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About Washington State -- Frequently Asked Questions and Their Answers

This essay offers a brief introduction to the state of Washington, its jurisdictional development and government, and its official symbols.
File 5315: Full Text >

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909) -- A Cybertour of Selected Buildings

This is a "Now and Then" Cybertour of selected exhibit buildings at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, held in 1909 on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The buildings included in the Cybertour include most of those funded by the federal government and by the four Washington counties (Chehalis, King, Spokane, and Yakima) that erected buildings at the fair. This tour also includes the Washington Building (an important gathering place for large receptions) and the New York Building (where most of the fair's important banquets were held). This tour was written by Alan Stein and Paula Becker with assistance from Jennifer Ott, and curated by Paula Becker. Map by Marie McCaffrey. Preparation of this feature was made possible by the Washington Humanities Commission.
File 8678: Full Text >

Berentson, Duane (b. 1928)

Duane Berentson served for 18 years (1962-1980) as a Washington state legislator representing Burlington, Skagit County, and specializing in transportation issues. In 1981, he became the first non-engineer to serve as chief executive of Washington's highway transportation program, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Berentson served as Secretary of Transportation for 12 years until 1993.
File 7367: Full Text >

Building Seattle -- A Slide Show History of Seattle's Capital Improvement Projects

This is a Slide Show photo essay on the history of Seattle's Capital Improvement Projects. Written By Walt Crowley and curated by Paul Dorpat, with Chris Goodman. Presented by Seattle City Councilmember Martha Choe.
File 7083: Full Text >

Cedar River Watershed (King County) -- Environmental Overview

The Cedar River watershed, located in the eastern central portion of King County, Washington, is nearly 24 miles long, and roughly 10 miles wide. It has been in use as Seattle's main water supply since 1901. This has resulted in many changes to the land, water, forests, and animal habitats within the 91,400-acre environment.
File 2486: Full Text >

Century 21 -- The 1962 Seattle World's Fair, Part 1

The 1962 Seattle World's Fair, otherwise known as Century 21, gave visitors a glimpse of the future and left Seattle with a lasting legacy. The exposition gave Seattle world-wide recognition, effectively "putting it on the map." Years of planning went into the fair through the hard work of visionaries, go-getters, civic boosters, and dreamers. Many of the concepts and icons of Century 21 remain ingrained in Seattle culture, even as the "real" 21st Century begins.
File 2290: Full Text >

Century 21 -- The 1962 Seattle World's Fair, Part 2

To many, there never was a fair to compare to the Seattle World's Fair, or Century 21. Between April 21 and October 21, 1962, close to 10 million people visited the fair to climb the Space Needle, ride the Monorail, see the exhibits, take in a show, and enjoy the food, fun, and festivities. Maybe one of these people was you.
File 2291: Full Text >

Civic Unity Committee in Seattle

In January 1944, Mayor William F. Devin (Seattle mayor, 1942-1952) formed Seattle's Civic Unity Committee to manage and assuage growing fears of racial violence. Riots in Detroit, Harlem, and Los Angeles snatched away Seattle's false security blanket, forcing a close examination of race relations. The Civic Unity Committee, modeled after similar committees in Detroit and New York, was a multiracial citizen task force. The committee advised the mayor, conducted consciousness-raising programs on racism, and produced a monthly newsletter, Fair Play, to celebrate positive civic actions.
File 2119: Full Text >

Clark County -- Thumbnail History

Local history buffs call Clark County the "Cradle of Pacific Northwest History," reflecting the importance of the 628-square-mile southwestern Washington county as the scene of key historical developments. Here the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived in 1805, the British Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Vancouver in 1825, and the town of Vancouver was incorporated in 1857. The county's location first made it an entrepot (trading center), then an agricultural area.The region developed in agriculture, lumber, and fishing, and later in shipbuilding and aluminum. In recent times, energy from hydroelectric projects on the Lewis and Columbia rivers has fueled development as a manufacturing center.
File 5644: Full Text >

Edwards, Myrtle (1894-1969)

Myrtle Edwards served on the Seattle City Council from 1955 to 1969, and in March 1969 became president of the council. She carried out her work in public life within the League of Women Voters, the Greater Seattle Council of Churches, the Municipal League, and Seattle Beautiful, Inc., which promoted public parks, boulevard plantings, and programs that enhanced neighborhood beautification. On August 18, 1969, she died from injuries sustained the day before in an automobile accident. A stunned city mourned her death, and Myrtle Edwards Park, along Elliott Bay, was named in her honor.
File 664: Full Text >

