Selected Resources for Pacific Northwest History
Margaret Fast, Librarian for History

PRIMARY SOURCES

ARCHIVES and HISTORICAL RECORDS

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies  "collects private papers, organizational, and institutional records documenting economic, social, cultural, and political trends significant to the study of the Pacific Northwest. The collections include a few items from the late eighteenth century, but most date from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The format of the Center's holdings vary widely, ranging from photographs, maps, architectural drawings, audio and video tapes, diaries, letters, business ledgers and account books, newspapers, and scrapbooks.    Collection Catalog        Finding Aids

A Catalogue of Materials Found in the Archives of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church located in the library at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington.  Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, History and Archives Committee; [edited by Elizabeth Kent]. [Tacoma, Wash.? : The Committee], 1981.
Haggard 3 Books BX8382.2.A43 P344 1981

Historical Records of Washington State: Guides to State Records in State Archives and its Regional Depositories.  Olympia: Washington State Archives and Washington State Historical Records Advisory Board, 1981.
Reference CD3574 .H56

Regional History Index to the Pacific Northwest Collection: University of Washington.  [complied by] University of Washington; microfilmed by the Central Microfilming Bureau, Washington State Archives, for Washington State Library.  Olympia, Wash. : Washington State Archives, Central Microfilming Bureau, 1965.
Wilson 2 West Microfilm  F852.R44 1965 reels 1-28

Washington State Archives Guide to the Governor's Papers, [1853-1976]. State of Washington, Department of General Administration, Division of Archives and Records Management; compiled by John Burns ... et al.  Olympia: Archives and Records Center, 1977.
Haggard 2 Government Documents  WA 351.71 Ar2wsa ggp 1977

 

 

CENSUS AND TERRITORIAL PAPERS

Washington Population Schedules (chronological)

 

Washington Census

 

Oregon Population Schedules

Oregon Census

NEWSPAPERS

Requesting newspaper articles not in our collection (via ILLIAD - interlibrary loan)

Index
Territorial Newspapers Card Index [Compiled by] WPA and the University of Washington Library.  Olympia, Washington:  Washington State Archives, 1965.
Wilson 2 West Microfilm  F891.T47 1965 reels 1-7

Detailed subject guide to articles and news reports published in Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle newspapers prior to 1889, in addition, there are some items indexed around 1900.  Newspapers indexed are: Daily Pacific Tribune, Pioneer and Democrat, Seattle Daily Press, Seattle Gazette, and the Washington Standard.

Union Lists
Use these resources to identify newspaper titles, and locate where the microfilm for these newspapers are held.

Newspapers on microfilm in the Washington State Library. Hamilton, Kathryn S., compiler.
Haggard 2-Gov Information  Docs Wa 021.8 L611news 1980

Washington newspapers and historical materials on microfilm in the Washington State Library.
Wilson 1W -Books Z692.N4 W2 1966

Washington newspapers, 1852-1890 inclusive; a supplement to Professor Meany's list. McMurtrie, Douglas C. (Douglas Crawford).  Seattle, Washington University Press, 1935.
PN4897.W3 M3

Washington State union list of newspapers on microfilm. Palmer, Gayle L., ed.
Reference PN4897.W3 W36 1991


Newspaper History

History of Oregon Newspapers.  George S. Turnbull.  Portland, Or:  Binfords & Mort [c1939].
PN4897.O73 T8

Washington country weekly newspapers. Their distribution and characteristics, 1902-1938: series in rural social institutions, no.1 by Carl F. Reuss. Pullman, WA : State College of Washington, 1939.
Docs WA 378.5 Ag837b 373 1939

 

Newspapers

The Bellingham Herald . Bellingham, Wash.
Wilson 2W - Microfilm AN2 .B44 May 1904-

Indexed by: The Bellingham Public Library provides a comprehensive index to the Bellingham Herald, 1992 - 2002; a print index from 1988-1992, Wilson 2W Microform Index Section, AI21.B455.S8; and online via NewsBank, 2003 to current.

