Washington

4215. Meany, Edmond S. History of the State of Washington. New York, Macmillan, 1924. 412 p. illus. 24–9257 F891.M46 1924

Best known as an educator during his years of association with the University of Washington (1897–1935),the author had numerous business interests, served in the State House of Representatives (1891–93), and achieved recognition as the historian of his adopted State. Intended primarily for the general reader, but also usable as a textbook in high schools or colleges, this book was first published in 1909. It is a "compact record" of the history of Washington State from the discovery and exploration of the Pacific Northwest by the Spanish, Russians, English, and, finally, the Americans under the leadership of such men as Robert Gray, Lewis and Clark, Charles Wilkes, and John Charles Frémont, to the year 1923. Separated from the Territory of Oregon in 1853, Washington Territory became a State in 1889, a late addition to the Union. The organization of the State, and its economic, political, and social development, occupy less than a fourth of the text. The last chapter is devoted to "Evidences of Recent Advance." Lists of counties, Territorial and State officers, and of State institutions form the appendixes.

4216. Morgan, Murray C. Skid Road; an informal portrait of Seattle. New York, Viking Press, 1951. 280 p. 51–14111 F899.S4M72

Seattle is located on the eastern shore of Puget Sound on Elliott Bay. The book’s title was derived from the pioneer method of skidding logs by ox-teams along the route to Yesler’s sawmill—the business which first made Seattle look like a real town. Saloon keepers, show people, and others followed the loggers on the route later known as Yesler Way, "the northern limit of what Seattleites called ’our great restricted district.’" It is the story "of some who tried and failed and of some who achieved success without becoming respectable, of the life that centered on the mills and on the wharves. That is Seattle from the bottom up." It is told in the activities of such folk as Doc Maynard, "Seattle’s first booster," who dreamed of making the city grow, and died before it reached maturity, the Mercer girls, imported for matrimony, and Mary Kenworthy, who challenged the Sinophobes. From more recent years, Mayor Ole Hanson and the general strike of 1919, Dave Beck and the labor movement, Lt. Governor Vic Meyers, the local wit, and others are given their part in the growth of Seattle. It has become one of the largest cities of the Pacific Northwest, and was made possible "by every sort of American and almost every sort of people."

4217. Fargo, Lucile F. Spokane story. New York, Columbia University Press, 1950. 276 p. 50–10471 F899.S7F3 1950. Bibliography: p. [261]–270.

A leader in the development of school libraries, the author began her career in Oregon and Washington. She spent 17 years as a librarian in Spokane, and had already written several books of fiction based on life in Dakota Territory and the Pacific Northwest, when she was invited by the Columbia University Press to write a book "picturing the life and culture of Spokane during successive phases of its development from fur trade days to the attainment of municipal adulthood in the early years of the twentieth century." She has approached her subject through the lives of those "whose activities have become a part of local lore," such as Ross Cox, the Walker family, Spokane Garry, the Ashlocks, Jim Glover, the "Father of Spokane," May Hutton, and others. She has produced an entertaining narrative for those who are "interested in the development of the so-called Inland Empire and its capital city." Titles which have Been found useful as background material, because of "their human interest, lively style, and portrayal of social life and customs," have been included in the bibliography.