New exhibit

There’s a new exhibit up in the Northwest Room display cases. It’s called “Transient Documents: Ephemera of the Northwest.” As I have been getting to know the Northwest Room collection, I have discovered some great examples of ephemera. If you’re not familiar with the term, ephemera are sometimes defined as “the minor transient documents of everyday life.” Created for a temporary purpose and meant to be discarded, ephemera includes greeting cards, tickets, brochures, receipts, handbills, advertisements, labels, trading cards and many other bits and pieces. This display includes Spokane brochures, invitations, dance cards, and some examples of ephemera collected into scrapbooks. Come in and take a look.

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New Northwest Librarian

Hi. I’m Riva Dean - the new Northwest Librarian. I’m thrilled to be working in the Northwest Room. I’ve been working in libraries and archives for 25 years and have a MA in Northwest History so this is the ideal job for me. I’m getting to know the wonderful collection of materials and look forward to helping you with your research. Come on in and see what resources we have or give me a call if you have any questions.

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Fall House History Workshop

The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture(MAC) in co-operation with the Spokane Public Library is conducting a Fall workshop in finding the history of your home. The workshop will be held at the MAC on Saturday October 18, 2008. For more information contact the MAC at (509) 456-3931. Here’s a copy of the flyer: House History Flyer Fall 2008

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Take me out to the ball game…

Baseball has a rich history in the Pacific Northwest. Spokane Falls vs. Seattle was the first professional baseball game played in Seattle on May 24, 1890. You can read about it here. You can also see the slide show Play Ball! A Slide Show of the History of Early Baseball in Washington.

You can find more information about the history of baseball in Spokane in the Northwest Room.

~Northwest Librarian

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Historic Spokane Newspapers

Did you know that you can search early Spokane newspapers online? The Washington State Library has made available the Spokan Times from 5/8/1879 - 4/29/1882, and the Spokane Falls Review from 5/19/1883 - 3/6/1886. You can search these as well as other early Washington papers on the Historical Newspapers in Washington website, http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/newspapers.aspx

~Northwest Librarian

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Steptoe Aniversary

May 17th will be the 150th Anniversary of the defeat of Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Steptoe (1816-1865) at the hands of Native Americans near Rosalia. You can read more about the battle in this essay from History Link. You may read the original article and do more in depth research on Steptoe in the Northwest Room.

~ Northwest Librarian

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Washington Rural Heritage

The Washington State Library has announced the availability of Washington Rural Heritage.

Washington Rural Heritage (WRH) is an online aggregation of special collections from small and rural communities throughout the state of Washington. It features items important to Washington’s history, culture, places, and people. Its purpose is to make unique historical treasures from local libraries, museums, archives, and other repositories in the state electronically accessible to Washington residents, students, researchers, and the general public.

Washington Rural Heritage contains photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, oral histories, and more. These materials document Washington’s rural history and culture. We hope that you find the items in Washington Rural Heritage as diverse and interesting as the people and places in Washington State.

Although currently the site only contains 3 databases (Ritzville, Thurston County, and Governors) there are more to come.

~ Northwest Librarian

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Spokane Aviation

Spokane has been a big player in the history of aviation. From the flight of the Sun God, and Mamer Aviation to the development of the C130 refueling fleet and growth of the Boeing Corporation, Spokane has been the sight of significant developments. As early as 1910 aviators were coming to Spokane to test their wings. Here’s an article from the History Link website on Charles Hamilton one of the earlier aviators.

~ Northwest Librarian

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Spokane Flag

Did you know that the city of Spokane has an official flag?  The flag, according to information found in the Northwest Room, is white with two diagonal stripes, one of chartreuse and the one of blue-green. Superimposed on it is the logo: a black ring with a golden sun in the upper right; black figures of children, and the words “Children of the Sun.” The words “City of Spokane” are on the lower right half of the flag.  This “new” flag was designed in 1976 by Lloyd L. Carlson.

Here’s a picture of the 1976 from an article in the Spokesman Review.

You can find more information on the City of Spokane Flag as well as a photo of the 1958 version in the Northwest Room.

~ Northwest Librarian

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House History Workshop - Coming Soon!

The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture(MAC) in co-operation with the Spokane Public Library is conducting a workshop in finding the history of your home. The workshop will be held at the MAC on Saturday March 1, 2008. For more information contact the MAC at 509) 456-3931. Here’s a copy of the flyer: House History Workshop

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