Did you know that you can also follow us on Twitter? Each week we highlight different collections, the most current accessions, or new happenings at the Washington State Archives. Our profile name is WADigitArchives, and here are a few previous tweets.

Where is the Isle of Man? A farmer from there shows up on an 1877#WA Territory #Census http://bit.ly/jpYweP #Trivia #WA

Taking oaths to prove: not an anarchist, 1945 http://bit.ly/lng2CJ able to read, write & speak English, 1960 http://bit.ly/j0vfJC #History #WA More #Mugshots from WaDigitArchives: Men & their big hair, 1919.http://bit.ly/ixPRzq #History #Hairstyle #Archives #Vintage #Hair #WA

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Currently, the cemetery records series provides indexes to 347 cemeteries across the state. Each index was created by volunteers who put boots on the ground to gather information from each gravesite - not an easy undertaking (pun intended). These volunteers not only catalogued each gravesite for the indexes, but they also conducted research in order to provide some background on the cemeteries. For example, Maggie Rail writes of Greenwood Cemetery in Whitman County: "The first listed burial in the cemetery was in Oct 1878, which is when it was the Oregon Territory. This means the cemetery must have been established about that time. There are two other burials that year, one in November and another in December. After walking this cemetery and seeing so many vacant spaces in the older sections, I am convinced there are many unmarked graves, which I do not account for. I will continue to try however to see if I can find more early records." This is but one sample of the great effort put forth by the volunteers, many of whom are members of the Washington State Cemetery Association, in order for the public to have online access to this wealth of information.

The Washington State Archives maintains hundreds of documents and artifacts related to campaigns for elected positions, along with the products of those elected officials. For example, there are several online audio files, meeting minutes, ordinances, and resolutions showing our legislators in action. Additionally, the State Archives has a collection of campaign posters, pins, placards, and other paraphernalia. A quick way to find several of these online records is to enter “political campaigns” in the Search by Keyword section above, or contact our State Archives research team at research@sos.wa.gov.

The Washington State Archives offers a wide array of military records including: muster rolls, casualty lists, service records, enlistment registers, bonus claims, and much much more. The records date back to the Territorial days through the Vietnam War. Many of the records have images available, however, even the non-image records provide fascinating details. Take a peek at our State’s military history at Military Records. For more information, contact the State Archives research team at research@sos.wa.gov.

Three series of audio files are online at the Washington State Digital Archives: 1) House of Representatives Committee Meeting Recordings, 1973-2002; 2) Floor Recordings from the Office of Secretary of Senate, 1971-2010; and 3) Spokane Voices of the Pioneers Oral Histories. Legislative audio files include a broad range of topics: social, health, family, housing, utilities, energy, environment, agriculture, commerce, finance, labor, education, elections, and so much more. The oral history accounts cover topics such as homesteading and wheat farming, schools and hospitals, entertainment and social clubs, railroads and bridges, and stories of Spokane’s pioneers to mention a few. Enjoy these recordings from the Digital Archives: Audio Records.

The cities we live in, the fire districts that protect us, the school districts that educate us, the health districts who heal us when we’re sick. They all have something in common: Minutes, Ordinances, and Resolutions passed by their governing bodies. Washington State Archives has awarded over $3.1 million to 266 local government agencies over the past ten years to preserve these types of public records and share them with our constituents, the public. This year, our staff scanned, indexed, and uploaded Minutes, Ordinances, and Resolutions from 37 different local government entities to our Digital Archives website. We added over 300,000 new pages—from as early as 1877, to as recent as 2010—to these collections. Take some time and see if your local government has records on our website, and while you’re searching, see if your name shows up in our collections. Washington State Archives has over 28 million searchable records online.

Boeing has been an important part of the Washington State economy since its founding in Seattle in 1916. The Boeing Clipper pictured here debuted in 1941. The Washington State Digital Archives has a considerable collection of images related to Boeing in the State Library Photograph Collection.

Explore the State Library Photograph Collection. Here is a link to the record seen above.

The Washington State Archives is responsible for the preservation of archival electronic records from the many state and local government agencies in Washington. Examples of these records are the official websites of Governor Gary Locke (1997-2005) and Governor Mike Lowry (1993-1997). Governor Locke’s website is an important historic document and includes 1,235 web pages and more than 3,200 files from the Locke Administration. Among the files are 1,605 press releases, 536 speeches, and 162 media events.

Explore the Website of Governor Gary Locke. Explore the Website of Governor Mike Lowry.
Read a press release about the preservation of Governor Locke’s website.

This collection contains the names of over 500 inmates housed in the Territorial Penitentiary – Seatco, near what is now the town of Bucoda. The privately-run prison operated from 1877 until 1888 when the new Penitentiary was opened in Walla Walla. The register shows name, alias, residence, place convicted, crime, sentence, physical condition, and date of discharge, parole or escape and is a fascinating glimpse into the social history of Washington at a key moment in our history.

Explore the Corrections Department, Penitentiary, Convict Record series. Here is a link to the record seen above.

