Title Info: Washington Emergency Relief Administration, Division 2 Works Project Summaries, 1934-1945

This volume was created by the Washington (State) Emergency Relief Administration and includes materials created between 1934 and 1935 to document the activities of the Division 2 Works Project. The volume addresses activities in King, Kitsap, Clallam, and Jefferson counties. There are 400 pages in this volume. The cover measures 11.5 x 8.5 inches, and pages are intermixed with two different size ranges: 11 x 7.5 inches-11 x 8.5 inches, and 7.5 x 9.75 inches-8.5 x 9.75 inches. Pages include photographs, reports, and correspondence.

The scrapbook can be browsed page by page.

The Washington Emergency Relief Administration was established by the McDonald Act, passed by the Washington State Legislature in January 1933 to provide public relief during the Great Depression. It was the first centralized system of public welfare relief in the state. It was governed by the Emergency Relief Commission, members of which were appointed by the governor of Washington. The commission in turn appointed the first and only director of the Washington Emergency Relief Administration, Charles F. Ernst. The administration began operations in April 1934.

The Washington Emergency Relief Administration operated through a system of district directors and county boards. It administered a number of federally instituted and financed programs including the Civilian Conservation Corps, the National Re-employment Service, Surplus Commodity Distribution, Migrant Services, and Projects of the Civil Works Administration. It operated a Rural Rehabilitation Division as well as commodity production and work centers.

While the commission and the director were responsible to the Washington State Legislature and the governor, most of the funds were derived from federal sources to which federal policies, regulations, and procedures applied. The Washington Emergency Relief Administration expired on May 7, 1935, and was replaced by the Department of Public Welfare. Rural rehabilitation and public works programs previously handled by the Washington Emergency Relief Administration were taken over by the Federal Resettlement Administration and the Works Projects Administration in 1935.