Bet you had no clue that there was a museum in Spokane having over 19,000 articles from the fire fighting industry?? I did not! But I do want to go!
There are plenty of museums in the Eastern Washington area as well as scattered all over our wonderful, historically-minded, state!
Below is a copied bit from the Washington State Genealogical Society (www.wasgs.org) where you’ll find a pages-long list of museums spread all around our Evergreen State! (The list was mostly compiled by EWGS member, Duane Beck.)
As that list on the state society webpage covers the entire state, even in your travels you might/could/should/ought to visit a museum and get some extra “larnin into your noggin.” (Speaker George Schweitzer used to say that.)
There were these many listed for the Spokane area…..the entire list was PAGES long…… so there are plenty of museums in your area to learn from and visit!
P.S. The list was compiled some time ago. If you wish to visit a particular museum, I’d strongly advise you to check out their website and/or their Facebook page.
In preparation for our EWGS May meeting, I thought I’d share something I submitted to our BULLETIN back in March 2009:
These are notes that I took in August 200-8, when I attended the Oregon California Trails Association (OCTA) Conference in Nampa, Idaho. Pat Packard was one of the featured speakers. She spoke on the plants of the Oregon Trail and how the folks perceived the plants and used them as they went along. I thought our EWGS readers might enjoy “hearing” her too.
Plants fueled the trip for both men and animals. Plants dictated the route, the leaving times, the stopping times and points for the entire trip. They could not pack and carry with them enough food for their animals as they went along; horses and oxen had to eat along the way.
Most of these families had already moved an average of five times. They thought of themselves as “movers.” Because of that, they had experience with new plants in new places. Also because of that, they had developed a theory that if they didn’t know what the plant was, and could not name it, they it was to be considered poisonous and not to be eaten.
Most think they did glean and eat along the way. Not so, according to Pat Packard, for these reasons:
(1) they were often in desert country where there was nothing to eat
(2) they travelled in summer when food-plants were less abundant
(3) they constantly encountered unknown plants and were fearful
Their basic diet was beans, bacon and biscuits. This is a diet high in carbs and protein. There was very little Vitamin C, and scurvy was the third highest cause of death on the Oregon Trail. English sailors had long ago discovered that limes helped and could be carried on long voyages. They got the idea that acid/sour substances were the cure for scurvy. The immigrants didn’t have limes, but they did have vinegar. In her research, Ms. Packard found little mention of the pioneers searching to find vinegar or pickles to pack and take with them. This seems obvious to us now but not to them then. They really needed fresh fruit and greens. They had some dried fruit but unfortunately drying the fruit destroys the Vitamin C. They kept in mind the old advice about beware of poisonous plants and even as they saw various fruits and greens, they were fearful to use them. On the Mormon trains it was better because in many cases folks had been over the same trail before and their advice was passed along to new immigrants. Nearly 100% of the Mormon pioneers utilized the wild plants they found.
This lovely old photo is my hubby’s grandmother, Mary Ethel Leverich Oswald (1886-1967). This was her high school graduation photo……. today’s high school graduation photos look nothing like this, do they?? Yes, the Olden Times were different…… for instance:
If We Didn’t Have It We Used:
Q tip — cotton wound around a match
Scouring powder — wood stove ashes
Glue — raw egg white
Hot water bottle — heated rock or bag of heated rock salt
Toothpaste — salt mixed with baking soda
Paste — flour mixed with water
Bandage — torn-in-strips old bedsheets
Adhesive tape — needle and thread
Deodorant — baking soda
Ice — hailstones or blocks cut in winter from a pond or river
Waxed paper — found inside cereal boxes
Sandwich bags — waxed paper
Foil — gum wrappers
Ink — laundry bluing
Group transportation — truck with seats in back
Tire repair kit — can of rubber patch and glue
Air for tires — hand operated tire pump
Toilet tissue — Sears or Wards catalog
Salad dressing — cream, sugar and vinegar mixed well
Sanitary napkin — old sheets
Pencil sharpener — knife
Fingernail clipper — kitchen scissors
Salve/Ointment for wounds — lard mixed with kerosene and turpentine
Hand lotion — cream or lard
Laundry soap — you made it from grease and lye
Lunch pail — lard bucket with a handle
New mop — old clothing on a mop stick
Cough syrup — raw onion and sugar syrup
Fresh milk — milked a cow twice daily
So do you really think life was better in the good old days? How would you have fared?
