Federal Writers Project of Washington (State) Records, 1933-1941

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Federal Writers Project (Wash.)
Title
Federal Writers Project of Washington (State) Records
Dates
1933-1941 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (3 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 351 (collection)
Summary
Drafts of researched essays on the history, geography, industry, and commerce of Clallam, Snohomish, Pierce (Tacoma), Skagit, Lewis, and Whitman counties prepared for Washington, a guide to the Evergreen State (1941)
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

The Federal Writers Project, Washington (State), compiled a quantity of material under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration and used this material to create a volume entitled Washington, A Guide to the Evergreen State (Portland : Binfords & Mort, 1941), a part of the American Guide Series. The material was collected and written between 1933 and 1941.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The records of the Federal Writers Project of Washington is limited to drafts of researched essays on Clallam, Snohomish, Pierce, Skagit, Lewis, and Whitman counties. The material from Snohomish County (about 400 items) includes a general history of the area, a description of the towns and cities of the county, place names and their origins, tours of the area, geography (including a discussion of natural resources), agriculture, forests, fisheries, and women's history. The material about Pierce County (approximately 120 items) centers on the city of Tacoma and includes a general history and description of the city and its points of interest, city tours, a description of the government, biog-raphies of prominent individuals, the labor history of the city, and a discus-sion of industry and commerce. There are two folders (about 15 pages of manuscript material) on Clallam County: the Port Angeles Salmon Club and the Olympic National Forest. The material on Lewis County (approximately 350 items) includes a general history and description of the area, a description of the towns and cities, a discussion of the school system, biographies of pioneers and prominent persons, reminiscences of early residents, discussion of natural resources and industry, history of individual buildings of importance, and the role of women in Lewis County. The material from Skagit County (about 75 items) includes a general history and description of the area, description of agricul-tural resources, a discussion of women in Skagit County, word origin and place names, a description of towns and cities, topography and geography, folklore and folkways, points of interest, and the archaeology of the area. The material on Whitman County (approximately 50 items) consists of histories and descriptions of the towns in Whitman County and Washington State University.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Federal Writers Project of Washington (State) Records, 1933-1941 (Cage 351)

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

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The material in the Washington State Federal Writers Project is arranged alphabetically by county into series and alphabetically by subject within each county series.

Folders 28-30 constitute a later addition to the collection. These additional records of the Federal Writers Project include a series of articles on the Quileute Indians by Albert B. Reagan which were published by the Port Angeles Evening News in 1933. There are also two brief histories of Port Angeles. This material should be considered part of the history of Clallam County. The material on Thurston County includes the personal recollections of George Himes of the Oregon Historical Society.

Acquisition Information

Records of the Federal Writers Project of Washington were acquired by the Washington State University Libraries prior to 1970 (78-29).

Separated Materials

Many photographs received with these papers were separated and integrated into the Historic Photograph Subject File (PC 2).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Clallam CountyReturn to Top

15 items.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
1 1
Olympic National Forest
1 2
Port Angeles Salmon Club

Lewis CountyReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 1, Folder 3-5

350 items.

Pierce CountyReturn to Top

120 items.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
1 6
Tacoma--Biographies
1 7
Tacoma--General Description
2 8
Tacoma--Government
2 9
Tacoma--History
2 10
Tacoma--Industry and Commerce
2 11
Tacoma--Labor History
2 12
Tacoma--Points of Interest
2 13
Tacoma--Tours

Skagit CountyReturn to Top

Container(s): Box 2, Folder 14

75 items.

Snohomish CountyReturn to Top

400 items.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
2 15
Agriculture and Industry
2 16
Darrington
2 17
Geography
3 18
General
3 19
History of County Seat
3 20
Pioneer Questionnaire
3 21
Place Names
3 22
Points of Interest
3 23
Tours
3 24
Towns, Villages, and Cities
3 25
Women's History

Whitman CountyReturn to Top

50 items.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
3 26
Cities
3 27
Pullman

Clallam CountyReturn to Top

11 items.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
3 28
Quileute Indians
3 29
Port Angeles

Thurston CountyReturn to Top

1 item.
Container(s) Description
Box Folder
3 30
Pioneer History

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Corporate Names

  • Federal Writers' Project (Wash.) -- Records and correspondence

Geographical Names

  • Clallam County (Wash.) -- History.
  • Lewis County (Wash.) -- History.
  • Skagit County (Wash.) -- History.
  • Snohomish County (Wash.) -- History.
  • Tacoma (Wash.) -- History.
  • Washington (State) -- History.
  • Whitman County (Wash.) -- History.