Fishtown Collection, 1971-2017
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Fishtown Collection
- Dates
- 1971-2017 (inclusive)19712017
- Quantity
- 2 linear ft., (4 boxes)
- Collection Number
- XOE_SC0092
- Summary
- Oral histories, newspaper clippings, printed ephemera, and miscellaneous materials related to the Fishtown art colony in Skagit County, Washington.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Special Collections
Wilson 6th Floor
516 High Street MS9103
Bellingham WA
98225-9123
Telephone: (360) 650-3193
Fax: (360) 650-3044
speccoll@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Fishtown was an art colony located along the Skagit River in Skagit County, Washington, from the 1960s to 1980s. Rooted in the hippie countercultural movement, it was home to a small number of painters, poets, and sculptors, including Charles Krafft, Robert Sund, and Paul Hansen. Several art exhibitions in the early 1970s helped establish Fishtown as one of the major countercultural communities of the Pacific Northwest. Residents sought to live a simple rustic lifestyle and drew inspiration from Buddhist art, poetry, and philosophy. The community declined in the 1980s. In 1988, the owners of the forested property where Fishtown was located began logging it, and most of the cabins and fishing shacks that artists had lived in were eventually demolished.
Content Description
The collection contains oral histories conducted with people who lived at Fishtown. Broadsides, posters, pamphlets, and other ephemera associated with the community contain poetry as well as announcements of poetry readings and art shows; much of the material was produced by Robert Sund and Clifford Burke (see the Rare Book Collection for additional printed material associated with Fishtown). One box of newspaper clippings and related materials pertain to protests around the logging of the Fishtown Woods property in 1988.
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation
Fishtown Collection, Special Collections, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103.
Administrative Information
Related Materials
Related material is available in the Rare Book Collection, including titles with the local note, "Formerly part of the Fishtown Collection."
Acquisition Information
Assembled by library staff and by gift of various donors between 2014 and 2017.
Processing Note
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 our Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Oral histories: Paul Hansen, Steve Herold, Charles Krafft, Bo Miller, and Sara AmiesDates: 2014-2016Container: Box 1
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Description: Newspaper and blog articles about the Fishtown art colonyDates: 2002-2017Container: Box 1
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Description: Broadsides, posters, pamphlets, and ephemeraDates: 1971-2010Container: Box 2-3
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Description: Fishtown Woods newspaper clippings, ephemera, VHS tapeDates: 1988-1989Container: Box 4
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Description: Fishtown Woods land use study and property leasesDates: 1973-2000Container: Box 4
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Artist colonies -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- Sources.
- Artists -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
- Counterculture -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- Sources.
- Logging -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- Sources.
- Poets, American -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
- Sculptors -- Washington (State) -- Fishtown (Skagit County) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Personal Names
- Burke, Clifford -- Archives.
- Sund, Robert, -- 1929-2001 -- Archives.
Geographical Names
- Fishtown (Skagit County, Wash.) -- History -- Sources.
Form or Genre Terms
- Ephemera.
- Oral histories.
- Playbills (Posters)
- Poetry.
- Posters.
