Inmates at the McNeil Island Corrections Center were exposed to a host of activities to help pass the time. These activities are highlighted in one of our photograph collections, Department of Corrections, McNeil Island Corrections Center Photograph Collection, 1855-2010. To find these records, run a keyword search for the word “Prisoners.” Clicking on the Photographs results will show you the activities available to inmates. Some of these activities included inmate jobs, classes, and sports.

We would like to share with you how we make the paper collections from the Archives available online. Currently, there are over 36 million searchable digitized records on the Digital Archives, but a very small percent of them are from the paper archives. Please take a few moments to read about how a paper record becomes available on our website.

Moran State Park was founded on Orcas Island by Robert Moran in 1921. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, worked at improving the park. The CCC aimed to employ unemployed workers while teaching them skills to succeed in the job force. During their time working at the park, they used local natural resources to make improvements in the park for the public. Pictured above you can see an example of how they used logs to build a bridge at Cascade Falls. Explore 205 more photos of the CCC and their impact on Moran State Park, including their mascot “Billie the Buck,” by searching for the term ‘Moran’ in the Keyword search or by clicking here.

Are you enjoying the summer weather? I know this guy was. Back in 1965 these folks were waterskiing on Lake Chelan, enjoying the summer and relaxing on the lake. This photo was taken from the General Subjects Photograph Collection, 1845-2005. Since this collection offers great variety of photographs and a large span of time, it is a great way to browse through Washington’s history. The easiest way to access these photographs is to click on Collections, then the Photographs Collection and then select the General Subjects Photograph Collection, 1845-2005. If you intend to browse simply click Browse this series.

Have you ever wondered how long government agencies keep public records? Who decides which records can be destroyed and which to preserve? These are the types of questions addressed by the Local Records Committee, made up of the State Archivist, and representatives from both the State Auditor’s office and the Attorney General’s office. They decide the schedule and procedures for records retention, preservation, and destruction of public records produced and held at the various local government agencies. Click here to listen to the recordings of their meetings from 2007 to present.

Looking for something to do this summer? Roslyn was a late 19th-Century mining town with a striking ethnic diversity, well represented in the town’s 26 cemeteries. These cemeteries have gained historic status, and are a great place to learn about Washington’s fraternal and ethnic histories. Here is the link to the Roslyn Cemeteries Map that list the following Cemeteries: Cacciatori D'Africa Cemetery, Croatian Cemetery #2, Dr. Starcevic Cemetery #1, Druid Cemetery, Eagles Cemetery, Foresters Cemetery, IOOF Cemetery, Lithuanian Cemetery, Masonic Cemetery, Moose Cemetery, Mount Olivet Cemetery, New City Cemetery, New Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Old City Cemetery, Old Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Polish Cemetery, Red Men Lodge Cemetery, Roslyn Memorial Gardens, Santa Barbara #39 Cemetery, Serbian Cemetery, Silvio Pellico Cemetery, Slovak Cemetery, Sokol Cemetery, Veterans Cemetery, and Veterans Cemetery #2 (County Cemetery). These cemeteries can be found in the Cemetery Records Collection. The titles listed include general information about each cemetery, their geo-location, how many people were indexed, when and how the surveys were conducted, and a total of 71 photographs of the Roslyn cemeteries.

Grand Coulee Dam was the center of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. Built between 1933 and 1942 as a public works project of the New Deal, it provided irrigation to approximately 700,000 acres in Eastern Washington, making the desert bloom via the Banks Lake reservoir. Grand Coulee Dam also produces 21 billion kilowatts of electricity each year, and recreational opportunities abound on Lake Roosevelt, which lies behind the dam. There were costs as well: 77 people died during construction, small communities and hunting grounds disappeared beneath the new lake, and the dam brought an end to the great salmon migrations to the rivers and streams above.

The Digital Archives holds other records containing information on the dam. A “Keyword” search of Grand Coulee Dam on our home page retrieves 477 minutes, ordinances, and resolutions, 93 photos, 74 corporation records, 34 audio files, and a few maps and state publications. The photo above can be found here.

The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project was authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s as part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s effort to water the west. The project area covers over 1 million acres, of which nearly 700,000 are currently supplied with irrigation water from the reservoir (Banks Lake) near Grand Coulee Dam. The Washington State Archives has the following records about the project online at the Digital Archives: 1,391 minutes, ordinances, and resolutions, 145 audio records, 5 maps, 4 photographs, and 1 e-pub. Do a keyword search on “Columbia Basin Irrigation Project” to find them; and watch for the upcoming treasure on Grand Coulee Dam.

The Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation electronic publications are just one set of the many and varied series found in the E-Publications Collection. There are records and general information available from several boards, commissions, and various governmental offices. Articles from these agencies range from studies and reports, to advertisements, old college catalogs, class schedules, and so much more. Many of the reports by these government entities provide historical background on the places, cultures, and economics of Washington State – an excellent source of information for historians and genealogists.

