(Photo courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives) Our Digital Archives website is full of classic photos of many people and places in Washington, including Spokane. Here is a 1908 photo of the Lilac City’s downtown looking north from Cliff Drive. It’s found in the Charles Libby Collection, which is sample of 100 photos from the Libby Studio Photograph Collection held by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane.
(Photos courtesy of Fairchild Air Force Base) As the proud wife of a retired U.S. Army Ranger, Secretary of State Wyman has plenty of admiration for those serving in our military. During a recent visit to Spokane, she took time to tour nearby Fairchild Air Force Base. During her visit, Wyman saw a demonstration by a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape water survival class, and she met with base leadership to discuss improving the quality of life for Fairchild Airmen…
Thomas Taylor, 1862 From the Desks of the Central Library Staff Although no oath of office record exists today, Taylor was apparently Librarian in 1862. The March 29, 1862 issue of the Washington Standard includes this Library Notice: “All persons having books belonging to the Territorial Library will please return at once, or the by-laws will be put in force. Thos. Taylor, Ter. Librarian.” He quite probably was the same aged Thomas Taylor who was born Oct. 17, 1793 (some…
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives) With summer supposedly here (Sunday night’s drenching around Olympia suggests otherwise), many of us will be looking for excuses to be outdoors and enjoy the warmer weather. Whether you’re part of a couple, a family or a group of friends, a picnic in a park on a nice day is hard to beat. That was the case 100 years ago, as shown in the photo of a group picnicking at Manito Park in…
From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: In the midst of one of the worst economic depressions of the 19th century, thousands of unemployed workers were called upon nationwide to march in protest at Washington D.C. in 1894. They gained the nickname “Coxey’s Army” after their Ohio-based leader, Jacob Coxey. The Coxeyites in the Pacific Northwest were among the most radical followers, and dubbed themselves the Northwest Industrial Army. If you consider…
From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: Three mysteries emerge from an episode back when Spokane was known as Spokane Falls, one of them concerns a ghost, another is geographic, and the last is bibliographic. No, I’m not talking about a spirit scouring the online catalog– that is called BOOlean searching (heh-heh, get it?). This series of questions emerge from the following article in the Spokane Falls Review, March 21, 1885: SPOOKS…
Arlington Buckingham Wadsworth From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: The Nov. 15, 1902 issue of The Spokane Press has a news account of a well known international con artist being arrested in Australia. The writer reminds the readers this criminal had made Spokane his home at one time: HE WAS A SOCIETY MAN IN SPOKANE Now Arrested in Australia—Wanted in Many Places for Similar Offences. “The following telegraphic dispatch from Chicago will…
Recently I visited the Spokane Indian reservation at Wellpinit, Washington, to conduct training on math and science readiness for the tribe’s early childhood center staff. The Pauline Stearns Early Learning Center is only a year or so old. In addition to providing a bright spacious up to date and modern learning center for their children with the latest equipment, the tribe did some other things which impressed me as well. Mindy Flett, the Child Development manager for the tribe, related…
The third and final “State Library jewel” for June takes a look back at the 1974 Spokane World’s Fair. Actually, it takes a look down at the fair. It’s an aerial photo of the World’s Fair during its four-month run in the Lilac City. Expo ’74 opened May 4 and closed Nov. 3 that year. More than 5 million people passed through the gates that year. In addition to the tourist impact, Expo ’74 had a profound effect on the…
The votes are in! The winner of March’s contest for the State Library Jewels is the Missionary’s Manuscripts! These manuscripts were written by Helen W. Clark, a missionary who worked with the Spokane and Makah tribes in the 1890s. Stay tuned for April’s upcoming Archives and Library jewels!