Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Peggy Aiston - Research on Lummi Island History collection, 1579-1998
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Aiston, Peggy
- Title
- Peggy Aiston - Research on Lummi Island History collection
- Dates
- 1579-1998 (inclusive)15791998
1873-1995 (bulk)18731995 - Quantity
- 4 Linear Ft., (6 Boxes)
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0023aiston (collection)
- Summary
- The collection documents the research done by Peggy Aiston on the history of Lummi Island. She conducted her research from the mid 1970s until her death in 1998, and created a comprehensive three-volume set of manuscripts entitled "Lummi Island Chronological History." While never published, her research on Lummi Island was extensive, spanning from 1519-1940.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lummi Island is located where Rosario Strait merges with the Strait of Georgia. It has an area of 8.8 square miles and is 9 miles long with a maximum width of nearly two miles and 20.5 miles of shoreline. The northern portion of the island is relatively low-lying and gently rolling, with elevations to 362 feet above sea level. The southern portion is mountainous with elevations to 1,665 feet. Today primary access is by Whatcom County Ferry from Gooseberry Point.
Marguerite “Peggy” Aiston and her husband Homer purchased 144 acres on Lummi Island in 1942. The purchase included all of Smuggler’s Cove, and they built a small cabin there, near the beach. As there was no road to that part of the Island, they traveled from Bellingham to their property in a double-ender boat, the Doxie.
In 1958 they sold most of their property and soon built a cabin on Beach Avenue, facing Bellingham Bay. They sold their remaining property in 1975 and moved to Bellingham.
Peggy continued her association with Lummi Island for over fifty years. In the early 1970s she began researching Island history with the intention of writing a factual account of its earliest days through 1940. She continued her project after moving to Bellingham, concluding her research after 23 years of work.
Peggy contributed a column of historical vignettes to every issue of the Lummi Island Newsletter for fifteen years from 1978 to 1993. She also typed the first ten years of the Newsletter for the original editor and was also instrumental in producing “Potluck Recipes,” a Lummi Island cookbook. A talented writer, she was the author of several published articles.
Peggy Aiston passed away on April 29, 1998.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Peggy Aiston – Research on Lummi Island History collection consists of research notes, oral histories, newspaper clippings, and other documents compiled by Peggy Aiston during her extensive research of Lummi Island History. The collection also includes a three volume, unpublished manuscript written by Aiston, entitled “Lummi Island Chronological History.” These volumes, organized by year, cover the time period from 1519-1940, and encompass a number of topics including fisheries, transportation, education, social and cultural life, business, economics, people, and politics.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Peggy Aiston – Research on Lummi Island History collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Peggy Aiston – Research on Lummi Island History collection is organized in accordance with the following series and sub-series arrangement:
- Series I: Research Note Cards 1579-1993
- Sub-series 1: Subjects (created by Peggy Aiston)
- Sub-series 2: People (A-Z)
- Series II: Preliminary Research/Subject Files 1880-1992
- Series III: Oral Histories, 1956-1989
- Series IV: Correspondence, 1975-1995
- Series V: Photographs, circa 1898-1922
- Series VI: Writings, undated (circa 1978-1998)
- Sub-series 1: Unpublished Materials
- Sub-series 2: Publications
Custodial History
The Peggy Aiston – Research on Lummi Island History collection was originally a bequest to the Washington State Archives.
Acquisition Information
The Washington State Archives transferred the materials to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1999.
Processing Note
The collection was initially rehoused into acid free folders, and a collection inventory was created. In April 2004, Amber Raney processed the collection, in accordance with standards established for the Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) consortium, and created a comprehensive finding aid.
Processing Note
About Harmful Language and ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I: Research Note Cards, circa 1873-1995Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Sub-series 1
:
Subjects
While these research notes contain information dating back to
the 1700s, they are not primary source documents, but notes made by Peggy Aiston in
the 1970s-1990s.
