This collection includes 256 glass lantern slides taken between 1908 and 1939, and commissioned or purchased by the Washington State Department of Conservation and Development.

These hand painted glass lantern slides were used in slide shows to promote tourism and immigration in Washington. Images show the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the Columbia Basin Project, the benefits of irrigation and water projects to Washington State, building projects, hotels, garages, dams, fishing and recreational activities, transportation facilities, shipwrecks, and scenic views of forests and rivers. The majority of images in this collection were taken by Asahel Curtis, Charles A. Libby and Sons, or Delong & Drake.

The Department of Conservation and Development was created in 1921 to encompass the divisions of Reclamation, Forestry, Water Resources, Geology, and the Columbia Basin Survey. Over the years, various divisions were added or transferred to other departments until the Department of Conservation and Development was abolished in 1967. The Department of Ecology was created in 1970, taking over many of the functions of the former Department of Conservation, and thereby acquiring the lantern slide shows. This collection was transferred by the Department of Ecology to the Washington State Archives in 1979.

Learn about the documentation of photographs in Washington and what information is found in the various record types by selecting the tab that says "About this Collection"here.