April
photo challenge

Women's History Month challenge results

The governor pictured in this newspaper clipping was forced to seek safety in the vault when an armed gunman rushed into the Capitol.

Who is that governor, and what year did this happen?

Click the photo to view a larger version.
Last month’s challenge was a tribute to Women's History Month.

The photo featured Belle Reeves, Washington's first female secretary of state, and the first woman to act as governor of Washington, which she did several times.
On April 8, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo to the Public Buildings Reform Board with the decision to withdraw its approval of the sale of National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) Seattle facility.

This follows more than a year of backlash, especially from Pacific Northwest tribes that should have been consulted prior to the sale's approval in January 2020. The outcry was widespread as several organizations and politicians across Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon called on the federal government to keep Pacific Northwest records local.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman said, “I applaud the enduring commitment and hard work Washington’s Congressional delegation, tribal communities, historical and cultural groups, and many others have undertaken for over a year to keep our state’s archival treasures accessible and local," as part of a statement issued the day of OMB's decision.

View news and track updates about NARA Seattle on the Washington State Archives' NARA Seattle closure information page.
On March 23, Washington State Archives' Assistant Digital Projects and Preservation Archivist Maggie Cogswell presented "How to preserve oversized items" to the Clark County Genealogical Society. The webinar covered preservation issues inherent to oversized documents, and how to make the records last.


Let us know if your group or class would like a similar webinar. We have several topics and presenters available.
by Lee Pierce, Washington State Archives' Eastern Regional Branch Archivist

From the 1930s through at least the 1950s, there was tension between “public power” advocates and supporters of privately owned power utilities. The tension is reflected in the fact that many counties and municipalities own and operate their own public utilities, while Spokane’s electrical power comes from a publicly traded corporation called Avista (formerly Washington Water Power [WWP]).

In 2021 Eastern Regional Branch Archivist Lee Pierce uncovered a nearly forgotten collection that provides researchers with something of an insider’s view of this conflict.

William Lubrecht “Lou” Thrailkill was born in Hamilton, Mont., in 1902. One of his earliest memories was of his family’s escape from the “Great Fire of 1910.” Mr. Thrailkill lived in towns across the Northwest, from Missoula to Bremerton to Olympia. In 1933, his family finally settled in Spokane, and he started to work with WWP. Keep reading on Office of the Secretary of State's blog, From Our Corner.
Who said
that?
Records and Information Management Month (RIMM) celebrates the importance of records-management professionals and highlights the value they bring to organizations and communities.

RIMM is now recognized internationally. It’s a time to highlight the important impact good records and information management has on government and business.
All Washington State Archives branches are now open to the public.

Patrons must make an appointment prior to visiting, as capacity is limited. Face coverings and health checks are required upon entry.

Go here for more information, including how to contact each branch to set up an appointment.
As a tribute to Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15), this month's quote is from a deaf Washingtonian.

"I didn’t have a lot of access to deaf culture until I entered Gallaudet. And then I was able to see the invisible bubble of security in everyone understanding each other."

Who said that? (Hint: it's not the woman in the photo.)

Last month's quote was from Judge Carolyn R. Dimmick.