A Concise History of the Pacific

Northwest

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Visit our accompanying exhibit, Icons of Washington History ,organized by the Washington State History Museum.
To find out more about the exhibit, visit WashingtonHistory.org. Copyright © 2010 Washington State Historical Society
INTRODUCTION
LIFE IN WASHINGTON
prior to the arrival of
European and American
explorers, hardship of
travel on the Oregon
Trail, earning a living on
the Wageworkers
Frontier—these are just
some of the stories of
Washington’s past told in
the Museum District.
NATURAL
SETTINGS
Our relationship to
nature is at the core of
many current concerns.

These controversies—
whether waged over
forests or fisheries, dams
or the disposal of toxic
materials, weapons of
mass destruction or the
development of urban
areas—will affect the
history of this region,
A “Slice” of Washington
The Olympic Peninsula
Puget Sound
The Cascade Mountains
The Columbia
The Palouse
Petroglyphs of
North Central
Washington
Harold Cundy,
manuscript, made
between 1927
and 1938
1939.33.1
Petroglyphs of
North Central
Washington
Harold Cundy,
manuscript, made
between 1927
and 1938
1939.33.1

Cundy says that a

“chronogram” is
picture writing that
astronomically dates
an incident of
extraordinary
importance. Hmmm,
how would the native
people who made
these pictures know
about the ancient
Roman zodiac (as in
Aries, Mars and
Venus)?
NATIVE
HERITAGE
Because we are an oral
tradition, all the
important information of
our people was
committed to memory,
and oral historians were
given that
responsibility…They were
storytellers. They were
genealogists. They were
people who knew the
importance of all the
landmarks in our land.
Native Baskets: Inspiration for artist Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly—Washington’s best known, and certainly

best promoted, artist—had his artistic breakthrough with
the “Basket Series,” glass objects inspired by the
misshapen Native baskets in the collection at the Historical
Society’s old museum on Stadium Way. Then, the baskets
had been stacked on top of one another, bending the
bottom ones; now, each basket is individually stored and
supported.
Chihuly Baskets
Dale Chihuly, glass, c. 1986
1987.1.7
ENCOUNTERS

We no sooner drew near

the inlet than we found
the coast to be inhabited
and the people came off
to the ships in Canoes
without shewing the
least mark of fear or
distrust… [They] shewed
great readiness to part
with any thing they had
and took whatever was
offered in exchange.
Brick from Spanish Settlement at Neah Bay, 1790s
Vancouver’s Atlas, 1790s
Find at least 5 things that are different…
Lewis and Clark Pocket
Inkwell
Manufactured in Europe
between 1790 and 1804,
Redware with brown
glaze interior.
Courtesy of Lewis and
Clark National Historic
Park

An archaeological dig at
Station Camp along the
Columbia River turned
up one, lone object that
might be associated with
these famous explorers.
It was a small vessel
containing the most
potent ammunition Lewis
and Clark carried —ink.
Bloods Come into
Council,
Blackfoot
Country,
Gustav Sohon,
Watercolor, paint,
pencil, ink on paper,
1855
1918.114.9.37
CITIES AND
TOWNS
Three 19th century
movements—the Oregon
Trail migration, the
building of
transcontinental
railroads, and the
Klondike Gold Rush—
contributed to the rise of
Washington’s cities and
towns.
Panels from the
George
Washington Bush
Series
Jacob Lawrence,
gouache on board,
1973
C1973.27.4
Ezra Meeker’s Wagon
c. 1906
NPRR Train headlight, 1890-1920
Manufacturer: Pyle-National Company,
Chicago, IL
“Bird’s-Eye” View of the Proposed Washington State Capital in Olympia
1911
Asahel Curtis at a
Roadhouse on the
Skaguay Trail
Replica photograph, 1897
1943.42.46019

Asahel Curtis (1874-1941)

was the younger, and in
some ways more
accomplished, brother of
noteworthy photographer
Edward Curtis. Asahel
created a veritable
photographic archive of the
young and growing state of
Washington.

See the Asahel Curtis

slideshow for a sampling of his
many Washington scenes.
WAGEWORKER
S’
FRONTIER
Seasonal laborers often
travel together from job
to job, from farm to farm.
In winter, they may find
work in a coal mine,
come spring, a lumber
camp. Then, with fall, as
apples ripen and wheat
matures, men find work
in the orchards and fields
of eastern Washington.
HARD TIMES
& HOMEFRONT
What was life like in
Washington between
1929 and 1945?

During that time, the

people of Washington
built Hoovervilles and
Hanford, went from bust
to boom.
Painting by
Ronald Debs
Ginther,
watercolor and
ink on
cardboard
1934
1967.137.30
Painting by
Ronald Debs
Ginther,
watercolor and
ink on
cardboard
c. 1934-35
1967.137.20
 Grand Coulee Dam Core Sample
Granite, drilled c. 1935
1995.45.1-3

This granite core sample is a small piece of “The Biggest Thing that Man Has Ever Done,” as
Woody Guthrie’s ballad by the same name once described Grand Coulee Dam. Before the dam
could be built, core samples like this tested the strength of the rock upon which the dam would rest.
MODERN
WASHINGTON
What sacrifices have we
made in the past to
ensure “prosperity” in
the future? How have
our values changed from
one generation to the
next? How might our
present-day actions
affect Washington’s
future? These are some
of the questions we ask
in Modern Washington.
Jimi Hendrix Poster
Promoting
Are You Experienced?
Published by
Poster Prints, 1969
1997.1.306