Cayton's Weekly.  Seattle, WA.  July 14, 1917- Dec. 18, 1920.
Wilson 2W Microfilm  F899.S4 C38

Description from vol. 2, no.5 July 14, 1917: "A publication of general information, but in the main voicing the sentiments of the Colored Citizens."

Columbian (Also titled Olympia Pioneer and Democrat) Sept. 11, 1852 - Nov. 26, 1853.  Olympia, Oregon Territory: Wiley & McElroy
Wilson 2W   Microfilm AN2.P54

Filipino-American Newspapers, Seattle, WA. 3 reels.
Search online catalog for contents of each reel. Contains 51 titles of newspapers published for the most part between 1935 and 1946. Wilson 2W microfilm E184.F4 F54

Friday Harbor Journal. Friday Harbor, Wash.: R&L Duthie. v. 25 (25) 1931 - v.42 (25) 1948.
Wilson 1C Closed Stacks   AN2.F74

Industrial Worker.  Seattle Wa: Western Locals of the Industrial Workers of the World. 1917-1964.
Indexed by: Alternative Press Index
Wilson 2W Microfilm HD8055.I4 A39

Japanese-American Courier.  Seattle, Wash. Jan. 1928 - April 1942.
Wilson 2W Microfilm AN95.J2.J33

 Olympia Pioneer and Democrat  (Also titled: Columbian ) (microfilm)  Sept. 11, 1852 - Nov. 26, 1853
Olympia, Oregon Territory: Wiley & McElroy
Wilson 2W  Microfilm AN2.P54

Seattle  Daily Times. ( Con't. by Seattle Times) Seattle, Wash. Jan. 1924 - Dec. 1949.
Wilson 2W  Microfilm AN2.S45

The Seattle Republican.  Seattle, Wash. : [Republican Pub. Co]
Wilson 2W - Microfilm  F899.S4 S44 1896-1913

Washington Pioneer (microfilm) Dec. 3, 1853 - Jan. 28, 1854. Olympia, Wash. Territory, J.W. Wiley and A.M. Berry
Wilson 2W   Microfilm AN2.P54


Digitized Collections

American Indians of the Pacific Northwest  (American Memory, Library of Congress)
Digital collection integrating over 2,300 photographs & text relating to the American Indians in two cultural areas of the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest Coast and Plateau.

Historic Washington Newspapers
Search and view a growing collection of Washington newspapers dating back to 1852.

Pacific Northwest Labor History Projects
Includes: The labor Press Project; labor History photographs from the Museum of History & Industry.

Washington State Library's Newspaper Collection
Search by "newspapers Bellingham," for example. This catalog also searches many other library collections in the state.

Washington History from the Washington State Library
Census & naturalization records, fascinating documents exploring Washington's Territorial history & the State constitution, an oral and photographic history of state soldiers during World War I and lots more.

Pacific Northwest Clippings Collection

 

 

GENERAL RESOURCES

ATLASES

An Historical Atlas of Early Oregon.  Judith A. Farmer, Daniel B. Karnes, et al.  Portland, Or:  Historical Cartographic Productions, 1973.
Haggard 3 books Extra Oversize G1491.S1 F3 1973

Atlas of the Pacific Northwest.  Philip L. Jackson and A. Jon Kimerling, eds.  Corvalis, Or:  Oregon State University Press, 1993.
Reference G1466.G3 07 1993

Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest:  Maps of Exploration and Discovery: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Yukon.  Derek Hayes.  Seattle:  Sasquatch Books, 1999.
Reference F851.H38 1999

Historical Atlas of Washington.  James W. Scott and Roland De Lorme; cartography by Ted R. Brandt and Patrick S. Grant.  Norman:  university of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
Reference F891.S38 1988 (Atlas case 1)

Northwest Historical Maps
Washington State University Libraries facilitated this project, a searchable collection of early Northwest history maps.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

A Bibliography of Pacific Northwest History.  Portland, Or: Oregon Historical Society,  1958.
Reference F852.07

Oregon State Documents; a check list,  1843-1925.  Portland, Oregon Historical Society.  Wilson 4 East Books J87.07 R6


CHRONOLOGIES

Chronology and Documentary Handbook of the State of Washington.  Robert Vexier, state editor.  Dobbs Ferry, NY:  Oceana Publications, 1979.
Reference F891.5.C48

A history of the state of Washington in chronological format, with supporting documents, biographical outlines of prominent personalities, and a name index.

