From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library:

The town of Sidney, Washington once had a newspaper with the unusual title of People’s Broadax. The first issue, dated Oct. 27, 1889,  was published just before statehood, and the final issue appears to be June 6, 1891. The Washington State Library has a complete run on microfilm.

It was in the very last issue I found this interesting bit of news we can add to Washington State cat lore. It took place in Chico, which is north of Bremerton. Those of you who live with and love felines might say the term “strange freak” is redundant when used with “cat,” but this story does stand out a bit from most other kitty tales.

Strange Freak of a Cat

“G.C. Sutherland of Chico was in Sidney last Thursday and gave the Broadax a call. While here he related a strange freak of his black cat, which for novelty eclipses anything of the kind we have heard for a long time. He stated that she had kittens in a duck’s nest, and about the time the kittens were born three young ducks appeared. Soon afterward the old cat, to avoid the annoyance of the children, removed the kittens and ducks to a spare chamber up stairs. She regards the ducks with the same paternal care and solicitude that she does her own offspring, licking them all over at times and carrying them around the same as she does her kittens, and even stealing food for them. Mr. Sutherland says if you don’t believe it, call at his house and be convinced.”

Now if you are scrambling to try and find Sidney on a modern map, don’t bother. Today the town is called Port Orchard. According to James W. Phillips in Washington State Place Names, “The town was platted as Sidney by developer Sidney Stephens, but in 1903, at the request of residents, the state legislature renamed it and shortly afterward made it the county seat.”

A map of Sidney was published in the same issue of People’s Broadax as the cat story.

As for Mr. Sutherland, who apparently built the first hotel in Chico, the book Kitsap County History (1981) gives a brief biography: “Captain George C. and Christina Sutherland arrived from Port Arthur, Canada, in 1889 with their children Horatio, Elizabeth (Donovan), John and Jessie (Green). He operated a salmon saltery on the beach and was the area’s first photographer, calling his firm Sutherland Brothers or Olympic View Company.” I wonder if he ever took a picture of that cat with the ducks?

With the final votes tallied, and some close calls, libraries have come out on top in the recent Washington elections with a perfect 6 for 6 score.

In Cowlitz County, the levy for the Castle Rock Public Library succeeded with 62.34% of the vote, which is great because it needed a supermajority (at least 60%) to pass. The final tally was 298 votes for and 180 against. A levy failure in 2008 forced the library to rely solely on donations to continue operating until a new levy passed last year. While the library relies entirely on levy funding, it is hoped that donations will continue to help bolster the budget moving forward.

The Fort Vancouver Regional Library, which covers a section of Cowlitz County, as well as Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties, also succeeded, though by an even smaller margin, with 50.28% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote to succeed). Klickitat County showed the strongest support, with over 63% approval, while the other counties hovered right around the 50% mark. Part of the success may be attributed to the recent closing of all three Hood River County libraries across the river in Oregon, which could have helped energize Washington voters to avoid a similar fate.

In Clallam County the levy lid lift succeeded with nearly 60% of the vote (again they needed 50% plus 1 vote), with 14,299 votes for and 9,895 votes against. This success has immediate results for Clallam County’s four public libraries. The libraries in Clallam Bay, Forks, Port Angeles, and Sequim were all prepared to close for an unpaid furlough week from Monday, August 27th through Saturday, September 4th. Thanks to the success of the levy lid lift, however, they’ve decided to keep their doors open instead, which of course is great news for library users and employees alike.

In Spokane County the levy passed with nearly 55% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote). The levy lift will allow the Spokane County Library District to maintain its current level of operations and maintenance for the next three years.

In the closest race of them all, Ocean Shores voted to support their library with a scant 50.07% majority (1,069 votes for, 1,066 votes against). This will mean a .22 cent lid lift/levy for the Ocean Shores Library in the years 2011 and 2012.

In another kind of library vote, citizens in Port Orchard voted to annex into the Kitsap Regional Library. The vote passed with high (nearly 72%) approval, and will allow Port Orchard voters to weigh in on the Kitsap Regional Library levy lid lift proposal that is coming up on the November ballot.

In a tough economy, libraries are more and more the focal points in their communities. They offer technology training, help finding jobs, a community meeting space, and of course access to books and other materials for their users to check out. It’s great to see that Washington’s residents are recognizing the value of their libraries, and supporting them in a time when they can do the most good.

(With thanks to Emmett O’Connell for keeping track of vote results on his blog.)