Ahh, it’s that time of year. Tulips are blooming, trees are beginning to bud and the occasional sunny day breaks through the Pacific Northwest’s endless, wintry rain. But most importantly, shelves are stocked with my all-time favorite treat: PEEPS! This sugary springtime staple makes my stomach queasy, my teeth ache and my head pound, but every year I go back for more. Though these marshmallow goodies hadn’t quite made it to Emerson’s in 1939, it seems that the citizens of Ritzville had plenty of sweet treats to satisfy.

Check out the larger version of Emersons Easter display from the town’s Washington Rural Heritage collection, and you’ll see a 10-cent PAAS egg-dying kit, a bounty of chocolate bunnies, quite an assortment of 8-for-a-penny monstrous jelly beans, and what I can only assume are the most giant Cadbury creme eggs I have ever seen (pardon the fuzziness of the zoomed image at left, I had to show you, or you wouldn’t believe me).

So hop to! Grab your annual ration of Peeps/creme eggs/giant chocolate bunnies before they’re gone. It’s a long year without ’em.

In addition to digitizing historic materials, we collect and preserve Washington State publications in electronic formats as part of our State Depository Program. We crawl state agency websites for all kinds of publications. Whenever possible, we create and monitor RSS feeds with an aggregator which notifies us when new publications are available.  We find documents outlining proposed legislation, the latest research conducted by various agencies, handy informational guides produced for the public, and much more.

Recently, I came across these surveys of Historic Theaters and Heritage Barns produced by the Department of Archeaology & Historic Preservation, and squealed with delight. It is heartening to see the research dedicated to recognizing and preserving our state’s cultural history. The beautiful color pictures in these surveys got me itching to hit the road to see some of the structures in person.  Start planning your own summer road trips at Experience Washington, the official Washington State Tourism website. You’ll find tons of travel ideas, along with the most scenic ways to reach your destinations.

You can find many more state publications on a slew of subjects by searching our catalog (be sure to check Washington State Publications under “Search Special Collections” before you click the search button). If you are interested in current events, browse some of the library’s Documents in the News feature, which highlights important stories and contains links to  government publications.

Continuing our discussion of newspaper digitization, we have arrived at the scanning stage.  The pioneer newspaper project scans in-house while the NDNP project will be outsourcing their scanning. Let’s talk about in-house scanning first:

Pioneer Newspaper Project scanning (in-house):

This project focuses on newspapers from the territorial period of the state starting with the Columbian (the state’s first newspaper) in 1852 through Washington’s Statehood (1889). Much of this film is older and was created before microfilming standards so we take more time during scanning and processing. While the in-house method can be a much slower and more tedious process, it gives us more control over the output, we can adjust the scan to the differing qualities of each page of the paper.

The scanner: We use a Nikon Super CoolScan 9000 ED film scanner. Though it is equivalent to a high-end consumer-grade film scanner, it is not a dedicated commercial-grade microfilm scanner. For example, the film doesn’t roll during scanning and the optical resolution of 4000 ppi only allows us to scan pages reduced up to 13x to ensure at least 300 ppi output (4000 ppi divided by a 300 ppi minimum = 13.33 reduction ratio). However, this project has been a great foray into microfilm digitization and an example of how one scanner and dedicated volunteers can accomplish a great deal.

Evaluation: Before we order duplicates negatives of the film we evaluate the positive film for legibility, contrast, filming errors, and digital collation. The metadata created during this process is the basis from which we scan.

Duplication: We then order a duplicate of the microfilm reel, preferably a silver halide negative copy, or second generation master.  We cut the film into strips to fit in the film scanner (eek! some purists might say but don’t worry, it’s just a copy).

Scanning: During scanning we adjust levels for optimal legibility and tonal range. This is done on a page by page basis. While it would be nice to have a baseline image setting to calibrate our scanner, the film is too varied. We end up with an image which best suits each page. Impediments to speed can become assets to quality. Some call this “boutique” scanning. We call it “avoiding the hand scans.” The result being such that when we work with such varied film, we can take our time, adjust our scanning and improve legibility during post-processing (something we’ll talk about in a later post).

Next, Laura will talk about the process of outsourcing scanning in the context of our NDNP grant.

In 1871 Frances Marie Antoinette Mack married Fayette Washington Roe.  Both had been raised in upstate New York, though Faye (as he was known) was born in Virginia.  The wedding occurred immediately after his graduation from West Point, and they quickly left to travel to his first army assignment in Fort Lyon, Colorado far from their quiet upstate homes. 

Kit Carson, Colorado Territory, October, 1871.

