SAT, SEP 24 AT 8:00 AM, TACOMA, WA * Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center * Tickets $15 – $35 

          Join Ancestry, Washington State Archives, Washington State Library, Legacy Washington and the Washington State Historical Society as they present Ancestry Day in Washington State, Sept 23-24, 2016. Both novice and experienced genealogists are welcome at this event. Registration for the Ancestry Day on Saturday, Sept 24 is $35.00 and includes admission to all Saturday classes presented by Ancestry. Lunch tickets can be purchased for an additional $15.00, which includes a box lunch and the lunch speaker.

Special presentations will be offered by the Washington State Historical Society and the Washington State History Museum on Friday, Sept. 23, for $15.00. These are limited to the first 225 participants that register for Saturday.

Proceeds benefit the Washington State Archives, Washington State Library, Legacy Washington and the Washington State Historical Society.

Pre-registration is encouraged and available online thru 5:00 pm, September 17, 2016. If you miss the pre-registration deadline, you can purchase a ticket at the door for Saturday’s event ONLY.

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Every school child knows that the willow goldfinch is the official State Bird of Washington.  But less well known is the fact that the willow goldfinch had a long and controversial road to approval – 23 years of bickering and grandstanding, all of which culminated in a dramatic and highly amusing floor debate in the state’s House of Representatives.

But first, let’s go back to 1928 when Washington’s school children were given the task of selecting a state bird.  According to this website, the children selected the western meadowlark, a lovely bird with a problem.  The meadowlark was already state bird of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Oregon (selected in 1927 also by a poll of Oregon school children and made official with their governor’s proclamation).  It would go on to become the state bird of Montana, Kansas, and North Dakota as well, making it the second most popular state bird in the United States.  Clearly, school children across the country were partial to the meadowlark, but Washington needed a bird that was more unique.

In 1931, the Washington Federation of Women’s Clubs took up the issue, polling their membership over which bird should have the honor.  The ladies returned a different result: the willow goldfinch.  But rather than deciding the question, popular opinion had it that Washington now had two unofficial state birds.

And no one seemed in a hurry to decide the matter.  A full 12 years passed before the Senate passed Senate Bill 134 making the willow goldfinch the official state bird and the rhododendron the official state flower. The February 9, 1943 Seattle Times then described a prophetic exchange between Senator Barney Jackson of Pierce County and Senator Paul G. Thomas of King County during the floor debate regarding the state bird:

Jackson: What is the difference between a goldfinch and a mugwump?

Thomas: A goldfinch is a bird, but a mugwump is something that just sits on a fence with his mug on one side and his wump on the other.

But despite the senators’ self-aware debate of the goldfinch, the House of Representatives never took action on SB 134, and the official authorization languished in committee no man’s land.  Washington was now going on 15 years with no official state bird.  Just how long could the Legislature ignore the unofficial dual bird situation?  Tune in for our next installment to find out.

Liberty Mountain, North Cascades National Park. Photo by Jim Culp. Used by permission.

Selected Resources

National Park Service

2016 marks the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service. “That’s 100 years of protecting America’s natural, historical and cultural treasures from all over the United States. These more than 400 beautiful, historic and exquisite sites cover over 80 million acres consisting of approximately 18,000 miles of trails, more than 75,000 archaeological sites and at least 247 species of threatened or endangered plants and animals.” (Text from http://bit.ly/2allmnJ.)

Interior Department National Park System. National Park System (Wall Map Poster). Interior Department National Park System, Print.

A beautiful wall map of the National Parks is available from the Government Printing Office Bookstore, https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01274-5?ctid=507. “Handsome color map showing the locations of parks in National Park System; suitable for large wall map displays … the map shows all 392 authorized units of the park system. It measures 39 by 29 inches and is of display quality.

Washington State

“National Historic Landmarks Survey / Washington.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. Available online: <https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/wa/WA.pdf.>

“National Parks Road Trip: Pacific Northwest.” National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016.  Available online: <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/united-states/washington-national-parks/>.

Covers North Cascades, Mount Ranier and Olympic national parks.

