Anyone who looks at a current map of Puget Sound will spot large cities like Seattle and Tacoma and familiar geographic features like Point Defiance and Elliott Bay. But when you look at old maps of the sound, you realize that some names were different. This 1889 map of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula proves it. What is Elliott Bay today was known as Duwamish Bay in 1889. Alki Point had a different name back then, too — Battery…
It’s hard to beat classic photographs, especially when Asahel Curtis is behind the lens. That was evident, as a collection of photos by Curtis and other photogs led the State Library Jewels online poll for March. The photo collection captured 40 percent of the votes. The precursor text to Jean-Marie-Raphael Le Jeune’s Chinook shorthand took second with 32 percent, followed by an 1897 post route map of Washington (28 percent). We’ll begin the April edition of our Archives Treasures blog…
We’ve finished showing off the three State Library Jewels for March, and it’s now up to you and others to choose your favorite. The three Library Jewels are an 1897 post route map of Washington, a collection of photos taken between 1920 and 1940 by Asahel Curtis and other photographers, and rare text that is the precursor text to Jean-Marie-Raphael Le Jeune’s famous Chinook shorthand. You can vote by going to the online poll below. You have until this Friday…
(Map courtesy of Washington State Library) We recently finished showcasing three special items housed in our State Archives. Now, it’s the State Library’s turn. Starting this week, we’ll do a monthly feature on three of the many rare, unique or interesting items, maps and collections found in the State Library. After we show them off, you and others can vote in our online poll by choosing the State Library “contestant” you like best. After a few days, we’ll announce the…