Tis late, so this can be only a note to tell you that we arrived here safely, and will take the stage for Fort Lyon to-morrow morning at six o’clock.  I am thankful enough that our stay is short at this terrible place, where one feels there is danger of being murdered any minute. Not one woman have I seen here, but there are men – any number of dreadful-looking men – each one armed with big pistols, and leather belts full of cartridges.

Here she begins a series of letters that will later be collected and published as Army Letters from an Officer’s Wife, 1871-1888. Frances followed her husband to posts throughout the West from busy, established garrisons to small redoubts with dirt floors, and provides a detailed description of life in the frontier army from a woman’s point of view.

She describes their first home at Ft. Lyon, her lessons in riding and shooting, and her confusion with military protocol and customs.  She enjoys the outdoor activities and the social life at the fort and throws herself into creating her first home.  It is a rude shock when her husband’s company is transferred for the first time and she learns that their destination is Camp Supply in what is now northern Oklahoma – more isolated, more primitive, and surrounded by hostile tribes.  As the wife of a junior officer she must leave behind many of her household goods, her furniture, her horse, and her new greyhound puppy.  She reacts as many very young wives might have, but soon finds her feet. 

I have cried and cried over all these things until I am simply hideous, but I have to go just the same, and I have made up my mind never again to make myself so wholly disagreeable about a move, no matter where we may have to go. I happened to recall yesterday what grandmother said to me when saying good-by: “It is a dreadful thing not to become a woman when one ceases to be a girl!” I am no longer a girl, I suppose, so I must try to be a woman, as there seems to be nothing in between.

(Also, when the company stops the first night and several soldiers are sent back for forgotten supplies, she manages to convince one of them to bring her puppy as well.  “Hal” grows and spends the rest of his adventurous life with Frances.)

Frances is a woman of her time, full of both courage and prejudice, who undertakes a strenuous and demanding life for the sake of her husband.  She endures sandstorms, Indian attacks, floods, killing cold and countless moves.  She also bakes fruitcakes, hunts buffalo and organizes cotillions.  It turns out that army life suits her very well.

Read her account online in the Classics in Washington History under “Women’s Stories.”

Curt Lokovsek of South Prairie, WA was exploring the Enumclaw Heritage collection recently when he spotted a couple of images that jogged his memory.  The photos portray a rail car carrying a steam donkey (once used in logging operations) that crashed through a bridge near “Good Water” sometime in the 1930s.  A former Weyerhaeuser employee who worked on road construction in the area from 1975-1986, Lokovsek was familiar with the location.  And he was sure that at some point he’d seen the remains of the wreck, still resting at the bottom of that same canyon. 

Relying on his knowledge of the area and using landmarks from these two photos, Lokovsek and some friends decided to take advantage of a recent sunny day and re-find the wreck.  He sent us the photo to the right, showing Barrett and Bailey Petchnick inside the steam donkey’s smokestack.  The smokestack can be seen in this photo–it’s the T-shaped object right below the wreck (according to Lokosvek, the stack has rolled a bit down the hill since the original photo).

We didn’t know much about these photos, except for the fact that they were probably taken by Augustus L. DeSpain, a mechanic and amateur photographer who worked for the White River Lumber Company and Weyerhaeuser, 1920s-1950s.  A big thanks to Curt for bushwhacking in to find what’s left of this skidder and adding some context to these photos.  It’s great to see local history buffs using Washington Rural Heritage in their research.

Also, thanks to Curt, we were able to pinpoint the exact location of this wreck and place these two images on the Enumclaw Heritage Map!

Sara Medlicott, an intern from the Evergreen State College,  shares her impressions of one of the clippings she indexed from the Emma Smith DeVoe collection.

The Washington State Library received the collection of Emma Smith DeVoe, a prominent Washington suffrage leader. Her letters and scrapbooks have been digitized and are now being indexed for the Washington Women’s History Consortium. Throughout the course of indexing, we have all discovered much about the hidden history of the suffrage movement.  Here is an example:

In 1910, the Washington State Suffragists faced a crucial turning point – a ballot initiative allowed state voters to decide whether Washington women should have the vote. They faced a great deal of resistance, the initiative itself was vaguely worded, never mentioning the words “woman” or “suffrage.” Not to be deterred, the multiple women’s clubs and suffrage organizations of Washington State waged a massive campaign winning over many chapters of the grange, unions and individuals as supporters. Their tactics were creative and ranged from an all women edition of the Tacoma Daily News to “Suffrage Entertainment Nights” which featured recitations, songs and other performance. One of the most clever dual outreach and fundraiser projects was organized by the Washington Equal Suffrage Association; a cookbook – Votes for Women, Good Things to Eat: Washington Women’s Cookbook.