(Thanks to Nostalgia Magazine, Nov-Dec 2010 issue for this wonderful article by Leone A. Browning.)
Many of us have been blessed to sit beneath the 150-year-old banyan tree in downtown Lahaina, Maui. (Which is said to be showing signs of life after the devastating August fire. Yahoo.) Looking at the city-park-wide spread of this tree, one can imagine an equally large series of roots reaching back into time and bringing the beloved tree back to life.
The Maui Banyan is the metaphor I choose to share with you today. All that we see, from the ground up, is our growing family (pretend you’re the tiny white person/spot). But what we cannot see is the equal number of roots/ancestors that brought us to this point.
It’s those people/ancestors whom we genealogists seek. The question on the table to day is how to organize and keep that information in a safe and a usable way? Let’s take a peek at the different safe-storage-for-long-term methods:
Individually Managed Family Trees.. meaning YOU are in charge, period:
American Ancestors TREES
Ancestry — private member trees
MyHeritage — private member trees
Findmypast — private member trees
Keeping your tree online on these websites means nobody/no how can add/substract/multiply/divide or mess with your information…. but you can give permission for folks to see your tree.
Collaborative Family Trees…. meaning folks do work together to add/edit/mange profiles. BUT know that others can and might make changes to “your” profile. Not supposed to without giving documentation. 😉
FamilySearch Family Trees….. nearing 2-billion online trees
WikiTree….. 36 million trees
Programs on your own computer…… meaning you are solely in charge; both have a free and paid version.
LegacyFamilyTree —- can sync with FamilySearch
RootsMagic —– can sync with Ancestry
Certainly there are other online programs and other at-home computer programs. I’m just giving the bare minimum here to kick-start your decision making process as to what are YOU going to do with all your family history information?????
Remember, your “Maui banyan” might burn to the ground next time.
Is there such a thing as One World Tree? One tree that documents every ancestor back to……. well, as far as records exist. Those advocating a One World Tree believe (as do I) that we’re all children of God and therefore we are related. Somehow. Somewhere in time. But the information on those 20th generation ancestors is beyond our ken and our reach, isn’t it?
Let’s talk practicality. Ask yourself these questions:
How far back can I, or do I want, to find (and document) my ancestors??
Aren’t we mostly happy if we can find records back into the 1500s? That’s 20 generations, a million names! Can we keep track of a million ancestors? Can we know a million ancestors? I think not. I cannot!
Do we really care what path other genealogists might choose to pursue?
What do know about the last 5 generations of ancestors? (That’s nearly 200 years!) Isn’t that the point of doing family history…. to get to know at least something of an ancestor’s life and times?
Once those questions have been answered in your mind, consider these:
Do I want to share my tree/information or keep it (safely) to myself?
Back 200 years (or more) are those folks just your ancestors? Hardly.
Besides, how many answers have I gained for my family tree/ancestors from others?? Isn’t sharing really the best option?
Lisa Louise Cooke (FamilyTreeMagazine, May/June 2022) advocated YES for sharing but to “keep the heart of our genealogy at home….. a master family tree of your family tree, built on your own computer, is the key to securing your family history now and for generations to come.”
While I greatly respect Lisa Louise, I puzzle her answer. Just keep my tree on my computer? What if my computer crashes/floods/burns in a fire…… and I’ve not kept backups regularly? And/or shared them with family? All will be lost.
Everything I’ve read, and from all the genealogy/tech gurus, say this: DO have an online tree, do keep it backed up in multiple places, and DO keep your tree in a home computer program on your own computer.
Puzzle and ponder your answer to these questions and “problems”………… Part 2 next time.
American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo’s coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866. (Wikipedia)
Idaho has strong connections to Buffalo Soldiers. Units from Ft. Missoula and later Ft. Wright participated in restoring order during the 1890s mining wars, as well as help rescue local townsfolk from the Great Fire of 1910.
