Volume 6, September 30, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) SDL NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEYS

2) WSL CONTRIBUTES 115,000 PAGES TO CHRONICLING AMERICA

3) FIRST TUESDAYS PRESENTS SUMMER READING PREVIEW

4) FREE PRESERVATION WORKSHOPS

5) LAURA BUSH 21ST CENTURY LIBRARIAN GRANTS

6) STRETCH DONATIONS FOR NOLO BOOKS

7) TRAVEL GRANTS TO ATTEND ALA MIDWINTER

8) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Justice Edward Lander & Gov. Isaac Stevens

In May 1856, Gov. Isaac Stevens arrests the chief justice of the territorial Supreme Court, Edward Lander, and proclaims a state of martial law in Pierce, and then Thurston, counties.

Judge Lander was substituting at Steilacoom for another Justice, F. A. Chenoweth, who was ill. He was issuing writs of habeas corpus for five men accused of aiding the enemy during the Indian Wars, intending to move toward a civil trial. Gov. Stevens preferred that the accused men be tried by a military commission.

This confrontation sets off a civil rights crisis that involved the governor, the legal community, citizens, the militia, and the regular army. Political philosophies and personalities clashed.

The resources below explore the events from many different views.

Classics in Washington History

Message from the President… relating to the Proclamation of Martial Law in W.T.  Documents and correspondence collected by the federal government to examine the Martial Law controversy.

Message from the President… [on] Martial Law in the Territory of Washington.  Additional documents on the proclamation of Martial Law and its effects.

Proceedings of a Meeting of the Bar… on the Arrest of the Hon. Edward Lander.  Notes from a meeting of the Pierce County Bar and a separate meeting of concerned citizens.

F.A. Chenoweth Letter to Governor Fayette McMullin.  Judge Chenoweth explains his view of the controversy.

Newspaper articles

The Pioneer and Democrat in Olympia is very pro-Stevens:

“Representation: To the Honorables J. Patton Anderson and Joseph Lane, Delegates in Congress from the Territories of Oregon and Washington”
Pioneer and Democrat, 7/11/1856, Page 2, Column 5

“Representation: To the Honorables J. Patton Anderson and Joseph Lane, Delegates in Congress from the Territories of Oregon and Washington [continued]”
Pioneer and Democrat, 7/11/1856, Page 3, Column 1

“XXXIV Congress, First Session – Discussion in Senate, July 2d, ’56 on the Subject of Martial Law in Washington Territory”
Pioneer and Democrat, 8/29/1856, Page 1, Column 2

“Martial Law Again”
Pioneer and Democrat, 4/10/1857, Page 2, Column 1

“[Reprimand of Gov. Stevens by Secretary of State Marcy for Declaration of Martial Law]”
Pioneer and Democrat, 6/26/1857, Page 2, Column 5

The Puget Sound Courier in Steilacoom is fairly anti-Stevens:

“The Powers that Be”
Puget Sound Courier, 2/29/1856, Page 1, Column 1

“Martial Law – by a Citizen”
Puget Sound Courier, 4/25/1856, Page 3, Column 3

The Washington State Library recently contributed another 23,000 historic newspaper pages from seven newspapers to Chronicling America, making Washington State’s contribution to the program a total of 23 titles and over 115,000 pages. Read and research issues from these and other newspapers around the U.S. for free at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. 

100 years ago. Seattle Star, September 24, 2010

There are now 23 newspapers from Washington State currently included in Chronicling America:  

• Cayton’s Monthly, 1921
• Cayton’s Weekly, 1917-1921
• Colfax Gazette, 1900-1912  
• Colville Examiner, 1907-1922
• Commonwealth (Everett), 1911-1914
• Co-operative News, 1917-1921
• Daily Republican (Seattle), 1896
• Industrial Freedom, 1898-1901
• Islander, 1891-1898
• Leavenworth Echo, 1904-1922
• Northwest Worker, 1915-1917
• Pullman Herald, 1888-1922
• The Ranch (Yakima), 1894
• The Ranch (Seattle), 1902-1914
• Ranche and Range (Yakima), 1897-1902
• The Republican (Seattle), 1896-1898
• San Juan Islander, 1899-1914
• Seattle Republican, 1900-1913
• Seattle Star, 1899-1910
• Tacoma Times, 1903-1918
• Washington Farmer (Spokane), 1914
• Washington Socialist, 1914-1915 
• Yakima Herald, 1893-1912

Chronicling America provides free and open access to nearly 2.7 million full-text searchable pages from 348 titles published between 1860 and 1922 in 22 states and the District of Columbia. The Washington State Library’s National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grant was renewed through June 2012, allowing more pages from other newspapers around Washington State to be uploaded over the next two years. 