Territorial Timeline
Explore Washington's Territorial History through an interactive display of photographs and documents.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS

The Encyclopedia of Washington.  St. Clair Shores, MI:  Somerset Publishers, 2000.
Reference F891.E53 2000 2 vols.

HistoryLink
This "online encyclopedia of Washington State History" is filled with facts and images about our great state. Searches can be conducted by keyword, by topic, by geographic region or by time period.

HISTORY

Oral History Index:  Washington State Oral/Aural History Program, 1974-1977.  Compiled by Ann Rune.  Olympia, Wa:  State of Washington, Dept. of General Administration, Division of Archives and records management, 1977.
Wilson 2W Microform Index F890.5,Z9 R86 1977 [provides locator codes to collection.]
Wilson 2W Microfiche, 1974-1977 F890.5,Z9 R86

 Collection consists of microfiche transcripts taken from oral history tapes. We do not own the tapes themselves.  Fiche are organized by county or ethnic group designated on the fiche by a three-letter code appearing at the middle-top of the card. The code is followed by a hyphenated number. ( EXAMPLE: Wet 75-6mr )  Cards are alpha-numeric by the complete code / number. The Paper index provides locator codes to collection.

Alaska Packers Association Records document the history of one of the dominant forces in the commercial fishing industry in Alaska and the Puget Sound from the late nineteenth through the late twentieth century.
Ctr. for Pacific NW Studies

Bellingham Centennial: Exploring the Foundations of Our Community ompiled by the Ctr. for Pacific NW Studies. Includes photos & other primary sources history of Bellingham.

The Changing Pacific Northwest: interpreting its past.  David H. Stratton and George Fryckman, eds.  Pullman, Wa:  Washington State University Press, 1988.
Haggard 3 Books F851.C53 1988

Howard E. Buswell Papers, 1850-1970 . Buswell, Howard E.
Ctr. for Pacific NW Studies

Howard E. Buswell, a local historian of the Bellingham and Whatcom County area, compiled this collection of pamphlets, photographs, cartographic records, journals, manuscripts, historical reference works, newspapers, microfilm, and audio-tapes. The collection documents the social and economic life of the lower Nooksack Valley from the time of the first contact between European settlers and Native Americans through the early decades of the twentieth century. Particularly well represented are materials relating to the Lummi Nation. The collection also contains oral history interviews conducted by Buswell, primarily with Native Americans in the 1950s. The originals are recorded on open-reel tapes and several of the interviews are transcribed. The tapes are duplicated on cassette and available for research use. The extensive photograph series includes over fifteen hundred images collected by Buswell in the course of his research. Topics include fishing, logging, road construction, schools, Whatcom county pioneers such as the business records of Bernard McDonough, Native American history and culture, Pacific American Fisheries, shipyards, and the Alaskan gold rush. This collection also includes regional maps, numerous plat maps relating to the Pacific Northwest, Whatcom County and Bellingham, fishtrap location maps and nautical maps.

Pacific American Fisheries Collection
"PAF, one of the world's major salmon canning operations, operated on Puget Sound and in Alaska between 1899 and 1965, with headquarters in Bellingham, Washington. As one of the largest processors of Pacific salmon, PAF claimed a global market and the company had regional, national, and even international significance. PAF contributed many significant innovations to the development of the industry, including floating canneries, mechanized salmon processing, ship building, and even dabbled in the production of salmon skin leather for a brief time." [description from Center for Pacific NW Studies]

Washington West of the Cascades; historical and descriptive; the explorers, the Indians, the pioneers, the modern.  Herbert Hunt and Floyd C. Kaylor.  Seattle:  The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1917.
Special Collections - Rare Books  F891.H94 3 vols.

Washington's History: the people, land, and events of the far northwest. Harry Ritter.  Portland, Or:  Westwinds Press, 2003.
Reference F891.R58
Haggard 3 Books F891.R58

 

 

PEOPLE

Daniel J. Evans, 1965-1977.