Working with Washington by the Numbers National Park Service

“NHLs in National Parks | National Historic Landmarks Program.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/nhlsinparks.htm#WA>.
“Northwest · National Parks Conservation Association.” National Parks Conservation Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.npca.org/regions/northwest>.

“Working with Washington by the numbers.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2016. <http://bit.ly/2a4PHoO>.

How many national parks are there in Washington State?

National Trails?

National Register of Historic Places?

National Historic Landmarks?

National Natural Landmarks?

World Heritage Sites?

“Want to Browse Some National Park Maps? There’s a Site For That | Smart News.” Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://bit.ly/2a4SS0o>. 

Check National Park Maps. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2016, http://npmaps.com/. Free maps of national parks. Check by state.

“Washington: National Register of Historic Places listings in the state of Washington.” Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalregister/albums/72157620544261128>.

“Washington (U.S. National Park Service).” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/state/wa/index.htm>.  Find a list of National Park Service designations, a description and a photo.

National Park Service brochures. Listed in the Washington State Library catalog.

Publications

Braille Books: The National Park Service publishes a series of visitor information brochures in Braille for most of the NPS designated areas in the United States. They are included in this resource list with the designation Print (Braille).

Ebey’s Landing

Ebey’s Landing. Photo by James Marvin Phelps.

Evans-Hatch, Gail E. H. Evans-Hatch, D. Michael. Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve: Historic Resources Study. Washington: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, 2005. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.58/3:W 57.

Polenz, Michael. Slaughter, Stephen L. Dragovich, Joe D. Thorsen, Gerald W. Geologic Map of the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Island County, Washington. Olympia N.p., Washington State Dept. Print. Available at WSL: 2 copies, one in library use only WA 33.7 G291ope 2005-2 2005 c.1 ; available for circulation  WA 333.7G291ope 2005-2 2005 c.2.

United States. National Park Service. Ebey’s Landing: Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Washington. Washington: National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2008. Print (map). Available at WSL: I 29.2:EB 3/2.

United States. National Park Service, author. Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2015. Print (Braille). Available at WSL: I 29.155:EB 3.

Gilbert, Cathy. Reading the Cultural Landscape: Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Seattle: National Park Service, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Cultural Resource Division, 1985. Print. Online at: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS115589.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Officers Row, Vancouver, WA

Fort Vancouver

Hussey, John A. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site/washington. Denver: Denver Service Center, National Park Service, 1972-1976. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.2:F77.

United States. National Park Service, author. Fort Vancouver: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2013. Print (Braille).
Available at WSL! I 29.2:F 77 v/2/ v.1, I 29.2:F 77 v/2/ v.2.

Tip: check our catalog for author John A. Hussey to find other studies he did of Fort Vancouver.

Lake Chelan

Northwest Interpretive Association. North Cascades National Park Service Complex (Agency : U.S.). Imus Creek Nature Trail, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Seattle: The Assn., 1998. Print. WSL Northwest Collection NW 917.975 IMUS 1998?

Tip: See also North Cascades National Park.

“Welcome to Stehekin.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/noca/upload/Stehekin-Map-2010.pdf>.

Lake Roosevelt

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Washington. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 2005. Print (map). Available at WSL: I 29.39:R 67.

 Mount Rainier

“An icon on the horizon.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm>.

Mount Rainier National Park: Washington. Washington, D.C.: The Service, 1973. Print (Maps). Available at WSL: Historic Research R 912.7977 United 1973.

 “Publications – Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/publications.htm>.

Tahoma News
The Mount Rainier National Park “Tahoma News” is printed each winter, spring, summer and fall. Look inside for descriptions of seasonal activities, current events and facility hours … read the most recent edition on-line or receive a printed copy when you arrive at the entrance gate to the park.

United States. National Park Service, author. Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! Call No. I 29.155:M 86 R/2.

North Cascades National Park (and surounding areas)

Johannessen, Tracie B, Wendy Scherrer, Saul Weisberg, and Nikki McClure. North Cascades National Park: A Living Classroom : a Guide to Field Trips and Activities in Ross Lake National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park. Sedro-Wooley: North Cascades Institute, 1996. Print. Available at WSL: NW OVERSIZ 917.9773 JOHANNE 19.