For more information about Chronicling America, contact Laura Robinson, project manager for Washington’s National Digital Newspaper Program, at [email protected] or (360) 570-5568.

Jessie and Lawrence Palmer, Benton City, 1908

From the desk of Evan Robb

The Washington Rural Heritage initiative is pleased to announce the first of several new digital collections we’ll be unveiling this fall. For its 2009-2010 grant project the Benton City branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries partnered with the Kiona-Benton City Historical Society to digitize a variety of materials highlighting the history of this rural community on Washington’s Yakima River. The collection documents agriculture, irrigation district development, and railroad construction in the area, and depicts some of Benton City’s earliest family farms and public figures.

Of particular interest are a collection of glass plate negatives from a local private collection. The negatives were discovered around 1970, in the attic of a home being rented by Benton City residents Chuck and Betty Morgan. Some of the negatives were enclosed in paper envelopes with short descriptions, presumably written by the unidentified photographer. When project staff sat down to examine the negatives in late February, 2010, we found more than a few cracks and glass shards, some scuffed and blurry images, and plenty of flaking photo emulsion. But as we began carefully scanning the negatives, we were astonished to find beautifully preserved images of Benton City from over a century ago. Images such as: Mrs. McAlpin’s sewing club (1903); a water wheel on the Yakima (1904); the Yakima River, frozen over at the Kiona Bridge (1909); and Stacking hay at J.B. Palmer’s farm (1908) (within moments of scanning this negative, Mid-Columbia Library staff excitedly reported that the photo was taken from the roughly the spot upon which we were standing-the Benton City Library!).

Other highlights of Kiona-Benton City Heritage:

• Material from the Benton City branch library collection, such as a 1912 promotional booklet written to entice land buyers to the area, and a 1959 local history of Benton City.  Thanks to the Library’s digitization efforts, Benton City students will now be able to research their town’s history from any computer with Internet access.
• A collection of paintings and screen prints by local artist, Bob Dunlap, who has been documenting Benton City’s people, places and events for decades (and sharing his knowledge with the community). A few of our favorites include this poster for the Benton City Jr. Rodeo; this painting of an early homestead; and this schedule of high school basketball games from 1965-66.
• Important texts documenting irrigation development in the area, including the 1917 formation of the Kiona Irrigation District.

The Benton City branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries will be celebrating the publication of this collection with an open house exhibition on Saturday, October 2, 10am-3pm (learn more). A big thanks to our participants in Benton City for their hard work researching, digitizing, and cataloging these materials. With the knowledge and experience they have gained over the past year, they will surely be able to sustain and build upon this fantastic local history collection!

Our fourth year is off to a fantastic start as we bring in brand new projects, revitalize some old ones and continue with several more. Washington Rural Heritage will fund seven projects through funds made available by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

• Asotin County Library will partner with the Asotin County Museum to digitize historic photos, a collection of branding boards and various other items and artifacts in the museum’s collections.
• The Denny Ashby Library will create a collection documenting the small towns that once existed in Garfield County, including Columbia Center, Gould City, Mayview, Pataha City and Peola. Partners include the Garfield County Museum and citizens who will contribute items from private collections.
• Ellensburg Public Library will add the Building, Street Scenes, Town Views and Public School collection which will include images of primitive log structures and rural school houses as well as photos of ornate homes and early business buildings of downtown Ellensburg.
• Orcas Island Public Library and the Orcas Island Historical Museum will join forces to add to their existing collection that documents early island life through historic images, artifacts and documents.
• The Prosser Branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries will partner with the Benton County Museum and Historical Society and the Historic Downtown Prosser Association to create a collection around women in the valley, downtown Prosser, schools and dry-land farming/homesteading.
• The Sedro-Woolley Public Library and the Sedro-Woolley Museum will team up to digitize historic logging photos, pioneer photos and diaries, and items documenting the elephant escape of 1922.
• Whitman County Library will partner with several museums, historical societies, business and private citizens as it continues to digitize photos, documents and ephemera representing historic rural life from all parts of the county.

