Historical-research resource links from the Puget Sound Regional Archives

October 28, 2:29 PMSeattle History ExaminerBenjamin Lukoff

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Puget Sound Regional Archives, on the
campus of Bellevue Community College

Last Saturday I attended the first-ever Basics of Historical Research workshop at the Puget Sound Regional Archives (part of the Washington State Archives) on the campus of Bellevue Community College. Led by Regional Archivist Michael Saunders and featuring members of his staff, plus Jodee Fenton, manager of the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room at the Central Library, we were taken through the basics of historical research, including primary vs. secondary sources; physical and online resources; government, corporate, and institutional archives; and special collections, and were treated to a detailed history of the Fitch/McNutt house at 4401 Phinney Avenue N. in Fremont. Everything was illustrated with items from the PSRA's collections. Afterwards, we enjoyed a guided tour of the archives themselves. It's amazing how much paper, film, tape, and the like can be stored in such a relatively small area, but still be rather quickly accessible — and remain in a good state of preservation throughout the years. (Thank the low temperature and relative humidity for the latter, though I wish they'd warned us to bring our coats!)

Test blackout proclamation by Mayor Carroll, dated
February 14, 1941, for implementation March 7.
From the PSRA collection.

Unfortunately, because of the embedded images, the PowerPoint presentation was far too large for them to send out in electronic form, so I can't reproduce it here. I can, however, reproduce the links to historical-research resources they provided at the end, and will do so below.

I also wanted to include one of the handouts they gave us: a "Proclamation of Rules and Regulations for Test Blackout Night, March 7, 1941, 10:40 p.m." Note this was a full nine months before Pearl Harbor — but it looks like we already knew that war wasn't far away. Apparently, though, the drill was "controversial," and drew protests from unions, garden clubs, and the like, as being "provocative." Full transcribed text appears below the resource links. And remember, there's a lot more where this came from. (Other regional archives are in Cheney [EWU], Bellingham [WWU], Ellensburg [CWU], and Olympia [the State Archives Building].)

Please let me know about any corrections, updates, or bad links.

Washington Secretary of State
Cities, Counties, and Corporations: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/cities.aspx
Classics in Washington History: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications.aspx
Historical Maps: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/maps.aspx
History of Elections and Voting: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/timeline/index.htm
Home: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/
Legacy Project: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/legacyproject/
Territorial Timeline: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/timeline.aspx
Washington History: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/
Washington State Archives: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives/
Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Branch http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives/archives_puget.aspx 
Washington State Constitution: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/constitution.aspx
Washington State Heritage Center: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/heritage/ 
Washington State Historical Records Advisory Board (WSHRAB) http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives/wshrab.aspx 
Washington State Library: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/ 
World War I: Soldiers Remembered: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/ww1

More Local Resources
Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, WWU: http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/CPNWS
King County Archives: http://www.kingcounty.gov/archives.aspx
Museum of History & Industry: http://www.seattlehistory.org/col_res.cfm
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) – Pacific Alaska Region: http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska/
Northwest Digital Archives: http://nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu/
Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: http://www.northwestmuseum.org/northwestmuseum/sub.aspx?id=320
Providence Archives, Seattle: http://www.providence.org/phs/archives
San Juan Islands, National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/archive/sajh/pig_war_new.htm
Seattle Public Library: http://www.spl.org
Seattle Public Library, Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central_visit_seattleroom&branchID=1
Seattle Library Public Library Newspaper Collections: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/newspapers_wsl.aspx
Seattle Municipal Archives: http://www.seattle.gov/CityArchives/
Seattle Public Schools Archives: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/archives/index.xml
Tacoma Public Library Newspaper Collection: http://www.tacomapubliclibrary.org/Page.aspx?nid=2
University of Washington Archives: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll/collections/uarchives
University of Washington Libraries: http://www.lib.washington.edu/
University of Washington Libraries: Microform & Newspaper Collections: http://www.lib.washington.edu/mcnews/
University of Washington Libraries: Special Collections: http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcoll
Washington History Day Home Page: http://www.washingtonhistory.org/historyday/default.aspx
Washington History Day Topic Guide: http://washingtonhistoryday.wetpaint.com/
Washington State Historical Records Survey: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/_assets/archives/WASRAB.pdf
Washington State Historical Society: http://research.washingtonhistory.org/default.aspx
Washington State Library Newspaper Collection: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/newspapers_wsl.aspx
Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/masc.htm
Washington State University Libraries Northwest History Database: http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/pncc/NW_history/index.php
Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center: http://www.wenatcheewa.gov/Index.aspx?page=32
Yakima Valley Museum: http://yakimavalleymuseum.org/