|
circa 1970-1995 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Photo Sources |
1919-1990 |
| 1/2 | Sources |
1897-1990 |
| 1/3 | Bibliography |
1792-1988 |
| 1/4 | Miscellaneous Documents |
1857-1990 |
| 1/5 | Newspapers |
1858-1975 |
| 1/6 | Personal Interviews |
1975-1990 |
| 1/7 | Tapes, |
1956-1985 |
| 1/8 | Questions for Interviews |
Undated |
| 1/9 | Index |
1838-1982 |
| 1/10 | Canneries and Fisheries |
1827-1988 |
| 1/11 | Chronology |
1579-1985 |
| 1/12 | Church and Cemetery |
1903-1989 |
| 1/13 | Crime, Shipwrecks |
1827-1941 |
| 1/14 | Farming |
1873-1939 |
| 1/15 | Ferrying |
1889-1977 |
| 1/16 | Flora, Fauna, Weather |
1792-1938 |
| 1/17 | General Background |
1853-1950 |
| 1/18 | Hunting, Fishing |
1875-1941 |
| 1/19 | Indians |
1792-1988 |
| 1/20 | Names, Descriptions, Early Explorers |
1775-1989 |
| 1/21 | Organizations |
1894-1979 |
| 1/22 | Political |
1854-1970 |
| 1/23 | Post Office |
1876-1963 |
| 1/24 | Property |
1895-1934 |
| 1/25 | Quarrying |
1899-1987 |
| 1/26 | Resorts |
1880-1990 |
| 1/27 | Roads |
1873-1984 |
| 1/28 | Schools |
1854-1993 |
| 1/29 | Smuggler’s Cove |
1889-1950 |
| 1/30 | Smuggling |
1884-1934 |
| 1/31 | Social-Personal |
1888-1941 |
| 1/32 | Stores |
1884-1945 |
| 1/33 | Timber |
Undated |
| 1/34 | Utilities |
1897-1967 |
Sub-series 2
:
People A-Z
|
circa 1850- 1950 | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/1 | A-B |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/2 | C-F |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/3 | G-J |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/4 | K-M |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/5 | N-R |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/6 | S-T |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
| 2/7 | U-Z |
circa mid 1800s-late 1900s |
Series II: Preliminary Research/ Subject Files, 1873-1990Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/1 | Census Information – notes |
1880 ; 1900 ; 1910 ; 1920 ; 1930 ; 1940 |
Interviews
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/2 | Dickinson, Laura |
February 5, 1987 |
| 3/3 | Tuttle, Marion |
January 8, 1990 |
| 3/4 | Tuttle, Hiram |
August 9, 1975 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3/5 | Lummi Island Civic Club |
1916-1976 |
| 3/6 | Lummi Island Community Club By-Laws |
Undated |
| 3/7 | Lummi Island Ferry Company |
1924-1982 |
| 3/8 | Lummi Island news items from local papers |
1892-1911 |
| 3/9 | Lummi Island Planning and Development |
1977-1979 |
| 3/10 | Newspaper Clippings |
1873-1976 |
| 3/11 | Newspaper Clippings |
1977-1992 |
| 3/12 | Notes on archival holdings re. Lummi Island History |
1978-1979 |
| 3/13 | Puget Sound Fisheries |
1901-1981 |
| 3/14 | School Directory of Whatcom County Washington |
1912,; 1915-1916, ; 1920, ; 1922 |
| 3/15 | Township Officials Information |
1927-1929 |
| 3/16 | Washington State Grange: Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws |
1920 |
Series III : Oral Histories, 1956-1989 Return to Top
Original order and descriptions created by Peggy Aiston
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | Dunn, Henry Wadsworth |
1983 April 27 |
| 4/2 | Granger, Mac and Edith |
1983 May 30 |
| 4/3 | Side A: Baker, Estrid |
1983 October 27 |
| 4/3 | Side B: Reynolds, June |
1983 October 26 |
| 4/4 | Side A: Scott, Katherine E. |
1983 June 20 |
| 4/4 | Side B: Nolte, Eva |
1983 October 28 |
| 4/5 | Nolte, Eva |
1983 October 28 |
| 4/6 | Side A: Old Times on Lummi Island: Clara Dunn & Maureen
Melcher |
1976 November 11 |
| 4/6 | Side B: Salmon Barbeque with Grandma Granger |
circa 1966 |
| 4/7 | Granger, Art interviewed by Ray Buswell |
1956 October 2; ; 1956 October 12 |
| 4/8 | Granger, Art interviewed by Ray Buswell |
1956 October 12 |
| 4/9 | Granger, Frank |
1984 July 23 |
| 4/10 | Granger, Frank |
1984 July 23 |
| 4/11 | Granger, Frank |
1984 July 23 |
| 4/12 | Side A: Adema, Eva |
1985 August 14 |
| 4/12 | Side B: Leavell, Lois |
1983 November 23 |
| 4/13 | Side A: Dunn, Clara (as well as continuation of Granger, Edith from Side B) |
1983 August 13 |
| 4/13 | Side B: Granger, Edith |
1985 September 17 |
| 4/14 | King, William |
1956 October 17 |
| 4/15 | Side A: Granger, Art |
1956 November 20 |
| 4/15 | Side B: Greene, Raymond |
1956 October 14 |
| 4/16 | DeLorme, Roland: Smuggling on Puget Sound |
Undated |
| 4/17 | Konecke, Florence |
1985 August 19 |
| 4/18 | Gaines, Jacquelyn (Jackie) |
1989 |
Series IV : Correspondence, 1975-1995Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/1 | General Correspondence |
1975-1991 |
| 5/2 | With Frank Wright Jr. |
1987-1995 |
Series V: Photographs, circa 1898-1922Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/3 | Photos |
circa 1898-1922 |
Series VI: Writings, UndatedReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Sub-series 1
:
Unpublished Materials
|
Undated | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 5/4 | Lummi Island History Rough Draft/Outline |
Undated |
| 5/5 | “The Porcelain Lined Salmon Can,” by Peggy Aiston |
Undated |
| 6/1 | Lummi Island Chronological History, Volume I |
1519-1899 |
| 6/2 | Lummi Island Chronological History, Volume II |
1900-1919 |
| 6/3 | Lummi Island Chronological History, Volume III |
1919-1940 |
Sub-series 2
:
Publications
|
Undated | |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 6/4 | “The Lummi Island Story,” by Frank M. Taft |
Undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Frontier and pioneer life--Washington (State)--Lummi (Island)
Geographical Names
- Lummi Island (Wash. : Island)--History--Sources
Form or Genre Terms
- Interviews
- Records (Documents)
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Aiston, Peggy--Lummi Island chronological history (author)
Finding aid prepared by Amber Raney
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