James G. Swan papers, 1852-1907.

Asian Americans

Native Americans

American Indians of the Pacific Northwest digital collection (UW)
"This site provides an extensive digital collection of original photographs and documents about the Northwest Coast and Plateau Indian cultures, complemented by essays written by anthropologists, historians, and teachers about both particular tribes and cross-cultural topics. These cultures have occupied, and in some cases still live in parts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Maps are available that show traditional territories or reservation boundaries."

Northwest Tribal Indian Oral History Collection Includes first-hand accounts of rapidly changing cultures and documentation of long-standing traditions.
Center for Pacific NW Studies

 

Women

Elizabeth Rider Montgomery Collection, 1931-1983.  Elizabeth Rider Montgomery.  
Wilson Library Special Collections

"The collection consists of manuscripts, drafts, correspondence, research materials and other supporting materials related to published and unpublished works of Elizabeth Rider Montgomery, who wrote primarily for children and young adults and was involved in the creation of textbooks featuring the ongoing characters of "Dick and Jane." It includes fiction and non-fiction books, stories, plays, and poetry and also contains extensive biographical materials, including personal memorabilia, scrapbooks, photographs, and original artworks."

Women in Pacific Northwest history:  an anthology.  Karen Blair, ed.  Seattle:  University of Washington Press, 1988.
HQ1438.A19 W65 1988 
 

VIDEOS

Adopt a story at Upper Skagit: four hours of video taped stories and song. Sponsored by LR Cameras from Ch. 9 and Lushootseed Research. Seattle, Wash: Vi Hilbert, Lushootseed Research, 1996.
Special Collections - Northwest Collection E78.W3 A33 1995 4 videocassettes LIB USE ONLY

Alma Jackson : Bellingham Normal School alumna. 
Special Collections - Campus History  Video  LB2832.3.W2 J34 1997
Former Washington State congressman Al Swift interviews his mother-in-law Alma Jackson recalling the years 1922-24 when she was a student living in Edens Hall attending Bellingham Normal School and her subsequent life as a teacher in Washington

Chief Seattle: a documentary. By B.J. Bullert.Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films, 2001, 2000.
Wilson 2W - Video Collection LE99.S85 C44 2000
A profile of the legendary leader who welcomed the Americans to settle on the land that now bears his name.

Different Lenses: the photography of Edward & Asahel Curtis. Produced by Randy Brinson and Stephen Hegg. Seattle, WA : KCTS Television, 1996.
Wilson 2W - Video Collection TR140.C82 D54 1996
"Two great photographers witnessed the exciting history of the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the century. They were brothers, yet their stories could not have been more different. Edward, obsessed with the past, became famous for his artistic portrayals of traditional American Indian life.  Asahel Curtis trumpeted the future and optimistically recorded the making of a vigorous industrial society. As the modern world was built around them, Asahel and Edward Curtis created visions of the Northwest that have lived in people's minds ever since."--Container.

East of Occidental.  Hill Film & Prairie Fire Pictures; producer, Lucy Ostrander; director, screenwriter, Maria Gargiulo. Seattle, WA : Prairie Fire Pictures ; San Francisco, CA: distributed by Cross Current Media, 1986.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection F900.06 .E25 1986
Issued also as motion picture.  The inhabitants of Seattle's International District, a unique neighborhood where Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans have come together as a political and social force, tell the story of the Asian immigrants who came to America, but seldom appeared in the pages of our history books.

Here's To the Women.  Washington Women's Heritage Project ; principal investigator, Kathryn Anderson ; sponsored by Fairhaven College and the Women Studies programs of Western Washington University, Washington State University, University of Washington, and University of Puget Sound. [Bellingham, Wash.?] : The Project, 1982.
Special Collections Campus History  Video HQ1438.W2 W37 1982

Home from the Eastern Sea;  the story of Asian Pacific Americans in Washington State.  KCTS Television; produced and directed by Lucy Ostrander, Elizabeth Clark.  Seattle, WA: Paper Crane Productions in association with KCTS 9, 1989.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection F900.O6 H65 1989

I Heard the Owl Call My Name: Washington State before the White Man. [Bellingham, Wash., 1989] Lecture by Professor Herbert Taylor of Western Washington University given in Bellingham, Wash. Nov. 11, l989 before the American Association of University Women.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection E78.W3 I2 1989

Lewis and Clark in Washington.  TVW Productions in cooperation with the Washington State Historical Society ; produced and directed by Denny Heck. Olympia, Wash. : TVW, 1999.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection F592.7 .L48 1999
Traces the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through Washington State.

