Volume 6, November 24, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT FACT SHEETS RELEASED

2) MISSING NEWSPAPER ISSUES

3) STEPHEN ABRAMS – LIBRARIES AT THE TIPPING POINT

4) LAURA BUSH GRANT PROVIDES BOOKS FOR K-12 LIBRARIES

5) GETTING READY IN INDIAN COUNTRY

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 6, November 18, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NEW DIGITAL COLLECTION – WAHKIAKUM COUNTY HERITAGE

2) FIRST TUESDAYS – DOES YOUR AUDIENCE HEAR YOU?

3) WSL HISTORIC NEWSPAPERS ADDS ARGUS

4) 2010 ADULT SUMMER READING SURVEY

5) ONLINE CONFERENCE – SERVING THE 21^ST CENTURY PATRON

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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From the desk of Judy Pitchford

Volume 5, # 2 –  November 2010

Historical Newspapers in Washington

The Puget Sound Argus of Port Townsend (1882-1883) has been added to Washington State Library’s Online Historic Newspapers, available at http://www.sos.wa.gov/history/newspapers_detail.aspx?t=44. The collection now includes approximately nine years of Port Townsend newspapers, ranging from 1875 to 1883. The collection also contains newspapers from ten other Washington cities.

Additional newspapers will be added as soon as indexing is completed. Our volunteer indexers are currently hard at work on the Walla Walla Statesman (1873-1884) and Seattle’s Puget Sound Dispatch (1871-1880). To see our entire Online Historic Newspaper collection, go to http://www.sos.wa.gov/history/newspapers.aspx.

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Volume 6, November 11, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WASHINGTON NEWSPAPERS ON MICROFILM

2) FREE MICROSOFT ONLINE COURSES FOR JOB SEEKERS

3) IMLS ACCESSIBILITY WEB PAGE

4) IF YOU LOVE THEM, LET THEM FLOAT!

5) BUILDING THE DIGITAL BRANCH

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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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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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.

Volume 6, August 19, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) JAN’S FINAL WASHINGTON READS

2) APPLY FOR A POSITION ON THE LIBRARY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON

3) HISTORICAL PORT TOWNSEND PAPER GOES ONLINE

4) BOOKS FOR BABIES MATCHING GRANTS

5) ARE YOU READY? COMES TO SPOKANE

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

7) LSSC OFFERS COURSE SUBSIDIES

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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.