important subject.  Here at the Washington State Library we take history seriously.  One of our strategic goals is to “Preserve and share Washington’s stories.” We have several paths to achieving this goal. There are our historic digital newspapers, the digitized “Classics in Washington History” collection, our collection of Historic maps, and the  Washington Rural Heritage Collection.  But making the resources…

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The river of the west: life and adventure in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon

The river of the west: life and adventure in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon

From the desk of Jeff Martin The river of the west: life and adventure in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon By: Frances Fuller Victor, 1826-1902 Hartford, Conn: Columbian Book Company Publication Date: 1870 “Mr. Meek was born in Washington Co., Virginia, in 1810, one year before the settlement of Astoria, and at a period when Congress was much interested in the question of our Western possessions and their boundary. ” Manifest destiny” seemed to have raised him up, together with…

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Classics in Washington History -A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home

Classics in Washington History -A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home

From the desk of Jeff Martin A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home Written by: Phoebe Goodell Judson Union Printing, Binding and Stationary Co., Bellingham, Washington Publication date: 1925 Phoebe Goodell Judson who crossed the Plains in 1853 and became a resident on Puget Sound before the organization of Washington Territory. A Book of Personal Memoirs (Published in the author’s 95th year) CHAPTER I It is the oft repeated inquiry of my friends as to what induced me to bury…

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State Library adds new titles to Washington Classics

State Library adds new titles to Washington Classics

Are you a history buff looking to learn more about Washington or Northwest history? The State Library just updated its “Classics in Washington History” collection, adding eight new titles.  Go here for more info about the latest books, which cover exploration and early travel, geography, Native Americans, military history, and territorial and state government. Classics in Washington History is a digital collection of full-text books, bringing together rare, out-of-print titles for easy access by students, teachers, genealogists and historians. All…

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Governor Richard D. Gholson

Governor Richard D. Gholson

From the desk of Judy Pitchford Richard D. Gholson was Washington’s 3rd Territorial Governor serving from July 1859  to sometime in 1861, though he reportedly returned to his home state of Kentucky on a six month leave of absence in May 1860, never to return to Washington. Though he was only in Washington for 11 months, two important events did occur – the “Pig War” of 1859 on San Juan Island and the capture of the schooners Ellen Maria and…

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Digital Updates – Volume 5, #1 – March 2010

Digital Updates – Volume 5, #1 – March 2010

Historical Newspapers in Washington From the desk of Judy Pitchford The Washington State Library has added an early Snohomish newspaper to its online offerings.  The Northern Star, from 1876-1879, is the library’s latest addition to the Historical Newspapers Online Project. Classics in Washington History Under Exploration and Early Travel, Military History, and Natural History Report on the construction of a military road from Fort Walla-Walla to Fort Benton by John Mullan This volume contains Captain John Mullan’s report on his…

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Digital Updates

Digital Updates

From the desk of Judy Pitchford Volume 4, #2 November 2009 for Digital Updates Historical Newspapers in Washington – 1 new title. The years 1861-1864 have been added to the Puget Sound Herald in Historical Newspapers in Washington online project, which now covers six years of Steilacoom pioneer news, from 1858 to 1864. Classics in Washington History We have added a new category – 20th Century Events – to our Classics in Washington History.  This category currently contains the Works…

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New Material for Whitman County Heritage

New Material for Whitman County Heritage

From the desk of Evan Robb The Washington Rural Heritage initiative is pleased to announce several new digital collections–the result of a year’s worth of hard work on the part of four public libraries receiving 2008/2009 LSTA grant funding from WSL. We’ll be featuring material from our new collections all this week. Horses struck by lightning near St. John, Washington, 1940. Click image for full record. Our first new addition came from Whitman County Library, which continued to add to…

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The Whitman Tragedy – Part 3

The Whitman Tragedy – Part 3

Perhaps the most poignant accounts of both life and death on those remote mission stations come from the women who were most intimately involved. In Memoirs of the West: the Spaldings,  Eliza Spalding, the daughter of Rev. Spalding, looks back at an idyllic childhood at Lapwai, the Spaldings mission. She helps her mother, travels with her father, and grows up among the Nez Perce Indians. She often stays at the Whitman mission for months at a time in order to…

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