City Progress Contest (Bellingham, WA) Scrapbook

City Progress Contest (Bellingham, WA) Scrapbook, 1933-1938

Overview of the Collection

Title: City Progress Contest (Bellingham, WA) Scrapbook
Dates: 1933-1938 (inclusive)
19331938
Quantity: 1.5 feet of linear shelf space, (1 box)
Collection Number: Cage 169 (collection)
Summary: A scrapbook of photographs and typescript reports documenting the construction projects carried out in Bellingham, Washington, 1933-1938, under several federal New Deal agencies including the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Public Works Administration (PWA), and the Civil Works Administration (CWA).
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

During the 1930s, Bellingham, Washington conducted a series of publicly funded civic improvement projects that were sponsored by various state and federal agencies including the Washington Emergency Relief Administration (WERA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Public Works Administration (PWA), Civil Works Administration CWA, and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The monetary value of the projects totaled nearly four million dollars. The main improvements were made to the Whatcom County Airport, the Eureka Sewer, and the Port Commission. Funds also went to the construction of a new high school and a 1,600 foot seawall. These projects greatly reduced the percentage of unemployment in Bellingham.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains a single item: a scrapbook recording the projects completed in Bellingham, Washington under the WPA, PWA, and CWA, from 1933 to 1938. The scrapbook contains photographs of the projects, typescript reports describing the projects and funds, and letters from various correspondents including Bellingham Mayor Burleigh E. Hanning. All of the pages are detailed with decorative borders and the first page features a hand painted illustration of Uncle Sam presenting money to Bellingham's mayor with graphics indicating how much money went to each section of development. The art work was done by Whipple Yale Chester, National Advertising Manager of the Bellingham Herald, and the photographs were supplied by the Bellingham school district and the Bellingham Herald.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

City Progress Contest (Bellingham, WA) Scrapbook, 1933-1938

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Washington State University Libraries Pullman, WA

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Washington State University Libraries in 1942 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

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