The Office of the Secretary of State routinely updates a blog entitled "From Our Corner,"  in order to provide from-the-source information about important state news and public services.  Often, stories of note from the Archives are included on this page.

A few recent stories worth checking out:
 Happy 10th birthday to our Digital Archives!

 From the Archives: Anniversary of letter leading to WA statehood

Come see our new exhibit on 1889 Washington!

From the Archives: key letter leading to statehood

It was a day full of history, music, smiles, and promises for the future from the new generation of the "Keepers of the Capsule." Washington became the 42nd State in the Union 125 years ago.  Residents of the new state in 1889 had already seen remarkable changes in technology; many traveled across the land on foot and horseback, and were now witness to the masses arriving by train.  Life would soon involve air travel and telephones in every home.  On November 11, 1889, however, the focus was on statehood.

The celebration on November 11, 2014, included speeches from Governor and Mrs. Inslee and Secretary of State Kim Wyman.  Emceed by Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, the day paid tribute to those intrepid pioneers of 1889 and celebrated the limitless possibilities looking forward to 2389 and the opening of the time capsule. 

Archives staff was on-hand to record events of the day and share the Washington State Constitution.  Click here to view our Flickr page.

For fun, can you guess which of the following events also happened in 1889?

By now, if you've been paying attention to anything having to do with Washington's Quasquicentennial (125), you will have undoubtedly seen the "iconic" image of the Inaugural Celebration of Washington's first State Governor, Elisha P. Ferry in 1889.  But today the Secretary of State's blog-post shared this image, which is part of a collection of photographs from the North Olympic Heritage Collection on the Washington Rural Heritage website.  This begs the question--have you ever heard of Washington Rural Heritage?  If not, it's time that you check out their website and learn more about what it is that they do!  Click here to learn about this amazing and lesser-known piece of the Washington State Library.

Art's Sandwich Shop on Leary Avenue in the Ballard District of Seattle, 1937.  Art's bill of fare reflects the drastic deflation that took place during the Great Depression.  The prices reflect a population of destitute customers.  The "Down" that appears near the top of the photograph refers to the demolition of the building in 1941.  The "Chinese Pork Noodles" featured on the sign immediately above Art's head suggests an Asian influence that the present day observer might not expect to see in Scandinavian Ballard in the 1930s.  It also seems to be the most expensive meal that Art offers.

50 years ago, Washington celebrated its "Diamond Jubilee," with easily one of the biggest cakes ever.  Carole Rambo Holt was there to witness the day.

Take a look at some of those photos here and read about what Carole remembers from that day in 1964.  What will the 150th celebration look like? Only 25 more years to go!

If you have memories you'd like to share of statehood celebrations, contact us!

We hope you've enjoyed this edition of
"Out of the Archives!"