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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)
1873-1995 (bulk)
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.
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Biographical Note

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.

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Content Description

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.

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Use of the Collection

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.

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Administrative Information

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 Content

To 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

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

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

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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