Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month challenge


This man, interred in Ferry County, was the first teacher of English in Japan. As part of Washington's 1989 centennial celebration, representatives from Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and Washington dedicated a monument at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to honor this precedent of goodwill and compassion between Japan and Washington.

Who is he?

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National Deaf History Month was March 13-April 15. We celebrated by asking which territorial governor established what is now known as the Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver.

A lot of our readers were able to correctly identify Washington Territory's 12th governor and Civil War veteran Watson Squire.
Up to $1 million in state funding is now available to local governments through the Local Records Grant Program.

Administered by Washington State Archives, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, the Local Records Grant Program helps local-government agencies and entities upgrade the technological resources needed to improve their records management and retention, as well as processes for responding to public-records requests.

The Local Records Grant Program demonstrates Washington’s ongoing commitment to helping resource-strapped local governments preserve their irreplaceable records. Since its inception, the program has awarded over... keep reading
Washington State Archives will present another edition of "Stump the Archivist," a Q&A webinar for researchers of all experience levels, on May 20 at 10 a.m.

Bring your questions and a notebook, and chat with Research Archivist Tracy Rebstock! Learn how to use state and local government records in your historical research or family history.

New records are added to our collections all the time. Updates to vital records means more access to birth, death, marriage, and divorce collections. Rebstock will talk about criminal records and then take your questions so you can dig deeper into your research. (Your questions don't need to be related to criminal records.)

Register here. It is free to attend this event.

Visit our YouTube channel to view past webinars.
History Day judging
GiveBIG fundraiser concluded
Washington History Day is part of National History Day, a program that encourages students in grades 6-12 to learn how to be a historian. In Washington, the program is headed by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in partnership with the Washington State Historical Society, Washington State Archives, and other supporting organizations.

Several employees from the Archives helped judge projects and decide which students move on to nationals.
GiveBIG, a statewide fundraiser, began April 19. The campaign culminated with a 48-hour giving event May 3-4. The ALL Foundation of Washington participated to raise funds for Washington State Archives, Washington State Library, and Legacy Washington. GiveBIG is run by Washington Gives, an online platform that helps people and businesses discover and donate to Washington nonprofits.

If you want to make a donation, but missed GiveBIG, you can donate here.
All Washington State Archives branches are open to the public.

Appointments are highly recommended. Contact a certain branch for COVID protocols as they may vary.

Go here for more information, including how to contact each branch to set up an appointment.