“North Cascades are calling.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm>.

“North Cascades National Park Complex.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. Available online at <https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/upload/NOCAmap1.pdf>.

“North Cascades National Park Complex Stephen Mather Wilderness.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/upload/Wilderness-Trip-Planner-2016-05-06_01-for-web.pdf>.

 North Cascades National Park Service Complex. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 July 2016. <https://www.facebook.com/NorthCascadesNationalPark/>.

Popular Trails: Featuring Trails in North Cascades National Park & Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Seattle: Northwest Interpretive Assn., 2000. Print. Available at WSL: NW 917.975 POPULAR 200-?.

“Surrounding region.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. Available online at: https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/upload/NOCAmap2.pdf.

“State route 20 detail map.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/upload/SR-20-Detail.pdf.

Rain Forest Greenery along the shores of the Quinalt River. Photograph by Alan posted to Flickr. Used by copyright permission.

Olympic Mountains

 “Olympic National Forest – Maps & Publications.” US Forest Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016.

Olympic National Park, Washington. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1939- . Print (Maps). Available at WSL: I 29.6OI 9/3 1939-2003 some issues missing.

“Olympic National Park Guide.” Sunset. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2016. <http://www.sunset.com/travel/northwest/olympic-national-park-washington>.

United States. National Park Service, author. Olympic: Olympic National Park, Washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2015. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! Call No. I 29.155:OL 9.

Ross Lake National Recreation Area

“Ross Lake National Recreation Area.” NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016. <https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/upload/rosslake_6-08.pdf>.

Tip: See also North Cascades National Park

Crook House historic structures. English Camp, San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan Island, Washington

San Juan Island

Erigero, Patricia, and Barry Schnoll. Crook House Historic Structures Report: English Camp, San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan Island, Washington. Seattle: Cultural Resources Division, Pacific Northwest Region, National Park Service, 1984. Web.  Available at WSL:  I 29.88:C 88. Available online through the Library’s Washington Rural Heritage project: bit.ly/29X2ZEs

United States. National Park Service, author. San Juan Island National Historical Park, Washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2014. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! Call No. I 29.155:SA 5 J/2.

Whitman Mission

United States. National Park Service, author. Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Washington. National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2014. Print (Braille). Available at WSL: I 29.155:W 59.

United States. National Park Service. Whitman Mission, Sitio Histórico Nacional, Washington.  N.p.,  Print. Available at WSL:
I 29.6/6:W 59/SPAN.

Site of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Photograph by Glenn Scofield Williams as found on Flickr. Used by copyright permission.

Washington and Other States

Klondike Gold Rush

United States. National Park Service. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Seattle, Washington. Washington: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1981. Print (map). Available at WSL: I 29.6:K 69/W 27.

United States. National Park Service, author. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Skagway, Alaska. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2014. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! I 29.155:K 69

United States. National Park Service, author. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Skagway, Alaska. N.p., 2014. Print (Braille). Available at WSL: I 29.155.G29.

Lewis and Clark

United States. National Park Service, author. Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, Oregon / washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2014. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! I 29.155:L 58

Mcloughlin House Fort Vancouver

United States. National Park Service, author. Mcloughlin House Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Oregon/washington. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2013. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! Call No. I 29.155:M 22

Manhatten Project National Historical Park (Oak Ridge, TN, Los Alamos, NM, and Hanford, WA)

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Natural Resources. Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation, author. H.r. 1208, to Establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, Tn, Los Alamos, Nm, and Hanford, Wa: Legislative Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation of the Committee on Natural Resources, U.s. House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, Friday, April 12, 2013. N.p., 2014. Web. Available at WSL: WSL Annex (Call ahead) Y 4.R 31/3:113-10, MICRO Y 4.R 31/3:113-10 ; Available online at <http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo47105> <http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo47106>.

