Collections
Prohibition in Western Washington
Description
On January 17, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect banning the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol. Until its repeal in 1933, private citizens and former brewing companies came…
Treaties under Gov. Isaac Stevens, 1854-1856
Description
This collection consists of letters between Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens and his Indian agent Col. Simmons, along with the treaties Stevens brokered with Washington Territory tribes.
The…
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Chinese Exclusion Act Case of Lock Doon, 1902-1904
Description
The following documents relate to the Chinese Exclusion Act case of Lock Doon, a resident of Olympia for over ten years, who was denied re-entry into the United States from China, after he was…
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Enemy Aliens in Western Washington during World War II: Service or Internment
Description
World War II was a difficult time in the treatment of immigrations by the United States government. The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 created a panic on the West Coast, as the government…
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Railroads in Western Washington and Oregon, 1870s-1920s
Description
Railroads were essential to the development and prosperity of the Pacific Northwest in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Northern Pacific Railroad caused land prices to soar in areas…
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Native Land Rights, 1882-1908
Description
After settlers from the United States moved in to the Puget Sound region, the federal government took possession of land and held it in “trust” for the native peoples as a means of eventually…
Native Boarding Schools, 1900s-1920
Description
The following documents relate to the attendance of Native children at the Cushman Boarding School. Generally, what is revealed is the need of the school to keep its attendance as high as possible to…
Waterways and Dams, 1939-1951
Description
As part of the expanded powers given to the federal government during the Great Depression, the Army Corps of Engineers was put in charge of flood control in 1936. The Corp began documenting floods on…
Northwest Region of the Public Works Administration, 1933-1934
Description
The documents in this collection deal exclusively with Washington projects paid for by the Public Works Administration during the employment crisis of the Great Depression - primarily the Grand Coulee…
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Life in Southwest Washington, 1890s-1960s
Description
With railroads fully operational and new industries expanding the population of Washington, local communities and interests began to promote themselves. New settlers meant more money for development…