The event includes a 2:30 p.m. tour of the State Archives’ Eastern Region Branch conducted by Eastern Regional Branch Archives Assistant Lee Pierce. A demonstration and tour of the Digital Archives will take place at 3:30 p.m. Digital Archivist Kerry Barbour and Assistant Archivist Larry Cebula will demonstrate the Digital Archives’ website, and Network Administrator Harold Stoehr will lead a tour of its state-of-the-art facility.

This charming image of tourist cabins at Soap Lake is one of a series of 265 hand-colored glass lantern slides taken between 1920 and 1930 to promote tourism in Washington. Images show the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the Columbia Basin Project, the benefits of irrigation and water projects to Washington State, building projects, hotels, garages, dams, fishing and recreational activities, transportation facilities, shipwrecks, and scenic views of forests and rivers. A set of postcards from these slides is available from the Office of the Secretary of State.

Explore the Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows Collection.

The years 1907 through 1930 were years of rapid growth of the built infrastructure within the City of Spokane. Literally all major concrete arch bridges were constructed during this time period, and many, such as Monroe Street (1910) and Latah Creek (1911), still remain in their original form. The construction pictured here is of the Down River Bridge in 1927. Falsework is being put in place for eventual concrete construction. This photograph is part of the Spokane City Public Works Collection, which feature over 500 8 X 10 Black and White construction progress photos of nearly all Spokane bridges constructed between 1907 and 1930. This photograph is by long-time Spokane photographer T. W. Tolman.

Explore the Spokane City Public Works Collection.

This atmospheric 1953 portrait of downtown Ritzville was taken by photographer A. M. “Burt” Kendrick. From 1935 until 1976, Kendrick was the town’s principal photographer, and the 40,000 or more pictures in his collection include images of early agriculture, school portraits, parades, accidents and other notable events. The Washington State Digital Archives currently has over 5,000 of Kendrick’s photographs online, offering an unparalleled view of life in a small-town America in the mid-20th century.

Explore the A M Kendrick Collection.

Ritzville State Bank, Downtown Ritzville, WA, 1953, A. M. Kendrick Collection, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives. Original item held at Washington State Archives, Eastern Regional Branch, Cheney, WA. ]]> http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/News/View/52 2010-02-18T00:00:00 Here at the Digital Archives we have many dedicated viewers who often share their compliments, suggestions and questions for our website. Occasionally we like to share these questions and answers with our broader audience so that our other visitors can benefit from this knowledge. This month’s questions are:

• What kinds of records do you have on your site?
• I have records that may be of interest to the Archives. What should I do?
• Why are some Social Security numbers displayed?
• What are the copyright restrictions on using images on the Digital Archives website?
• Why does Internet Explorer crash when I try to view images?

Click “MORE” to read the answers to these common questions.

• Early Statehood - $3.00/package
• Salmon Run - $4.00/package
• Asahel Curtis - $5.00/package

The cards can be purchased through the Secretary of State Online Store or by dropping by the Archives.

For those not familiar with these beautiful note cards, a description and picture of each package is below:

Early Statehood note cards are scans of trademark designs submitted to the Secretary of State between 1892 and 1895, and includes eight note cards and envelopes.

Salmon Run note cards are scans of trademark designs submitted to the Secretary of State between 1892 and 1897, and includes eight note cards and envelopes.

Asahel Curtis note cards contain promotional lantern slides of Washington in 1925, and includes 12 note cards and envelopes.

• My uncle died in Washington in 1970. Why can’t I find a copy of his death certificate on your website?
• The Social Security Death Index record on your website contains incorrect information for one of my deceased relatives. Can you correct the information?
• My sister and I were both married in Washington in 2008. Why is a copy of her Marriage Certificate on your website, and mine is not?
• When I click to view an image, Internet Explorer displays an error message and closes my Internet Browser. How do I fix this?
• How can I submit my suggestions to the Digital Archives?

Click “MORE” to read the answers to these common questions.

Kendrick was born in Northport, Washington on Aug. 23 1896, and moved to Ritzville in 1935. From 1935 until his death in 1976, Kendrick was the area’s main portrait and studio photographer. The majority of the collection consists of over 9000 4x5 and 5x7 negatives, and photo prints in various sizes. The images that pre-date 1930 are either copy negatives created by Kendrick after he arrived in Ritzville in 1935, or experimental photos taken by Kendrick in northern Idaho and northeast Washington as a teenager, 1912-1920.

The collection will be searchable on the Digital Archives in stages, beginning with the general historical part of the collection _ about 1,360 images _ that features farm scenes, towns, businesses, churches, and other material. The next phase will consist of Kendrick's portrait work, including families, weddings, school sports, class graduations, choirs, and more. Before coming to the Washington State Archives in Cheney, WA, the collection was at the Adams County Rural Library District No. 2 (formerly Ritzville Public Library) in the city of Ritzville.

The Digital Archives is one of two case studies to be conducted in the United States. Three other public institutions will be studied world-wide including two in Europe and one in Canada.

Since its doors opened in October of 2004, the Digital Archives Program has made considerable progress.

The Washington State Digital Archives preserves a wide range of original electronic records and digitized paper records from birth, marriage, death, census, military, institutional and naturalization records, to legal and historic records such as the State Constitution and the first election results in the Washington Territory. Click here for to search Governor Lowry's website.