Manzanar

United States. National Park Service, author. Manzanar, Manzanar National Historic Site, California. National Park Service US Department of this Interior, 2016. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! Call No. I 29.155:M 31/2

Minidoka

United States. National Park Service, author. Minidoka, Minidoka National Historic Site, Idaho/washington. National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, 2016. Print (Braille). Available at WSL! I 29.155:M 66/2

Nez Perce

United States. National Park Service. Visitor Guide: Nez Perce National Historical Park, Big Hole National Battlefield, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington.  Lapwai: Nez Perce National Historical Park, 2009.  Print.  Available at WSL: I 29.2:N 49/2 2009

Listen Up! North Olympic Library System. Oral histories from the Washington Northwest corner. Used by permission of the North Olympic Library System. Project supported by the Washington State Library Washington Rural Heritage Project using federal Library Services and Technology Act funds administered by the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

 Oral History

Listen up! Stories from the Northwest corner. A series of oral histories collected by staff of the North Olympic Library System from residents of Clallam County sharing their stories about National Parks. There are 16 recorded interviews plus a compilation video.

From the desk of Jeff Martin

A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home

Written by: Phoebe Goodell Judson

Union Printing, Binding and Stationary Co., Bellingham, Washington

Publication date: 1925

Phoebe Goodell Judson who crossed the Plains in 1853 and became a resident on Puget Sound before the organization of Washington Territory.

A Book of Personal Memoirs (Published in the author’s 95^th year)
CHAPTER I

It is the oft repeated inquiry of my friends as to what induced me to bury myself more than fifty years ago in this far-off corner of the world, that has determined me to take my pen in hand at this late day.

Did I come around the Horn, cross the Isthmus, or come across the plains? Was I not afraid of the Indians, and much more they ask. So I have decided to answer them all and singly by writing a short history of our pioneer life, and to affectionately dedicate my book to the memory of the late Holden A. Judson, my dear husband, who journeyed with me for half a century in the wilderness.

This will be but a condensed narrative of events which I shall endeavor to recall out of the mists of the past, written with no attempt at literary display, containing no fiction, but simply a record of the homely, everyday incidents of a plain woman, who has now exceeded her three score years and ten, and who has roughed it in the early fifties on the extreme northwestern frontier.

Time has passed so rapidly I can scarcely realize that I have already attained the number of years allotted to mortals on earth.

The romance of frontier life beyond the confines of civilization with its varied, exciting and interesting experiences among the children of nature both human and brute-has caused the years to fly swiftly, as on the wings of the wind.

Excerpt by Phoebe Goodell Judson

Golden-mantled ground squirrel at Crater Lake NP. These little guys will steal your sunflower seeds and your heart. Photo by Tore.

From the desk of Rand Simmons

This August 25th the National Parks Service (NPS) celebrates one hundred years of service to the nation and, indeed, to the world. The year was 1916, but national parks, designated by various federal agencies, have existed far longer than the NPS.  The first was the District of Columbia, authorized on July 16, 1790. It included the National Capital Parks, National Mall and the White House.

Summer view of Crater Lake NP, Oregon. Photo by Maciek Lulko.

My personal relationship with National Parks was shaped by where I was born and where my father was born.

I was born in Canyonville, Oregon in Douglas County and spent my childhood in the little burg of Myrtle Creek. It was easy for my family to head to Crater Lake in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.

Established in 1902 as a national park, Crater Lake National Park predates the establishment of NPS and is the only national park in Oregon. An eruption of Mt. Mazama, a volcano in the Oregon Cascade Mountains, caused an implosion of the mountain and formed the lake. It is the deepest in the United States, has no inlets or outlets, and the blue of the water is almost indescribable. You can learn more about this the deepest lake in the United State at this site. Two childhood memories: Trying to spy the wizard on Wizard Island, the larger of two islands in the caldera-formed lake and, second, trying as I might to catch one of the wily park chipmunks or ground squirrels. No doubt I would have rued the results had I caught one.

State Highway 287 slumped into Hebgen Lake.

