One of the benefits of volunteering for the Historic Newspapers Online Project at the Washington State Library is the opportunity to read fascinating articles written in the 1800’s.

Recently, Deb Ross, a dedicated volunteer of several years, discovered an article titled, A Cannon For Every Boy, from the 4/30/1891 issue of the Yakima Herald, which included detailed instructions on building a homemade cannon using common household ingredients.  Curious and intrepid, she decided to try the directions at home.

She captured the results in a YouTube video, provided here for your enjoyment.
(The term “cannon” in this instance represents a small, toylike object, not intended as a weapon.)

View the Historic Washington Newspapers Online Project website

Would you like to bend time and travel to pioneer days in Washington territory?  Volunteers at the Washington State Library find themselves re-living the lives of settlers through the pages of historical newspapers published from 1852 to 1889.   If you enjoy Washington State history, you may want to work a few hours a week reading articles electronically and entering keywords, titles, and subjects into a searchable database.  Library users can then access the newspapers online. 

 What kind of stories might you read?  Almost every town’s newspaper described the glorious opportunities available to any who had the gumption to immigrate to their promising location.  The drama of life and death, in the form of births, deaths, marriages and divorces were regularly printed.  Politics, both blatant and concealed, motivated many of the early editors and publishers to promote a particular party’s platform or candidate.  And don’t forget those important social occasions:  balls, holiday parades, birthday parties, picnics, church teas, and year-end school promotions/graduations.  Descriptions of military encampments, Native American treaties and reservations, and pioneer land claims paint a picture of changing demographics.  National events were excerpted from other papers when available.

The Historical Newspapers Online project gives researchers, students, teachers, and genealogists free access to historical information via computer, 24 hours a day.  Specialized searches include:

Personal Names Search access to births, deaths, marriages, divorces or general search

Moments in History links to newspaper articles about pivotal events in Washington State history

Advanced Search limit by newspaper title, article type, year, or keywords

For further information about volunteering, please contact:

Beth Bowden – Historical Newspapers Online Coordinator– 360.570.5570

Who doesn’t enjoy a little escapist literature now and then? Serial stories in Washington’s territorial newspapers provided much-needed relief for early pioneers. Whether settlers craved romance, civilization, or wealth, it was all there for the reading.

Consider these titles: A Girl’s Mistake, Between Four Walls, The Other Englishman, Miss Clare, and Mrs. Gainsborough’s Diamonds. Stories often featured young women navigating social and romantic liaisons. Those ending successfully proved that moral virtue was rewarded. Conversely, failed relationships warned readers not to challenge society’s mores.

Pioneers lived vicariously through the characters’ luxuries, quandaries, and griefs. The stories recalled a time and place from which many had traveled, hoping to better themselves in the West. Perhaps the tales’ societal ideals filled a moral or cultural gap felt by the settlers in the frequently lawless frontier.

Another theme featured intrigue and adventure among the wealthy – reminiscent of the television series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Also popular were tales of military bravery and exploit, as in Two Soldiers (6 parts) 2 3 4 5 6.

Serials novels began in England with the publication of “London Spy” in 1698, and became more widespread in the Victorian Era beginning with Charles Dickens’ installments of the Pickwick Papers in 1836. Gaining in popularity over the next fifty years, they often lasted months and sometimes years before resolving their complicated plots. Shorter versions appeared in American newspapers, designed to attract a broader readership and larger subscriptions.

For your enjoyment:
A Girl’s Mistake 2 3 4
Between Four Walls 2 3
Dunraven Ranch A Story of American Frontier Life (11 parts) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Miss Clare 2 3
The Other Englishman 2