Congratulations to these Washington libraries!

The Washington State Library recently contributed another 50,000 historic newspaper pages from nine newspapers to Chronicling America, making Washington State’s contribution to the program a total of 16 titles and 92,000 pages. People can read and research issues from these and other newspapers around the U.S. for free at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

100 Years Ago. Tacoma Times, June 24, 1910

There are now 16 newspapers from Washington State currently included in Chronicling America:

• Cayton’s Weekly, 1917-1921
• Colfax Gazette, 1900-1912
• Colville Examiner, 1907-1922
• Commonwealth (Everett), 1911-1914
• Daily Republican (Seattle), 1896
• Leavenworth Echo, 1904-1922
• Pullman Herald, 1888-1922
• The Ranch (Yakima), 1894
• The Ranch (Seattle), 1902-1914
• Ranche and Range (Yakima), 1897-1902
• The Republican (Seattle), 1896-1898
• San Juan Islander, 1899-1914
• Seattle Republican, 1900-1913
• Tacoma Times, 1903-1918
• Washington Farmer (Spokane), June 15, 1914
  
• Yakima Herald, 1893-1912

Chronicling America provides free and open access to more than 2.3 million full-text searchable pages from 295 titles published between 1860 and 1922 in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The Washington State Library’s National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grant was recently renewed through June of 2012, allowing more pages from other newspapers around Washington State to be uploaded over the next two years.

For more information about Chronicling America, contact Laura Robinson, project manager for Washington’s National Digital Newspaper Program, at [email protected] or (360) 570-5568.

From the desk of Judy Pitchford

Richard D. Gholson was Washington’s 3rd Territorial Governor serving from July 1859  to sometime in 1861, though he reportedly returned to his home state of Kentucky on a six month leave of absence in May 1860, never to return to Washington.

Though he was only in Washington for 11 months, two important events did occur – the “Pig War” of 1859 on San Juan Island and the capture of the schooners Ellen Maria and Blue Wing by northern Indians.

Not much is know about this short-term Governor but the Washington State Library has several items in their Digital Collection that give some insight to his time in office.

Edmond S. Meany’s Governors of Washington, Territorial and State  has a brief biographical article about Governor Gholson. Also in the collection are various correspondence from or to Gholson in Message of the President …in reference to the island of San Juan … and Washington State Library’s collection of Richard D. Gholson’s correspondence.

If you would like to know more about the “Pig War”, see Letter from the Secretary of State, transmitting a report relative to the occupation of the Island of San Juan  in our Classics in Washington History .

There is a little bit of information about the capture of the Ellen Maria and Blue Wing and its aftermath in Lewis and Dryden’s marine history of the Pacific Northwest on page 90 (image 113)  and in The Puget Sound Herald, Steilacoom, W.T., March 18, 1859 (page 2, column 2 – Missing) , July 27, 1860 (page 2, column 5 – The Fate of Mr. Schroter),  Aug. 3, 1860 (page 2, column 4 – The Blue Wing and Ellen Maria).

From the desk of Judy Pitchford

The Washington State Library has added an early Snohomish newspaper to its online offerings.  The Northern Star, from 1876-1879, is the library’s latest addition to the Historical Newspapers Online Project.

Classics in Washington History

Under Exploration and Early Travel, Military History, and Natural History

Report on the construction of a military road from Fort Walla-Walla to Fort Benton by John Mullan

This volume contains Captain John Mullan’s report on his survey and construction of the military road from Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia River to Fort Benton on the Missouri. The narrative consists of Mullan’s report as well as letters and reports from his subordinates. It also includes plates of early missions and camps, detailed maps of the routes, and extensive charts of meteorological and astronomical observations.