My father was born and raised in Eastern Idaho. On the occasions that we would go to visit my aunts, uncles and dozens of cousins we would often make a trek to Yellowstone National Park. All my memories of Yellowstone are positive except for three — first, visiting the devastation caused by the Madison River flood in 1959 and seeing the ghostly lines of trees along the bank of the water marking the water level when the river was dammed and formed Quake Lake. That visit formed an indelible memory in my brain. Second, sadness upon learning that Old Faithful geyser was no longer predictable as a result of the same earthquake.  And finally, as an adult with two young sons, viewing the damage of the great fire of 1988 and remembering stories effectively told by a park ranger.

This August we will celebrate 100 years of the marvelous work of the National Park Service through posts to our blog, Facebook site and Twitter account (look for #NPSCentennial). We will focus on Washington State’s national parks and feature other Washington NPS sites. We will connect you to resources in our collections. We hope we will inspire you to take pride in our historic and cultural treasures made possible by the stewardship of the National Park Service.

What is your connection to National Parks? A funny/scary story of a woman in a car that tried to feed a bear? Leaning over a guard railing to see what was in the canyon below while your dad held on to your shirt tail? Catching your first rainbow trout? Seeing your first moose? A solemn moment at a national historic site? A family reunion? The antics of ground squirrels stuffing their cheeks with peanuts tossed to them by tourist?

What’s your story? We would like to hear it. Or maybe you want to build some memories.

Here’s to another great 100 years of service to the people of the United States and the world.

Resources

The National Parks: Index. Washington, D.C: National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1985. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.103:  2012-2016

The National Park Service released its 2012-2016 Index in time for the Centennial celebration. This is a must have for travelers especially if they are visiting multiple National Parks and other national sites, reserves and recreation areas maintained by the NPS.

“This index is a complete administrative listing of the National Park System’s parks and related areas, including historical documentation to distinguish between the types of National Park Service sites. It has been revised to reflect congressional actions. The entries, grouped by state, include administrative addresses and phone numbers, dates of authorization and establishment, boundary change dates, acreages, website addresses, and brief statements explaining the areas’ national significance.” However, this book is not intended as a guide for park visitors. “This resource should provide beneficial information to historians, especially State historians.” (Both quotes, GPO Bookstore, June 28, 2016).

Centennial junior ranger activity book. Not distributed to Federal Depository libraries. Available from the Government Printing Office.

McDonnell, Janet, and Barry Mackintosh. The National Parks: Shaping the System. Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2005. Print. Available at WSL: I 29.2:SH 2/2005; Online at: https://ia800301.us.archive.org/20/items/nationalparkssha05system/nationalparkssha05system.pdf (other formats are available)

“US National Parks Timeline.” Travel, Landscape, and Nature Pictures – QT Luong Stock Photos and Fine Art Prints. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2016. http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/info/parks-by-date.html.

Check out the Government Bookstore’s National Parks Collection, National Parks. U.S. Government Bookstore. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2016.

Taking an in-state vacation this month?  Need ideas of things to do?  Well Shirley has done it again! August is the last month in the series but she tells us she’s barely scratched the surface of interesting things happening around our beautiful state.

From the desk of Shirley Lewis

August 1

Hungry? The Washington State Department of Agriculture created the Savor Washington series of online publications to tempt taste buds and satisfy nutritional needs from “Seattle to Spokane, through diverse landscapes and great local food.” Happy traveling and bon appétit!

August 2

Nine men from the University of Washington made a splash at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Their inspiring story is vividly described in The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. A Public Broadcasting System (PBS) American Experience documentary entitled The Boys of ’36 will debut on August 2, 2016. For more reading about rowing at University of Washington, try Ready all!: George Yeoman Pocock and Crew Racing by Gordon Newell (First paperback edition, book was originally published in 1987.

August 3

Speaking of Olympics, visit the diverse wilderness of Olympic National Park. Explore rainforests, high peaks, and the beautiful peninsular coast. Tim McNulty’s classic guide, Olympic National Park: A Natural History, is the perfect book to plan your adventure.