More Resources
Bibliographies: http://www.librarything.com/
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project: http://www.densho.org/
How to read a secondary source: http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/
Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html
Modern Language Association (MLA): http://www.mla.org/store/CID24/PID159
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): http://www.archives.gov
Society of American Archivists Directory of Corporate Archives in the U.S. and Canada: http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/bas/directory/corpw-z.asp
Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style:  http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/turabiangd.php
University of Idaho Libraries: Repositories of Primary Sources: http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html
Used-book dealers: http://www.abebooks.com/, http://www.alibris.com/

 Proclamation of Rules and Regulations for
TEST BLACKOUT NIGHT
MARCH 7, 1941   10:40 P. M.

By virtue of the authority vested in me by Sections 2 and 3 of Article V of the City Charter, and Ordinance No. 70615, an emergency is hereby declared to exist during the period of a trial blackout in the City of Seattle on the night of March 7, 1941, at the hour of 10:40 o'clock p.m., to continue for fifteen minutes. This is a measure in the interest of preparation for the National Defense, and the coopration of all citizens of Seattle in connection therewith is requested. The following rules and regulations for such trial blackout are hereby proclaimed:

Blackout warnings will be given promptly at 10:30 o'clock p.m., March 7, 1941. Within not more than ten minutes thereafter all citizens shall comply with the following regulations:

When the Test Blackout Warning Is Given

For your own safety and to avoid confusion, stay at home or indoors elsewhere. Wherever you are, individually turn out all lights visible from the outside, but DO NOT turn off main switches.

If You Are at Home, in a Hotel Room or Apartment

1. Turn out all external lights.
2. See that no lighting in your house is visible from the outside.
3. If you cannot obscure your windows with dark materials turn off your lights, but do not use the main switch.
4. Listen in on your radio for the happenings all over town.
5. Managements of hotels and apartment houses are responsible for exterior lighting.

If Driving Your Car or Motor Vehicle

1. Immediately pull over to the curb or roadside and turn off your lights and motor.
2. Do not try to drive on with your lights out.
3. Do not park in front of fire exit, fire plug, hospital entrance or at a street intersection.
4. Do not block center of street as fire engines and police cars may have to answer emergency calls.

Stores, Manufacturing Companies, and Industrial Plants

1. Have someone on duty during the blackout.
2. Be sure all external lights are out, including neon signs.
3. See that internal lights are not visible from the outside.
4. Your presence on the premises will aid materially in protecting your property making our test a success.

If Unavoidably Outdoors

1. Remain on sidewalk — do not cross street.
2. Do not smoke or expose any light.

Main Switches will not be turned off —  it is up to you individually to make this test a success.

Important: Do not forget your skylight if you have one.

If you must be away from your premises, do not leave any light visible from the outside.

All male citizens of the city, over the age of eighteen years, are hereby called upon to aid in enforcing these rules and regulations, by reporting violations to the Police Department, and I especially call for assistance in this connection upon the local chapter of the American Red Cross, King County National Defence Council, local Posts of the American Legion and of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other national and local organizations, to report to the Police Department any violation thereof.

Ordinance No. 70615 makes it unlawful to willfully refuse or neglect to obey these rules and regulations, but it should not be necessary to enforce the same by legal process. The spirit of patriotism and cooperation, which I feel is present in all the citizens of Seattle, should be sufficient to make this trial blackout a successful test. Be assured that this is not a needless gesture but a practical test of your response to a possible situation of extreme gravity.

You are requested to prepare for this test on the night of March 7, 1941. Check the means of turning off all of your lights visible from the outside before that date.

Promptly at 10:30 p. m. whistles will indicate the "alert" signal for the start of the test blackout. All traffic shall stop at once. Within ten minutes all exposed lights of any nature shall be effectively shielded or turned off. At 10:40 p. m. the city street lights will be turned off and the fifteen-minute blackout period will begin. At the end of the period the street lights will be turned on again, indicating the completion of our test blackout. Listen for the whistle which will be the warning signal.

DATED at Seattle, Washington, this 14th day of February, 1941. JOHN E. CARROLL, Mayor.