Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Remembering Whatcom Creek Collection, 1979-1999
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
- Title
- Remembering Whatcom Creek Collection
- Dates
- 1979-1999 (inclusive)19791999
1999 (bulk)19991999 - Quantity
- 5 Linear Ft., ( )
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0038rwhatcomcreek (collection)
- Summary
- The Remembering Whatcom Creek Collection contain photographs, poetry, newspaper clippings, artwork, and speeches which document the June 10, 1999 pipeline explosion and the meaning of Whatcom Creek to the Bellingham Community. The collection also contains documentation of a program sponsored by the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies to study the community reaction to the disaster. Materials include correspondence, publicity and exhibit materials, speeches, programs, and videos which document the event in its entirety.
- 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
-
Researchers must receive written permission from Darol Streib and Kris Fykerud before reproducing any of the photographs they donated to this collection.
- 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.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
On June 10, 1999 a gas pipeline, operated by Olympic Pipe Line, burst and dumped almost 230,000 gallons of fuel into nearby Whatcom Creek in the heart of Bellingham, Washington. The fuel flowed 1 1/2 miles downstream before being accidentally ignited by two ten year old boys playing with fireworks near the creek. Wade King and Stephen Tsiorvas died the following day from severe burns. Eighteen year old flyfisherman, Liam Wood, also died along the creek due to fume inhalation and drowning. The fire burned for over an hour and sent a wall of smoke six miles high. In the aftermath of the disaster the community of Bellingham searched for ways to cope with the loss of the three victims and the severe burning of Whatcom Falls Park. The September 18, 1999 "Remembering Whatcom Creek" event, sponsored by the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, was initiated in an attempt to assess the past and present state of Whatcom Creek as well as exploring its meaning to the local community. It was also hoped that the event could act as an outlet for individuals seeking to understand the tragedy that befell the community earlier in the summer.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The first and second series of the collection consist of materials related to the September 18, 1999 "Remembering Whatcom Creek" event organized by the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies. Materials include correspondence, publicity and exhibit materials, speeches, programs, and videos which document the event in its entirety. Event speakers included Mayor Mark Asmundson, County Executive Pete Kremen, the President and Provost of WWU, faculty of Huxley College, and key members of the recovery and restoration team including Federal and State officials and representatives of Olympic Pipeline. The third series of the collection consists of materials donated and collected which relate to Whatcom Creek before and after the pipeline explosion. Included are photographs donated by a variety of individuals from the local community, an unedited and unfinished manuscript called "Bellingham Parks", and artwork from the Maritime Heritage Park Artwork Memorial. Oversized materials include a number of aerial photos made by the City of Bellingham showing Whatcom Falls Park before and after the explosion as well as a number of maps detailing the course of the pipeline and the burn zone. Also included are newspaper articles regarding the pipeline explosion and its aftermath.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Remembering Whatcom Creek Collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Remembering Whatcom Creek Collection is organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:
- Series I - Program Administration, July to September 1999
- Series II - "Remembering Whatcom Creek" Event, September 18, 1999
- Series III - Materials Donated and Collected Relating to Whatcom Creek, 1979-1999
- Series IV - Oversized Materials and Maps, 1979-1999
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 : Program Administration , 1999 July - September Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Correspondence and Program
Planning, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies |
1999 July-September |
| 1/2 | Publicity |
1999 August-September |
| 1/3 | Exhibit Planning for September
18, 1999 Event |
1999 August-September |
| 1/4 | Planning for Corresponding
Exhibit in Western Washington University Libraries |
1999 August-September |
Series II : "Remembering Whatcom Creek" Event , 1999 September 18 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Audio-visual recordings document
the September 18, 1999 "Remembering Whatcom Creek" event. The program included
opening remarks by Professor Chris Friday, WWU President Karen Morse, and
Andrew Bodman; Visions for the Future by Pete Kremen and Mark Asmundson; A
History of Whatcom Creek by Tim Wahl and Jeff Jewell; A Personal History of
Whatcom Falls Parks by Gene Fairbanks; Lummi Tribal Perspectives given by Thom
Edwards; Scientific and Environemntal Understandings of Whatcom Creek provided
by Wayne Landis, Robin Matthews, and Suzanne James; Visions for the Future and
the Restoration of Whatcom Creek by Clare Fegelsong, Tony Palagyi, Mark
Henderson, and Thor Cutler; Closing remarks given by Professor Chris Friday;
and a requiem by Flip Breskin. A/V recordings are available in both digital
video cassette (DVC) and VHS formats.