August 4

It’s a big election year and the best place to get the official information on elections in Washington is at the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. For more help with information on issues, elections, and voting, contact the Washington State Library’s Ask a Librarian service.

August 5

Head to Joyce (Clallam County) on the Olympic Peninsula for the Joyce Daze Wild Blackberry Festival. These wonderful berries are a lot of work to pick, but the pie is worth the trip. While you are there, check out the Joyce General Store.

August 8

Washington State Parks presents a Centennial GeoTour to celebrate our state park’s centennial. This GeoTour will end on September 30, 2016, so start enjoying these geocaching activities now and watch this page for future fun.

August 9

Visit the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond (Pacific County) to see what hot wheels were when the horse supplied the power.

August 10

Explore Okanogan Country in north central Washington. Check out the history, arts scene, Native American Heritage, and recreation opportunities in this beautiful area. Frank Matsura, a Japanese native who came to Washington in the early 20^th century, captured Okanogan County’s people and scenery with excellent photographs.

August 11

Whatcom Museum celebrates 75 years of “art, nature & history” today with an open house and free admission in all three buildings. Activities for children, tours, music, and food trucks will all be available to make a memorable anniversary.

August 12

Are your boots made for walking? Evergreen State Volkssport Association is ready for you. Finding your way? Discover orienteering at the Cascade Orienteering Club. When you’re tired of walking, explore the Washington State Library’s Northwest Collection in person or through the WSL online catalog.

August 15

Let your flights of fancy soar at the Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach on August 15-21. Also in Long Beach, check out the World Kite Museum website to learn all about these delightful kites.

August 16

Here’s a new Washington State Library created resource: Historic Fire Lookouts of Washington. Enjoy this map featuring historic photographs of fire lookouts and read more about fire lookouts at WSL’s blog.

August 17

Hot enough? Sure, it’s warm now, but you’ll wish you had a quilt this winter.  Check out the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum for beautiful displays of weaving, quilting, and other textile arts.

August 18

Pullman (Whitman County) hosts the National Lentil Festival which has been celebrating lentils since 1989. Food, brews, wine, fun run, a parade, posters, and more: this lentil festival has it all.

August 19

Chief Seattle Days, a three-day public festival, began in 1911 to honor Chief Seattle, the leader of the Suquamish People and namesake of the City of Seattle. The 2016 festival runs August 19 – 21 in Suquamish (Kitsap County). Later this month, the Makah Tribe of Neah Bay celebrates the 92^nd Annual Makah Days on August 26-28, 2016.

August 22

Take a walk on the wild side and/or enjoy the writings of those who do. Washington’s natural beauty can be enjoyed by getting outside or reading these works for a sense of the place called Washington:

• Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America by Ivan Doig
• Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
• Island Year by Hazel Heckman
• Singing Grass, Burning Sage: Discovering Washington’s Shrub-steppe by Jack Nisbet
• Sky Time I Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place or Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land by Robert Michael Pyle.
• Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington’s Last Frontier by Craig Romano
• The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle by David B. Williams

August 23

Apples – why just one a day? The Washington Apple Commission declares Washington is the state for apples. Adam and Eve never had it so good.

August 24

Football fans don’t have much longer to wait:  the Seattle Seahawks, Washington State University Cougars, University of Washington Huskies, and numerous other Washington football teams will soon take the fields. Go ___________ (fill in the team mascot of your choice)! Enjoy some armchair quarterbacking with these titles:  Seattle Seahawks: One Super Season; Defense, Dominance and the Emerald City’s First NFL Title, Tales from the Washington State Cougars Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Cougar Stories Ever or Go Huskies!: Celebrating Washington’s Football Tradition.

August 25

Set sail on the Lady Washington or the Hawaiian Chieftain or visit them at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport.

August 26

From WSL’s Northwest Collection, read some fiction with Washington settings:

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Horse Heaven Hill by Zane Grey

Snow Falling on Cedars  or East of the Mountains by David Guterson

Border Songs; The Highest Tide; or Truth like the Sun are all by Jim Lynch

August 29

Tired of the same old grind? Consider the Cedar Creek Grist Mill in Clark County. This working museum in a lovely wooded site is a great example of water-powered history.