Wallace, Idaho, in June 2019, hosted a group of Buffalo Soldiers re-enactors. They came to shine a light on a little-known chapter in the annals of U.S. Military History. On 14 June 1897, a force of 20 African American soldiers along with two white officers, a doctor and a newspaper reporter set off on an epic 1900 mile bicycle ride from Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri.
Nicknamed the Iron Riders for both their heavy one-speed bikes and their iron hard constitutions. The intrepid group made the trip in six weeks, having battled poor roads, every kind of weather, meager rations and prejudice. But they did receive a hero’s welcome when they arrived in St. Louis.
Nothing I read explained WHY did they make that ride but it was an extraordinary achievement.
To learn more about the Buffalo Soliders, click on YouTube and search for The Bicycle Corps, America’s Black Army on Wheels. There is also a Buffalo Soldier National Museum in Houston, Texas.
To me, every tidbit of American history, done by ANY of her people, I find fascinating. Hope you do too.
Have you been to the Inland Northwest Rail Museum just a hoot and holler west of Reardan?? If you’re into trains, train history, engines, different rail lines, anything “railroad,” this is the place to go. While not open every day year round, they have plenty of regular open days and a host of special events. Do check it out.
Coming up on Saturday, May 11th, there are Big Happenings planned for the entire weekend and I will be offering a class on “Did Your Ancestor Work For The Railroad.” Come, enjoy the displays, the train rides and, on that day, the class…… if you happen to be on the east side of the mountains.
Railroad Facts you perhaps did not know (according to a 1990 factsheet I have):
Freight traffic on major U.S. railroads is measured in “ton-miles.” This is a term denoting the movement of one tone of freight a distance of one mile. Our U.S. railroads achieve millions of ton-miles every year
There are no legal limits on how long a train can be but there are practical limits, such as power of the engine.
During WWII, railroads moved practically all the men and supplies of the American Expeditionary Force to seaports.
From 1 Dec 1941 to 30 Aug 1945, U.S. railroads carried approximately 44-million service men and women in special troop trains, hospital trains and in special cars attached to regular trains.
The first known instance of mail being moved by rail occurred in South Carolina in Nov 1831. By 1840, railroads had begun to provide space and facilities for handling of the mail enroute. But as the movement of mail by air grew, the railroads’ mail business declined. The last mail run, between Washington and New York, was in June 1977.
What are the commodities carried by railroads? Coal ranks first in tonage, followed by farm products, chemicals, nonmetallic minerals, food and kindred products, frozen products, lumber and wood products.
Railroads are deemed vital to the U.S. economy. The steel industry depends on railroads to deliver its ore and coat; the car industry depends on railroads to deliver the steel and parts of making cars and then to carry cars to their destination.
There are more railroad-railroading websites available to you than you likely have time for. Use Google and go for it!
The place your railroading ancestor lived
The railroad he worked for
Railroads have historical societies and archives!
Remember all the good railroads have done for our country, and still do, the next time you’re stuck seemingly forever at a railroad crossing.
TIP OF THE WEEK – FULL-TEXT SEARCH OF DEED AND PROBATE RECORDS NOW ON FAMILYSEARCH With all the exciting news coming out of RootsTech 2024, one that may have been missed is that FamilySearch has implemented full-text search technology on their U.S. deeds and probate records as well as Mexican Notary Records. Was a female ancestor listed on a will as a co-grantee or co-grantor? You might be able to find her father or husband’s name thanks to this exciting new technology that reads and searches the handwriting on these documents. The full-text search is still in its experimental phase. It can be accessed from the FamilySearch homepage when viewing on desktop by clicking on the FamilySearch Labs link in the lower right hand corner of the site. What discoveries will you make?
March 1, 2024
SGS eNews! comes out the first of every month. contact eNews!
forward this email to a friend Our mailing address is: Seattle Genealogical Society4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Suite 302 Seattle, WA 98103-6955
Those of you who drive onto Fairchild Air Force Base have surely noticed the B-52 parked a short ways inside the gate. Well, we know for sure that my father, Col. Francis H. Potter, commanded that very plane for many missions during the Cold War of the 70s. How do we know that? This is a photo of that B-52 and our son, Benjamin, and his son Austin. Ben researched the serial number of that plane and discovered this wonderful bit of family history. And to think that it was OUR father’s plane that was chosen for permanent display!