Under Pioneer Life and Wagon Trains and the Oregon Trail

Reminiscences of an old-timer

George Hunter came west at the age of sixteen, and narrates a life full of adventure and hardship.  He experiences life in the mining camps of northern California and British Columbia, fights in several Indian wars, hunts grizzlies, harvests oysters, and engages in politics; all the while encountering a vast array of western characters.

Under Territorial and State Government

Laws of Washington, 1889-90

Contains the laws and resolutions of the years 1889-90.

Under Exploration and Early Travel

The North West Company  by Gordon Charles Davidson

A history of the North West Company, its role in the fur trade and its relations with the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Under County and Regional History and Pioneer Life

Church and community survey of Pend Oreille County, Washington

This brief pamphlet reports the results of a community and church survey of Pend Oreille County undertaken by the Interchurch World Movement.

Glimpses of pioneer life. A series of biographies, experiences and events intimately concerned with the settlement of Okanogan County, Washington.

In the early 1920’s, the local newspaper wrote and compiled stories of early pioneers in Okanogan County.

A new LSTA grant cycle is now open for the Washington Rural Heritage Initiative, www.washingtonruralheritage.org. These grants are intended to support small and rural libraries in the development of sustainable digitization programs for photographs and other historical materials. To date, more than 50 libraries, museums and cultural institutions throughout Washington have contributed to the initiative and we’ve published almost 10,000 items on our site.

We wanted to give you a quick peek into what we’ve discovered and uncovered around the state as part of this year’s grant and digitization activity.

Last week, we scanned 15 of over 100 glass negatives that a community member brought in to the Benton City branch of Mid-Columbia Libraries. The negatives, housed in an old cardboard bowling ball box, contained the above image of two children observing a hay-stacking operation around the turn of the century. Upon further inspection, staff realized that the photo was taken at almost precisely the location where the library stands now!

We’ve also done quite a bit of scanning at the Sedro-Woolley Museum in partnership with the Sedro-Woolley Public Library. We’ve captured photos, maps, a pioneer’s journal and items relating to the infamous 1914 bank robbery that occurred downtown. The below image was taken from a set of 96 glass lantern slides created just after the event as part of a special presentation for the Majestic Theatre in Sedro-Woolley. They portray, in chilling detail, the crime’s events and characters, including Deputy Corlin (below), who was shot in the leg by one of the robbers.

These collections and more will be published later in the year.

Overall funding to support this grant cycle is $50,000, with a maximum award of $10,000 per application. It is anticipated that five or more applicants may receive awards. Application deadline: Postmarked or received by April 30, 2010. View eligibility guidelines, FAQs, and download a grant application at http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/grants/grants.aspx.

For more information, contact Evan Robb, Project Manager – Washington Rural Heritage, 360-704-5228, [email protected] or Jeff Martin, Grants Program, 360-704-5248, [email protected].

From the desk of Evan Robb

Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the “Great Flood” which devastated the town of Colfax in Whitman County, Washington.  Following three weeks of constant snow and rain throughout the Eastern Washington, the Palouse River, which runs through town, quickly overfilled its main channel and transformed into a raging torrent.

Photos of the Great Flood were recently contributed to the Washington Rural Heritage collection by former Colfax resident Patrick McDonald, who collected historic postcards of the event from various sources over the years.  These have been cataloged by the Whitman County Library as part of its Whitman County Heritage collection.  All of the 1910 flood photos can be seen here: http://www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/1910ColfaxFlood

An excerpt from the March 04, 1910 Colfax Gazette describes the scene:

Driftwood, timber and rubbish of all kinds was constantly coming down.  The danger point was reached, however, when the force of the water carried away all the bridges in the city… Next houses began to float downstream, some intact for a distance, others in rags and tatters, but all destined for the bone yard.  The mill, equipment, lumber and shingles of the J.R. Good & Co. mill floated down, followed by houses, barns, chicken coops and everything imaginable.

The rest of that article, which includes a description of the flood’s aftermath can be read here, a small part of the Washington State Library’s work on the National Digital Newspaper Project.

Whitman County Library is currently digitizing additional material for the Washington Rural Heritage initiative.  By this summer, the collection will surpass the 1,000-item mark, making it one of the initiative’s largest digital collections.  Currently, items in Whitman County Heritage are being viewed 4,000-5,000 times per month.