August 30

Jump into Washington’s lakes – we’ve got great ones – try Soap Lake, Lake Crescent, Moses Lake, or Lake Chelan. Read all about them in the classic reference book, Lakes of Washington.

August 31

Summer’s going by – is it time to go back to school? Consider taking a class at your local library, community college, or online. School days were different not-so-long ago: Early Schools of Washington Territory and The Wooden Bench: Inkwells, Slates, and Coping Saws both tell it like it was.

Have you been following  the Paddle to Nisqually ? The Tribal Canoe Journeys  happen every summer on the waters of the Pacific Northwest? Each year a different tribe hosts the celebration which follows the final landing of all the canoes, many of which have traveled great distances.  This is a special year for the Nisqually Tribe as the journey ends with them.

Indigenous peoples have made this canoe journey up and down the coastal waterways for thousands of years, but by 1989 the tradition of long distance canoe travel had all but disappeared.  That year, as part of Washington’s centennial celebration, tribal leaders from around Puget Sound revived the practice, calling it “Paddle to Seattle”.  Some tribes carved their first canoe in nearly a century in order to participate in the journey (Oldham).  The journey became an annual event after the Heiltsuk Nation issued a challenge to the Puget Sound tribes and  Canoe Families to come up to Bella Bella in 1993.  This year close to 100 canoes and their pullers, from the Coast Salish peoples of Alaska, Canada and the Pacific Northwest are scheduled to arrive in the Olympia Area on July 30th.  Since 1994 the Nisqually Tribe has participated in the Canoe Journeys and have used the journeys to strengthen its culture, its community, and its families.  Allen Frazier, a Northern California Native and long time Nisqually community member, has photo-documented the event since it began.   In 2013 the Nisqually Tribal Library received a Washington Rural Heritage grant from the Washington State Library to digitize and make available a portion of these photographs.  The result is a rich and ever evolving set of pictures which documents the Nisqually Tribe’s participation in canoe journeys from 1995 forward.   The collection, known as “The Canoe Journeys – A Nisqually Perspective”  includes photos and maps of the routes taken each year.

Approximately 120 canoes representing over 50 tribes are due to land at the Port of Olympia on July 30^th. The Nisqually Tribe has been preparing for the celebration for months.  The Landing Day events will be held at NorthPoint at the tip of the Port of Olympia’s peninsula.  The tribe is expecting as many as 18,000 people to attend (Port of Olympia).  The celebrations and protocols will continue until August 6^th.    Even if you can’t attend the landing, thanks to the work of the Nisqually tribe you can virtually attend the event through the pictures they provide online.

References

Oldham, Kit. “Northwest Indian canoes return to site of Point Elliott Treaty on July 26, 2007.” Historylink.org. N.p., 26 Aug. Web. 26 July 2007.

“Port of Olympia and City of Olympia team with Nisqually Indian Tribe for Canoe Journey Landing in July.” Port of Olympia. N.p., 10 May 2016. Web. 26 July 2016.

From the desk of Shawn Schollmeyer

The latest “news” on the newspaper collections is the merging of two existing collections into a new one called “Washington Digital Newspapers,” (WDN) which will give the public easier, full-text search access to these historic newspapers (move over, Google!). You can now browse titles, view by calendar date or pick a location from a map to search the issues here. The collection currently includes more than 45 titles and over 306,000 newspaper pages. Now it’s also mobile friendly so you can research with your smart phone or tablet device!

The website will also feature some more recent issues of the Eatonville Dispatch (1916-2010), our current digitization project due to be included this fall. Most of the newspapers will be pre-1923, which are considered “public domain” available for students and teachers to download for school research projects without worrying about requesting copyright permissions for use. We’ll be rolling in our earliest pioneer & territorial titles from the Historic Online Newspapers collection, which is currently indexed by subject and proper names, so it too will be full-text searchable over the next couple years.

