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Tag: Washington Rural Heritage

2014-2015 Washington Rural Heritage grants awarded

2014-2015 Washington Rural Heritage grants awarded

From the desk of Evan Robb Congratulations to the latest group of Washington libraries and museum receiving 2014-2015 LSTA grant awards through the Washington Rural Heritage initiative! A total of 16 Washington institutions (including eight public libraries administering the sub-grants) will collaborate to digitize historically significant primary sources over the next year. Those institutions are: Columbia County Rural Library District, in partnership with the Blue Mountain Heritage Society and the Dayton Historic Depot. Deming Library (Whatcom County Library System), in…

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Pioneer Queens of Upper Kittitas County

Pioneer Queens of Upper Kittitas County

From the desk of Evan Robb Since 1969, residents of the Central Washington towns of Roslyn and Cle Elum have named an annual Pioneer Queen–a woman whose life and contributions to the community embody the history of Upper Kittitas County. Erin Krake, librarian at the Roslyn Public Library, wanted to shine a light of the story of these women, “who built [our] town from the grown up, just as their men did so from the coal mines beneath it.” Beginning…

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New collection highlights Sno-Isle’s early days

New collection highlights Sno-Isle’s early days

Tree fallers on Whidbey Island in 1887. (Photo courtesy of Sno-Isle Libraries) A grant from the Washington Rural Heritage program has helped provide a spark resulting in a new collection of digitized photos, just unveiled by Sno-Isle Libraries, that captures the early days of Snohomish and Island counties. Called the Digitize Our Community History Project, the library system has more than 500 images available online here. The collection focuses on the Snohomish County communities of Darrington, Edmonds and Snohomish, and…

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Linking the Past with the Present

Linking the Past with the Present

Ever since the advent of Web 2.0 people are finding creative ways to harness the power of the web to learn about and share their passions.  Resources are shared and discovered; connections are made between people.  Here at the Washington State Library we have a mission to collect, preserve and make accessible materials about the history and culture of Washington State.  This task is accomplished in a variety of ways, from scanning newspapers, or entire books, to helping communities scan,…

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Digitization Grant Cycle Open for Washington Rural Heritage

Digitization Grant Cycle Open for Washington Rural Heritage

From the desk of Evan Robb Would your library like to digitize its historical materials and special collections? Create an online community archive of unique materials from patrons’ family collections? Partner with local historical societies and other organizations to collaboratively digitize local history resources? Washington Rural Heritage, the Washington State Library’s statewide digitization initiative for public and tribal libraries is currently accepting grant applications for 2014-2015. A total of $50,000 in LSTA funds is available to award five (5) or…

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Happy 125th birthday to Roslyn

Happy 125th birthday to Roslyn

1930 Labor Day Parade in Roslyn. (Photo courtesy Roslyn Heritage collection) It’s a small town in Kittitas County, tucked into the foothills of the Cascades a few miles northwest of Cle Elum. Years ago, it was celebrated as the setting for Cicely, Alaska, the fictional town in the 1990s TV series “Northern Exposure.” But now, Roslyn can celebrate its 125th birthday, if you go with its “first birthday,” that is. Roslyn originally was incorporated on Feb. 4, 1889, nine months…

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New collection captures Ocean Shores’ early years

New collection captures Ocean Shores’ early years

Contestants in the 1968 Miss Washington-Universe Pageant, held at Ocean Shores. (Photo courtesy of Ocean Shores Heritage) The latest digital collection of the Washington Rural Heritage program looks back at how Ocean Shores became one of Washington’s best-known beach resort communities in the 1960s. The Ocean Shores Heritage Collection includes material from the local history archives of the Ocean Shores Public Library, digitized earlier this year.  The collection includes photos from Ocean Shores’ local newspaper, The Ocean Observer; a series…

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New Digital Collection: Ocean Shores Heritage

New Digital Collection: Ocean Shores Heritage

From the desk of Evan Robb A new digital collection from Ocean Shores, Washington documents the area’s rapid transformation from a sleepy, rural seaside locale to a developed resort community during the 1960s and 1970s. The Ocean Shores Heritage Collection includes material from the local history archives of the Ocean Shores Public Library, digitized in 2013. Digitization was made possible with assistance from the Washington State Library’s Washington Rural Heritage Initiative. Standout material from the new collection includes: Photographs from…

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Washington Rural Heritage collections keep growing

Washington Rural Heritage collections keep growing

This 1915 photo shows Carl Monson (left) and his brother Arthur pretending to box on First Street in Langley. Their brother, Ernest, died from an accidental gunshot wound in 1910. Their father, Leander Monson committed suicide in 1908. Their mother, Emma, served on Langley’s all-woman town administration in 1920, along with her daughter, Esther, who served as Town Clerk. (Photos courtesy of Washington Rural Heritage.) The State Library offers many online collections and resources that bring Washington’s rich history to…

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Announcing North Olympic Heritage, a new digital collection!

Announcing North Olympic Heritage, a new digital collection!

The Washington Rural Heritage initiative is pleased to announce a new digital collection: North Olympic Heritage. A project of the Port Angeles Main Library of the North Olympic Library System, this collection includes hundreds of photographs of pioneers, Native Americans, trains, ships, logging scenes, and views of early towns and sites in Clallam and Jefferson counties digitized from the expansive Bert Kellogg Photograph Collection. In 1970, local resident Bert Kellogg donated his collection of over 5,000 photos and negatives depicting life…

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