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/5 | Digital video cassette format - reference copies (7
tapes) |
1999 September 18 |
| 1/6 | Digital video cassette format - backup copies (7
tapes) |
1999 September 18 |
| 2/1-2/4 | VHS format - reference copies (4 tapes) |
1999 September 18 |
| 3/1 - 3/4 | VHS format - backup copies |
1999 September 18 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | Digital Photos of Sept. 18 event by Dr. Chris Friday,
Director, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies |
1999 September 18 |
| 4/2 | Exhibit Material |
1999 September 18 |
| 4/3 | Speeches |
1999 September 18 |
| 4/4 | Forms and Program |
1999 September 18 |
Series III : Materials Donated and Collected Relating to Whatcom Creek , Series 1979-1999 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Photographs
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/5 | Donated by Darol Streib, before and after the pipeline
explosion |
1998 November - 1999 July |
| 4/6 | Donated by Kris Fykerud, Whatcom Falls Park day before
the explosion |
1999 June 9 |
| 4/7 | Donated by Ann Leatherwood, photos of smoke
plume |
1999 June 10 |
| 4/8 | Donated by Susie and Jim Constant, photos of smoke
plume |
1999 June 10 |
| 4/9 | Donated by Joan O'Neill, photos of smoke
plume |
1999 June 10 |
| 4/10 | Donated by Tim Wahl, Whatcom Falls Park day after the
explosion, (Includes digital copies on disc) |
1999 June 11 |
| 4/11 | Donated by Charles Hill, photos of smoke
plume |
1999 June 10 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/12 | Newspaper Articles, explosion and aftermath |
1999 Summer - Fall |
| 4/13 | Darol Streib Correspondence |
1999 June-August |
| 4/14 | Whatcom County Red Cross' Response to Explosion
Materials |
1999 Summer-Fall |
| 4/15 | "Bellingham Parks" an incomplete and unedited manuscript
by Eugene Fairbanks, (donated by the author) |
Undated |
| 4/16 | Dedication of the Bellingham Maritime Heritage Center on
Whatcom Creek Materials, (donated by Verna Wendt) |
1982 October 25 |
| 4/17 | Publication: the planet "Olympic Pipeline Explosion: A
Retrospective" |
2000 Spring/Summer |
| 4/18 | Letter to the Bellingham Community from BP/Olympic Pipe
Line Company regarding the restart of the pipeline |
2000 December |
| 4/19 | VHS Video Cassette, Documentary of Maritime Heritage
Park Artwork Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/20 | Artwork from Maritime Heritage Park Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/21 | Artwork from Maritime Heritage Park Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/22 | Artwork from Maritime Heritage Park Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/23 | Artwork from Maritime Heritage Park Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/24 | Artwork from Maritime Heritage Park Memorial |
1999 July 18 |
| 4/25 | Interview with Jim Johnston - biologist, Washington
State Department of Fish and Wildlife |
2000 February 9 |
Series IV : Oversized Materials and Maps , 1979-1999 Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Oversize Folder | ||
| OV 1 | Whatcom Creek Burn Zone Map, produced by the Institute
for Spatial Information and Analysis |
1999 August |
| oversizefolder-item | ||
| OV 2-OV 6 | Whatcom Creek Corridor before and after explosion, Air
Photos by the City of Bellingham |
1997 July 7- 1999 July 23 |
| OV 7 | Whatcom Creek Corridor Topographic Base Map(shows burn
zone), City of Bellingham |
1999 June 30 |
| OV 8-OV 9 | Whatcom Creek Corridor Basemaps, (shows burn zone), City
of Bellingham |
1999 July 23 |
| OV 10 | Whatcom County in 1850 Map by C. Behee for Whatcom
County Planning Department |
1993 |
| OV 11 | Whatcom County in 1900 Map by C. Behee for Whatcom
County Planning Department |
1993 |
| OV 12 | Whatcom County in 1950 Map by C. Behee for Whatcom
County Planning Department |
1993 |
| OV 13 | "Whatcom Creek: The Next 100 Years, Time to Heal" poster
created and donated by Darol Streib |
Undated |
| OV 14 | Photo Reproduction of Seattle Times article featuring
photos by Darol Streib, (Donated by Darol Streib) |
1999 August 10 |
| OV 15 | Bellingham Herald Newspaper Extra |
1999 June 11 |
| Rolled Document | ||
| RD 1 | Map- Olympic and Transmountain Pipeline Corridors,
created by the City of Bellingham |
1999 July 6 |
| RD 2 | Map- Vegetation of the Southwestern Fraser Lowland,
1858-1880, Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, (donated by Kathleen
Moore) |
1979 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Explosions -- Washington (State) -- Whatcom Creek Region -- Environmental aspects.
- Gasoline pipelines -- Accidents -- Environmental aspects -- Washington (State) -- Whatcom Creek Region.
- Olympic Pipeline Company -- Explosion, 1999.
Corporate Names
- Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Geographical Names
- Bellingham (Wash.) -- Explosion, 1999.
Finding aid created by Jason
Viers.
2004
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