A common argument of anti-suffragists was that women wouldn’t take care of their homes and families if they became involved in politics. Linda Jennings found members from all over the state, including many prominent leaders, with a broad range of recipes, menu planners and household tips.  Each section begins with a quote on suffrage and range from the classic ‘Entrees’ and ‘Soups’ to the surprising ‘Pineapple Deserts’ and ‘Sailors Recipes’. The cookbook is now available online through The Historic  American Cookbook Project. You can download a pdf from their website. While it was difficult for a modern vegetarian to find many appetizing snacks in the book, it was a pleasure to browse and I found much of the narrative content to be incredibly relevant. We attempted the German Lightening Cake, and found the recipe difficult to execute, this is no cookbook for the casual baker. If you are up for the challenge, you could host a suffrage themed party! It was fun to discover the suffragists weren’t the stuffy old uptight crowd they are often purported to be, they could have a little fun with their opponents. From the preface – “Home, a smiling woman, and a good dinner – does not the heart of man yearn toward this trio at evening time? In the best interests of all concerned, we offer you this little book.” I don’t doubt Ms. Jennings wrote those words with a wink.

Washington Rural Heritage is rolling out new promotional bookmarks in time for WLA 2009 in Spokane.

Trouble is, there are so many great photos throughout our collections, that we can’t settle on just 5.  Will you help us?

We’ve selected 20 or so photos, cropped them to the bookmark shape of 2 in. x 8 in., and we want to know which ones you’d most likely tuck between your pages, tack to your cork board, or give out as Christmas gifts (hint: these make great Christmas gifts).

You can check them out on Library Development’s flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsl-libdev/sets/72157614879774406/

Leave a blog comment letting us know your favorites. And if you think we’ve missed a really bookmark-worthy photo, let us know that too.

A new grant cycle is now open for Washington Rural Heritage.  The purpose of this grant cycle is to support small and rural libraries in the development of sustainable digitization programs.  To date, more than 25 libraries and cultural institutions throughout Washington have contributed to the initiative.

Overall funding to support this grant cycle is $50,000, with a maximum award of $10,000 per application.  It is anticipated that five (5) or more applicants may receive awards.  Grant awardees will be required to submit at least one hundred (100) items to the Washington Rural Heritage collection at the State Library by the end of the grant cycle (August 13, 2010).

Application deadline: Postmarked or received by April 24, 2009.  View eligibility guidelines, FAQs, and download application. For more information, contact Evan Robb, Project Manager – Washington Rural Heritage, 360.704.5228 or Jeff Martin, Grants Program, 360.704.5248.

LSTA funds for this initiative were made available by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Historical Newspapers in Washington

• Puget Sound Weekly Argus: 1876 (Port Townsend) Jan. 1, 1876 – July 27, 1877
• Puget Sound Herald (Steilacoom) March 12, 1858 – Dec. 27, 1860
• Yakima Herald Feb. 2, 1889 – Dec. 29, 1892

Classics in Washington History

County and Regional History

• Fort Colvile, 1826-1871 by U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. Contents: This pamphlet summarizes the history of Fort Colvile, founded by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1825.

Military History

• 600 days’ service by Harold H. Burton. Contents: A history of the 361st Infantry Regiment of the 91st Division of the United States Army.
• Camp Lewis. Contents: An early historical record of the Ninety-First Division at Camp Lewis.
• Official history of the Thirteenth Division. Contents: The history of the 13th Division, organized at Camp Lewis, American Lake, Washington on July 16, 1918. The book contains photographs of troops and descriptions of their duties.

Native Americans

• Report on source, nature, and extent of the fishing, hunting, and miscellaneous related rights of certain Indian tribes in Washington and Oregon : together with affidavits showing location of a number of usual and accustomed fishing grounds and stations by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Contents: A report covering the investigation pertaining to the fishing, hunting, and related miscellaneous rights of certain tribes in the Pacific Northwest under the provisions of a group of treaties executed in the period between December 26, 1854 and January 25, 1856. The investigation was conducted, and the report prepared in 1941, as a result of fish and wildlife conservation legislation which limited rights reserved to Indians in the treaties of the 1800s.

Natural History

• Natural history of Washington territory and Oregon by George Suckley. Contents: Preface, including a brief narrative of the explorations from 1853 to 1857.–Errata, with additions and corrections up to 1860.-[pt. 1. Meteorology – not included (see Notes).–pt. 2. Botanical report.–pt. 3. Zoological report
• Climate of the state of Washington by W.N. Allen. Contents: “A careful and elaborate treatise on the climactic conditions, with reference to temperature, winds, rainfall and snowfall.”

Miscellaneous

• [Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address] by Abraham Lincoln. Contents: Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865. The text was excerpted from the Congressional Globe of the 38th Congress, 2nd Session.

