Raise your hand if you know what a “plank road” was?
“In days past, heavy rain could literally stop traffic in its tracks. The plank road was a tremendous improvement over unreliable, rutted and muddy dirt roads. Wooden planks were laid wide enough to accommodate a large wagon or rig but when two met going in opposite directions, it was up to them to resolve the problem of who had to make way for whom. Meaning, who had to go off into the mud! A plank road was usually a toll road. The cost for a 1-horse cart was 25 cents; a two horse cart was 40 cents. A horse and rider were 13 cents.”
BIG thanks to my friend, Paul Hoefling of Seattle, for these marvelous funnies………. I admire and identify with his sense of humor.
According to a report recently on the front page of our newspaper (The Spokesman Review), “Washington drivers logged more than 60 billion miles on public roadways in 2016. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.” Reporter Nicholas Deshais continued that “Washington drivers drove more than 4 1/2 times the total distance that the Voyager 1 spacecraft has traveled since 1977… which is only 13 billion miles.”
How many of those miles did YOU contribute?? And where were we all going and so often?? Ah, that’s the mystery.
PRESERVATION OF DOCUMENTS
To learn the proper way to preserve records you have located during genealogy research, you will want to join us for the February meeting. The presentation will be by TRACY REBSTOCK, Southwest Regional Archivist from the Washington State Archives.
LOWER COLUMBIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walcolgs/
SOMERSET RETIREMENT APARTMENTS
2025 TIBBETTS DRIVE, LONGVIEW
DINING ROOM 7:00 PM
Feb 8, 2018
VISITORS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
Ever heard of the Heritage Network here in Washington? Think it’s something you, and your genealogical society, might ought to look into?? Any organization dedicated to preserving and promoting historical resources is an organization you might want to support.
Click to TheHeritageNetwork for more information.
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’sWednesday EveningE-News, Edition17 January 2018 |
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For more information visit www.gfo.org, contact us at info@gfo.org, or call our library at 503-963-1932. We love hearing from you! For a complete GFO CALENDAR click here. Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for January 2018, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy HERE. NOTE: The Insider issues are now located under the “Learn” > “Our Publications” menu at www.gfo.org. |
Curious about the status of your GFO Membership?? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member! |
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A big Thank You to everyone who donated to GFO’s Annual Appeal!Each and every donation matters, and we are very grateful for your support. If you haven’t contributed yet and want to, it’s not too late! Simply send us a check, or go to our website at http://gfo.org/support-us/annual-appeal.html to give safely and securely. Thank you again! |
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Guten Tag!Instead of meeting at GFO on Saturday, February 3rd, the German Special Interest Group (SIG) will be at Concordia University to spend the day researching in the German from Volga library section, which is upstairs. WHERE? NE Liberty St., behind the campus which is at 2811 NE Holman St., Portland. If you send Mike Fernandez and Tia Cobb general questions, e.g. book on a location/city, time period, map, the volunteers at the library might be able to pull documents, books, etc. beforehand. Contact: tjuana52@yahoo.com. Mike and Tia are trying to have the library open earlier than our regular 1:00 meeting. We’ll keep you posted! |
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Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity!Come here Kate Eakman as she gives tips on researching African Americans in the Civil War as well as information about the Freedmen’s Bureau! Did you know the Freedmen’s Bureau was created to provide assistance to both former slaves and impoverished whites in the South? This half-day workshop is not only for African American researchers, but for all those with family history or interest in the Civil War. Register HERE today!WHEN? Sunday, February 25th, 9:30am – noon |
Registration now open for Olympia Genealogical Society’s Spring Seminar on Saturday, April 7. “Find Your Immigrant & Miscreant Ancestors” will be presented by Lisa Alzo at the Capital Event Center in Tumwater. Details are found at our NEW website www.OlyGenSoc.org.
Joyce Ogden, Publicity