Here is a fascinating new item—the very first records book of Washington Territory government in Thurston County. Beginning in 1852 as a county of Oregon Territory, Thurston encompassed all of present-day western Washington north of Lewis County. The First Record Book of Thurston County covers the years 1852–1857. As you can see from the cover, and looking through the pages, the book is quite old and delicate, but thanks to volunteers at the Archives, this valuable treasure is digitally available for all to see. In the book you will find 529 pages of official county business and transactions, such as deeds, probate records, marriage records, and more. One such example is this petition, on 06 September 1852, by William Packwood for a new school district:

The Frontier Justice Collection consists of valuable information about laws and justice throughout the Territory of Washington prior to statehood in 1889. One of the counties’ records in the collection, Asotin County, has been scanned so in addition to the general information about each case, you can see the actual court documents. Of the 277 items in the Asotin records, there are 8 probate, 21 criminal, and 73 civil court cases. The types of cases include: collections, foreclosures, deeds, divorce, custody, guardianship, estate administration, adultery, murder, fornication, horse and cattle theft, burglary, and illegal liquor sales. The criminal and divorce cases can provide quite an amusing read – Enjoy! Asotin Frontier Justice Records.

Federal censuses between 1790 and 1840 did not include American Indians; 1860 was the first time they were included in the general population, provided they lived near a military fort. The census act of 1879 authorized the enumerations of all Indians within the United States. However, it wasn’t until the census act of July 4, 1884 that Indian agents/superintendants were required to include all Indians – those living on reservations and those living within the general population – on all censuses taken thereafter.

The Office of the Secretary of State’s Historic Records Project and the State Archives are in the process of making these records available online through indexing and digitizing the Indian Census rolls for Washington between 1884 and 1940. Not all reservations, nor groups, are included in the collection, but there are 29 tribes recorded in all. Three titles are currently available online: The Columbia Tribe (1887-1910), the Colville Tribe (1890-1907 & 1911-1914), and the Couer d’Alene Tribe (1887-1902), all of which are from the Colville Reservation census rolls.

A scanning project at the Eastern Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives turned up this unusual marriage record from 1913 between King Corn & Queen Alfalfa. “King Corn” is entered as a resident of Spokane, age 17, race as “White Dent,” and occupation as “Building up the Community.” “Queen Alfalfa” was 16, a resident of Yakima, her race was “Green” and her occupation was “Helping King Corn.” Research by Lee Pierce, Archives Assistant, revealed that the marriage license was part of a publicity stunt for a local agricultural fair. Click here to explore thousands of Washington marriage records online at the Washington State Archives, or contact our State Archives research team at [email protected].

Did you know that most records found on our website can be shared with your Facebook friends? Whenever you come across a record you particularly enjoy or find amusing, simply click the button (next to the printer icon), to let all your Facebook friends in on your discovery.

Few people know that the 44th President of the United States once lived in Seattle. Stanley Ann Obama lived with her infant son in a second-floor apartment in this Capitol Hill home while she took courses at the University of Washington during the 1961-1962 academic year. The house at 516 13th Avenue East has long since been razed to make way for an apartment building, but you can still view a photo of the building—and thousands of other King County properties—at the Washington State Digital Archives website. Click here to browse the King County Real Property Record Cards Collection, 1937-1972.

Did you know that you can also follow us on Twitter? Each week we highlight different collections, the most current accessions, or new happenings at the Washington State Archives. Our profile name is WADigitArchives, and here are a few previous tweets.

Where is the Isle of Man? A farmer from there shows up on an 1877#WA Territory #Census http://bit.ly/jpYweP #Trivia #WA

Taking oaths to prove: not an anarchist, 1945 http://bit.ly/lng2CJ able to read, write & speak English, 1960 http://bit.ly/j0vfJC #History #WA More #Mugshots from WaDigitArchives: Men & their big hair, 1919.http://bit.ly/ixPRzq #History #Hairstyle #Archives #Vintage #Hair #WA

Click here to follow us on Twitter.

Currently, the cemetery records series provides indexes to 347 cemeteries across the state. Each index was created by volunteers who put boots on the ground to gather information from each gravesite - not an easy undertaking (pun intended). These volunteers not only catalogued each gravesite for the indexes, but they also conducted research in order to provide some background on the cemeteries. For example, Maggie Rail writes of Greenwood Cemetery in Whitman County: "The first listed burial in the cemetery was in Oct 1878, which is when it was the Oregon Territory. This means the cemetery must have been established about that time. There are two other burials that year, one in November and another in December. After walking this cemetery and seeing so many vacant spaces in the older sections, I am convinced there are many unmarked graves, which I do not account for. I will continue to try however to see if I can find more early records." This is but one sample of the great effort put forth by the volunteers, many of whom are members of the Washington State Cemetery Association, in order for the public to have online access to this wealth of information.