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Bush butternut tree
If Trees Could Talk: Famous Trees around Washington

If Trees Could Talk: Famous Trees around Washington

We have many historically significant trees in Washington, and many State Archives records document the people and events related to the state’s most historic trees. Although State Archives collections mainly consist of state and local government records, many archival collections also contain photographs. Archivist Jewell Dunn recently turned up one of the last photos of the Medicine Creek tree after it was topped by an arborist to be preserved. The plaque seen in the Medicine Creek tree photo at right…

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stem education chalkboard
Washington State Library launching grant-funded STEM program

Washington State Library launching grant-funded STEM program

In fall 2017, the Washington State Library teamed up with the Imagine Children’s Museum of Everett, School’s Out Washington and the Spokane County Library District for a grant application to fund a program to promote literacy-based STEM activities for children ages 3 to 10 and their families. The application was successful. This STEM program stood out from many others because the program begins the exploration of scientific concepts through sharing a children’s book. Few other STEM programs, if any, are literacy-based….

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History Day winners
History Day: Vancouver students win state, compete in nationals

History Day: Vancouver students win state, compete in nationals

Washington State Archives Southwest Regional Archivist Tracy Rebstock proudly announces that the state’s top Junior Division 2018 History Day project comes from Pleasant Valley Middle School in Vancouver. Washington’s History Day is an annual contest conducted by National History Day, a nonprofit organization that engages students and teachers from across the United States to do original research on a topic of their choice and present it as a project. Original research on historical topics is right up the State Archives’…

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Spokane Public Library
On the road again

On the road again

Over the past few months, Secretary Wyman has been traveling around Washington on a number of multi-purpose trips. As she is the Secretary OF State, we’ve been calling these community visits her Secretary IN State tour. Since August, she’s visited Kelso and Longview in Cowlitz County; Vancouver and Camas in Clark County; Aberdeen in Grays Harbor County; Pasco, Richland and Kennewick in Benton and Franklin Counties; Walla Walla in Walla Walla County; Bellingham and Fairview in Whatcom County, Mount Vernon…

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1950 highway map
Check out 1950 Washington highway map

Check out 1950 Washington highway map

Most Washingtonians probably can’t even remember life before Interstate 5, I-90 and I-405 were built in our state. But a 1950 state highway map found on our Legacy Washington webpage shows the routes drivers traveled before the arrival of our interstate freeways. You can make some interesting observations by closely examining the map, which was published by the Washington State Highway Commission: The main north-south highway in Western Washington was U.S. 99, which connected Bellingham, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and…

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A snapshot of Clark County

A snapshot of Clark County

Clark County flag (Image courtesy of Washington State Archives) If you were asked which county in Washington was the oldest, would you know the answer? Think way back to the pioneer era and you may get a clue. In 1805, Lewis and Clark ended their historic westward journey at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast. Located inland from the Pacific on the Columbia lies the answer to our question, Clark County, which was established in 1845. That…

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A Mephitis Mephitica in Vancouver

A Mephitis Mephitica in Vancouver

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: Although I suspect what we are reading here is a private and cryptic joke, it still makes for entertaining copy. The following was found in the March 28, 1871 Port Townsend Weekly Message: A POVERTY STRICKEN INTELLECT. “–We commend the following extract from Donn Piatt to the prayerful and serious consideration of our old and very particular friend Major Adams, of the Vancouver Register. Donn…

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State Library to host Poet Meets Poet event Nov. 29

State Library to host Poet Meets Poet event Nov. 29

Kathleen Flenniken Join Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken, and West Region National Student Poet Miles Hewitt, as they share their talents in an evening of conversation and poetry sponsored by the Washington State Library. The free 90-minute gathering, sponsored by the Washington State Library, starts at 6 p.m. in the Legislative Building’s Columbia Room (located on the first floor), on the Capitol Campus. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Gov. Gregoire last February approved Flenniken’s appointment as State Poet…

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The Missing Mayor, a Puzzling Death, and the Interstate Bridge Ghost.

The Missing Mayor, a Puzzling Death, and the Interstate Bridge Ghost.

Random News from the Newspapers on Microfilm Collection: The Missing Mayor, a Puzzling Death, and the Interstate Bridge Ghost. From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library: While skimming through WSL microfilm issues of The Evening Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), this short little bit on the top of page 1, November 12, 1920, caught my eye and curiosity: PERCIVAL IS BELIEVED TO HAVE PASSED KALAMA, WN.  RALPH PERCIVAL UNABLE TO FIND FURTHER TRACE OF…

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Newspapers in the Library

Newspapers in the Library

I recently did a post on the loss of the “Spokesman Review”, however, I am happy to report that we still have many newspapers in the library to provide a touch of home for our patrons. As newspapers can be very expensive we cannot purchase all of them that are published in Washington, but we do our best. To that end we carry the larger metropolitan areas (excluding Spokane). This includes Olympia, Seattle, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Everett, Tacoma, Wenatchee, Vancouver, and…

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