This collection includes 256 glass lantern slides taken between 1908 and 1939, and commissioned or purchased by the Washington State Department of Conservation and Development.

These hand painted glass lantern slides were used in slide shows to promote tourism and immigration 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. The majority of images in this collection were taken by Asahel Curtis, Charles A. Libby and Sons, or Delong & Drake.

The Department of Conservation and Development was created in 1921 to encompass the divisions of Reclamation, Forestry, Water Resources, Geology, and the Columbia Basin Survey. Over the years, various divisions were added or transferred to other departments until the Department of Conservation and Development was abolished in 1967. The Department of Ecology was created in 1970, taking over many of the functions of the former Department of Conservation, and thereby acquiring the lantern slide shows. This collection was transferred by the Department of Ecology to the Washington State Archives in 1979.

These images are open for research.

All records are in English.

Digitization and cataloging by Mary Hammer.



Learn about the documentation of Photographs in Washington and what information is found in the various record types by selecting the tab that says "About this Collection"here.

Preferred Citation: [Title of image], [date], [photographer if known], Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows, 1908-1939, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov, [date accessed].

Source: Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows, 1908-1939, Washington State Archives.

Original records located at the Washington State Archives, Olympia, WA.

To obtain a copy of the full record, or to learn about related records, contact the State Archives at (360) 586-1492, or email research@sos.wa.gov.