Maps

• British Columbia and Vancouver Island
  [London? : Longman & Co.?] , 1865
• Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
  [Portland, Or.?] : USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, [1991]
• Indian reservations, allotments and ceded areas in Washington
  Cooper, Gwen
  [Olympia, Wash.] : Dept. of Game, [1961]
• Johnson’s Washington and Oregon
  [New York] : Johnson & Browning, [1862?]
• Legislative districts and commissioner districts, Olympia, Washington
  Thurston County (Wash.) Auditor’s Office
  [Olympia, Wash.] : The Office, 1989
• Legislative districts and commissioner districts, Thurston County, Washington
  Thurston County (Wash.) Auditor’s Office
  [Olympia, Wash.] : The Office, 1989
• Map of Oregon Territory, 1838
  Parker, Samuel, 1779-1866
  Utica, N.Y. : M.M. Peabody, 1838
• Map of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and part of Montana (1876)
  Mitchell, S. Augustus
  S. Augustus Mitchell, 1876
• Map of the City of Cheney (1916)
  Morgan, W. L.
  W. L. Morgan? 1916
• Map of the Oregon Territory
  Wilkes, Charles, 1798-1877
  [Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
  [19–?]
• Map of state of Washington, 1905
  Washington (State). Bureau of Statistics and Immigration
  Seattle, Wash. : Tucker-Hanford Co. , 1905
• Map of Washington showing location of mines, quarries, limekilns … [1918]
  Washington Geological Survey, [1918]
• Oregon and Washington (1873)
  Gray, Frank A.
  O. W. Gray, 1873
• Part of British Columbia (1861)
  Publ. for the Journal of the Royal Geographic Society … to illustrate the papers of Mr. Justice Begbie, Comr. Mayne, R. N., Lt. Palmer, R.E. & Mr. Downie.
  J. Murray Albemarle, 1861
• Preliminary agricultural map of Colville region, Washington Ter.
  Hilgard, Eugene W. (Eugene Woldemar), 1833-1916
  N.Y. : Julius Bien & Co., 1883
• Reconnaissance of Olympia Harbor, Washington Ter. (1856)
  U.S. Coast Survey, 1856
• Sketch K showing the progress of the survey in Section XI: from Tillamook Bay to the Boundary
  U.S. Coast Survey, 1859
• Washington (1900)
  Cram, George Franklin, 1841-1928
  Geo. F. Cram, 1900
  Shows location of banking towns and railroads.
• Washington and Oregon [1854?]
  J. H. Colton & Co. , [1854?]
• World (1829?)
  s.n. , 182-?
  Folded leaf from a book, possibly the American universal geography.

The son of a Hudson’s Bay factor and Raven, the daughter of Chief Comcomly of the Chinooks, Ranald MacDonald grew up on trading posts in the Northwest.  Fascinated by the idea of visiting Japan since his youth, he conceived the plan of shipping out on a whaling vessel and marooning himself on the Japanese shore.  Despite the fact that the government of Japan threatened death or imprisonment to foreigners trying to enter the kingdom, he did just that in 1848.

Ranald was taken captive and moved from one jurisdiction to another, but was well treated.  He was friendly and intensely curious about everything he saw and everyone he met.  The Japanese responded to his courtesy, and Ranald soon was teaching English to a significant group of Japanese officials.  His adventure ended when an American vessel, the Preble, arrived to retrieve a group of sailors that had been genuinely shipwrecked, and his captors allowed Ranald to accompany them back to America.

He continued his life as a sailor for some time, traveling widely.  When gold was discovered in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, he worked there for several years.  He died in North Central Washington in 1894.

When Japan finally opened to the West, Ranald’s student, Einosuke Moriyama, served as one of the chief interpreters between Commodore Perry and the Tokogawa Shogunate.

 The State Library has two items in its online collection that tell Ranald’s story:

1.  Ranald’s deposition given to Captain Glynn of the Preble on the voyage back to America in 1849.

Deposition of Ranald McDonald regarding his imprisonment in Japan, made to Captain James Glynn, USS Preble] [Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1850]From: Senate Executive Document (United State. Congress. Senate); 31st Congress, 1st Session, vol. 10, no. 84, p. 24-28.

2.  Ranald’s own account written years after the fact and edited for the Eastern Washington Historical Society.

Ranald MacDonald : the narrative of his early life on the Columbia under the Hudson’s Bay Company’s regime, of his experiences in the Pacific whale fishery and of his great adventure to Japan : with a sketch of his later life on the western frontier, 1824-1894 by Ranald MacDonald.  Spokane, Wash. : Published for the Eastern Washington State Historical Society of the Inland-American Printing Co., 1923