Fort Dent Park

Fort Dent Park in Tukwila was once a winter village for the Duwamish Indian tribe. After being partially vacated following the signing of the 1855 Point Elliott treaty, the site briefly became home to a small military blockhouse. Years afterward the property was used as farmland, until it became a King County park in 1968. Currently (2003) the park is owned by the City of Tukwila.
File 4114: Full Text >

Gould, Carl Frelinghausen (1873-1939)

Carl F. Gould founded the University of Washington's Department of Architecture, providing the state of Washington with a pool of locally educated designers. He was a prolific architect who, in partnership with Charles H. Bebb (1856-1942), designed such well-known structures as the University of Washington's Suzzallo Library, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, the Everett Public Library, and the Longview Post Office.
File 116: Full Text >

Housebuilding in Seattle: A History

Housebuilding in Seattle and the surrounding region has progressed from the communal longhouses of Native Americans through the log cabins of the first settlers to simple, balloon-framed houses. Wood was plentiful and became the natural building material of choice. The newly wealthy poured money first into ornate Victorian mansions and later into a variety of other styles imported from Europe. A boom around the turn of the twentieth century brought a spate of building for the ordinary citizens as well as the wealthy, and two iconic Seattle housing styles -- the Craftsman bungalow and houseboats -- were introduced. So-called "modern" architecture also made its appearance and it would come to dominate the industry. Governments from federal to local began playing more intrusive roles in the housing industry, starting in the Great Depression of the 1930s, and those roles would continue to expand. After World War II, Seattle's population continued to grow, except for a brief period in the late 1970s. As buildable land became more costly and hard to find, the city kept amending its building codes and permit requirements to squeeze more dwellings onto the finite stock of space, and builders sought cheaper land and fewer restrictions in the suburbs.
File 9116: Full Text >

Ittner, Ruth (1918-2010)

Ecologist, trails advocate, hiking legend, tireless volunteer, author, and University of Washington public policy administrator, Ruth Ittner is most remembered for her work with Volunteers for Outdoor Washington and for building the Iron Goat Trail, a hiking trail near Skykomish that follows the old Great Northern Railway line. The Iron Goat Trail would eventually take more than 20 years to complete and Ittner is credited with getting the job done. Her skills in organizing and connecting government agencies and volunteers made the easily accessible and popular trail a reality. The first segment of the trail opened in October 1993.
File 9379: Full Text >

Juanita Beach Park (Kirkland)

Juanita Beach Park, located along Juanita Bay in Kirkland, has been a popular summer destination for most of a century. Originally settled by Dorr and Eliza Forbes, the park blossomed as a resort in the 1920s under the guidance of their son Leslie and his wife Alicia. In 1956, they sold the park to King County. It remained a county park until 2002, when ownership was transferred to the City of Kirkland.
File 4009: Full Text >

Landes, Bertha Knight (1868-1943)

Bertha Knight Landes, elected mayor of Seattle in 1926, became the first woman to lead a major American city. She ran on a platform of "municipal housekeeping," vowing to clean up city government. She advocated municipal ownership of utilities such as City Light and street railways. Her single term ended in 1928, but she remained a civic leader and role model for women.
File 5343: Full Text >

League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization founded in 1920 and concerned with public policy and citizenship issues, grew out of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Under the leadership of President Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947), the NAWSA transformed itself into the League of Women Voters after the suffrage organization had won the victory of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women their right to vote.
File 3593: Full Text >

Mud Mountain Dam

When Mud Mountain Dam was completed in 1948, it was the highest rock- and earth-filled dam in the world. The dam was built to prevent massive flooding in South King County and North Pierce County, which used to occur almost annually. Its reservoir contains water filled with glacier flour, which gives the White River its appearance and name.
File 3584: Full Text >

Municipal League

Founded on May 23, 1910, the Municipal League of Seattle (now of King County) quickly became a leading organization in the area's Progressive Movement. In the first decades of the twentieth century it initiated independent evaluations of political candidate qualifications and championed key governmental reforms. Following World War II, League visionaries such as Ben B. Ehrlichman (1895-1971) and James R. Ellis led regional campaigns to reform the King County Charter, to establish the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro), and to fund infrastructure via Forward Thrust bonds and other public investments. It conducted an important investigation of graft related to construction of the West Seattle Bridge (1970s) and successfully advocated public disclosure of campaign finances. In 1988, the League absorbed a quasi-independent Eastside chapter to become the Municipal League of King County.
File 1082: Full Text >

NAACP, Seattle Branch

The Seattle Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded on October 23, 1913, and became the first of the national civil rights organizations to be established in the city. The national NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, and established its national office in New York in 1910.
File 695: Full Text >

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