Fairchild has quite a history. Several battles of U.S. Cavalry vs. Native Americans happened in that very patch of ground. Groups of immigrant settlers established homes, farms and orchards in that same area. The area looked prime for wheat farming. But Spokane was growing in population and that population needed transportation and the opportunity for business.
By 1939, Spokane was in a serious business decline when James A. Ford came to the rescue. Ford had been active with the Spokane Chamber of Commerce since 1917 and during that time he had worked incessantly to bring aviation to Spokane. But the Army Signal Corps reported that “the city is located in a valley between high hills, with contrary winds and there will never be much, if any, aviation in Spokane.”
At this time, Spokane has two airlines flying into Felts Field, United and Northwest. Ford knew Spokane would soon need a bigger airport. And, just as important, he could see the war clouds gathering around the world and hoped a larger airport would attract an Army Air Force Base.
Ford’s work worked and in 1940 a WPA project started to clear and level the county land, donated by the county, for the new field and the Army Air Forces moved right in. The airport was renamed Geiger Field; after WWII it became Spokane International Airport.
About this same time, the announcement was made that the Army Air Force needed a separate and larger base for its operations. Again, James Ford to the rescue. It was a real battle of words, but those on the West side of the state wanted the new depot in their backyard.
The Spokesman Review trumpeted the headline on September 11, 1941, that Spokane would get the $20-million air depot. This was great news for Spokane for it meant an estimated $8-million dollar payroll in the area due to 5400 new jobs. Not to mention the military personnel’s spending in the area.
It turned out that having a military depot so close to a civilian airfield had its advantages, primarily being that a rail line bisected the area.
Citizens of Spokane might have been jubilant but the eleven farmer-land-owners were not. Four sections of prime wheat land would now be gone forever.
The town of Airway Heights got its start during the war years mostly because there was no military family housing at the depot. In 1955, the town of Airway Heights was incorporated.
In 1951, the name was changed from Spokane Air Force Base to Fairchild Air Force Base in honor of Gen. Muir S. Fairchild, a native of Bellingham, Washington.
(Thanks to a 1976 little book by Peggy Bal, Fairchild: Heritage of the Spokane Plains. Please forgive me if I garbled the facts a bit.)
I’ll admit I’m stretching a bit here, but I did catch your attention, didn’t I?
ARCHIVES. What comes to mind when you hear or read that word? Records? Information? Papers? Ledgers? Books? Rolls? Files? History? Information? All of the above??
What IS an archive: “It’s a collection of historical documents or records providing information bout a place, institution or group of people.”
In other (crazy comparison) words, it’s a place where genealogists find honey!!
There are probably a dozen archives that you might-could access to find the family information you’re seeking. Every U.S. state has archives and most of the world’s countries do too. They’re not like public libraries…. walk in, check the catalog, pull a book off the shelf and away you go. Archives are places where history is stored. We can access it but it stays safely guarded away.
Lucky for us, there are most usually finding aids for most any archive. (Good grammar, eh?)
Here in Spokane we have the Eastern Washington State Historical Society archive housed in the Joel E. Ferris Library at the MAC. If you have Inland Northwest ancestors, make an appointment and GO. If you live in Central or Western Washington, go visit YOUR archives!
We also have the Washington State Library Digital Collections and the Washington Rural Heritage memory project (aka archive). Ever heard of the Northwest Digital Heritage (for WA and OR)? Of course we have the Eastern Washington Branch of the Washington State Archives out in Cheney.
Here’s maybe a new one for you: ArchiveGrid. This is a collection of over 5million “archival material descriptions …… harvested from the web.” These documents are described as “historical documents, personal papers, family histories and more.” Try it, you just might find the “honey.”
How about InternetArchive? This is an American digital library that has quickly become a major destination to those researching their family history online. InternetArchive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, websites, music and much more. To use this site, you sign up for an account and then can download material to your account (your computer) to use at your leisure. Ah, the honey is there, no??
Click to the Society of American Archivists and download their free “Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research.”
You are free to copy articles to any non-commercial web site or message board or printed publication you wish. Don’t bother to ask permission, just do it.