One of Ours : young Scoop Jackson : an oral history.  Produced by Thomas M. Gaskin ; directed by Christopher James, Lloyd Weller ; written by Christopher James. [Everett, Wash.] : Everett Community College Institute for Media and Creative Arts, 1989.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection E748.J22 O88 1989
Through conversations with those who knew him, the video chronicles the life of Henry "Scoop" Jackson from the arrival of his immigrant parents in Everett in the 1890's to his election to Congress in 1940.

Princess of the Pow-Wow.  Producer/editor, Derek Creisler. Seattle, Wash. : Running Colors Productions, 1987. Videographers, Derek Creisler, Peter Vogt ; narrator, Carole Bourree.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection E90.A7 P7 1987
The story of Ella Aquino, an 85-year-old Native American who has been prominently involved in Northwest Indian affairs. Includes comments from members of the community and from Aquino herself, who recalls how she became involved in such projects as the American Indian Women's Service League, the Seattle Indian Health Board, the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, and the Daybreak Star Cultural Center at Discovery Park in Seattle.

The Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway: a look back in time.  Warren Wing; produced by Stephen Sadis and Dan Fields. [Seattle, Wash.] : Perpetual Motion Pictures, 1996. Directed and edited by Stephen Sadis ; written by Stephen Sadis and Dan Fields ; narrated by Jay Hurwitz. NOTE Funded by King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission Hotel-Motel Tax Revenues in cooperation with the Tukwila Historical Society.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection HE4491.S62 S44 1996
The establishment of the electric interurban railway running between Seattle and Tacoma from 1902-1928 is documented with hundreds of photographs, rare film footage and recordings.

Sharing Legends at Upper Skagit. Produced by Lushootseed Research; producer, Crisca Bierwelt Russell; director, Pila Laronel. [Seattle, Wash. : Vi Hilbert, Lushootseed Research. 1985]
Indian storytellers from seven tribes (Upper Skagit, Tulalip, Suquamish, Sauk-Suiattle, Nooksack, Swinomish, Lummi) tell legends from their tribes.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection E78.W3 S49 1989

Tulalip Tribes, Yesterday and Today:  an introduction to the Tulalip Tribes of Washington.  A production of Video Communications Northwest; producer/writer, Bev Hauptli.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection E99.T87 T84 1990

Unconquering the Last Frontier.  A Robert Lundahl film. Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 2002.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection GB1227.E45 U54 2002
Documents the story of the Elwha River from the late 1800s to the present, showing the effects of the Elwha dams on the Klallam tribe, the salmon population, and the city of Port Angeles, Washington.

Washington Women's Heritage: working and caring. Washington Women's Heritage Project ; principal investigator, Kathryn Anderson ; sponsored by Fairhaven College and the Women Studies programs of Western Washington University, Washington State University, University of Washington, and University of Puget Sound. [Bellingham, Wash.?] : The project, 1982.  136 slides : b&w 1 sound cassette  + 1 program guide.
Special Collections Campus History  (slides) HQ1438.W2 W37 1982a

The Yukon Gold Rush.  Seattle, Juneau & Skagway / co-produced by American Program Service and the Travel Channel. Seattle, WA: Small World Productions, Inc., 1996.
Wilson 2W - Video  Collection   E161.5.A446 1996

 

WEBSITES

Images of American Political History
Includes maps of territorial growth 1768 - 1920, distribution of population for 1818, 1820, & 1840, as well as other maps of interest.

updated:  9.29.05

Margaret Fast, Librarian for History
 Maintained & updated by Robyn Adcox