A recent addition to the collection is the Tacoma Evening Telegraph (1886-1887). More additions by the end of this year include the Centralia Daily Hub (1914-1916), Spokane’s Danske Kronike (Danish/English, 1916-1917), and Dat Moi (Vietnamese/English, 1974-1987). Washington State Library staff will add at least 40,000 pages of new content by end of this year, content that hasn’t appeared in any of the library’s earlier digital collections or on Chronicling America. Just this month the Anacortes Museum signed on to help us digitize the Anacortes American in 2017!

The Washington State Library is a rich resource of information for students, genealogists, researchers and history enthusiasts as one of the best `go-to’ places to find Washington newspapers. We have the largest selection of Washington newspapers on microfilm and we’re excited to be a new associate member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers’ Association. This fall we will be meeting with newspaper publishers and editors to help ensure that our history and culture will be best preserved in  newspapers from print, microfilm and into the born-digital world of current news media!

From the desk of Jeff Martin

The State Archives and the State Library hold extensive map collections dealing with the Washington State and the surrounding region. This new blog post shows two more examples. The first map shows military stations occupied and abandoned as of January 1881; railroads existing and projected; wagon roads, and lighthouses. The map has been reduced in size for presentation.

The next map shows an emigrant wagon road to California in addition to selected features of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

As we enter, what will no doubt be, another intense fire season in Washington State, it is comforting to know that technology and modern methods are in place to spot and stop wildfires quickly.  But it also brings to mind a reflection on how fires were managed in the early 20^th century.  One answer was a chain of fire lookout stations, many built by the CCC in the 1930’s.  “Back in the 1930s the still-growing lookout system seemed like a stable part of the fire protection program of the forests of Washington. “ (Spring and Fish, pg. 11).  “They were placed, wherever possible, so at least two stations could overlap surveillance of the same territory and thus accurately pinpoint the location of a fire.” (pg. 14).  In 1953 the U.S. claimed 5,060 “permanent” fire lookouts (pg. 22) with 685 in Washington.

As keepers of our state’s history the Washington State Library has a variety of resources that help us remember this piece of our past.  One such resource is the wonderful Washington Rural Heritage collection.  This is an ever growing collection of images pulled from personal collections and small historic museums.  Part of the collection includes pictures of fire lookout towers from around the state as well as panoramic images taken from lookout towers.  Pulling images from the Rural Heritage collection and our digital photo collection we decided to create an interactive storymap to keep the history alive.

In addition to the historic images we have several books in our collections about fire lookouts.  So if you are interested in the history, the legends or the modern practicality of how to visit or even cook at a lookout station remember that much of our collection can be requested through ILL.

Doty, Thomas. Trek to Table Mountain: Seasons of Stories. Ashland, OR: Upriver Downriver Productions, 2003. Print.

Kresek, Ray. Fire Lookouts of the Northwest. Fairfield, Wash: Ye Galleon Press, 1998. Print.

Langston, Libby. Lookout Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes by Forest Fire Lookouts Throughout the United States. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: Museum of North Idaho, 2005. Print.

McFadden, Tish, and Tom Foley. How to Rent a Fire Lookout in the Pacific Northwest: A Guide to Renting Fire Lookouts, Guard Stations, Ranger Cabins, Warming Shelters and Bunkhouses in the National Forests of Oregon and Washington. Berkeley, CA: Wilderness Press, 2005. Internet resource.

Rideout, Ham. Fire Watch: A Summer to Be Remembered at the Steliko Point and Badger Mountain Lookouts : Memoirs of a Jr. Forest Guard and so Much More! Steilacoom Wash.: N.p., 2006. Print.

Luckily for Washington many lookout stations still exist. Today there are eighty-seven lookouts which remain standing. (Abegg) So, if you’re up for a hike or perhaps the chance to spend a night in a piece of history why not venture out and visit one yourself.

References
Abegg, Steff. “Fire Lookout Structures.” www.sTePhaBeGg.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 July 2016.

Spring, Ira, and Byron Fish. Lookouts: Firewatchers of the Cascades and Olympics. Seattle: The Mountaineers, 1981. Print.