December
photo challenge
November
challenge results


Who is the gentleman at left, donating to the Salvation Army Christmas Dinner?

Click image to view a larger version.
Only a few of you correctly guessed the significance of this image! In 1892, before women had the right to vote in Washington state, voting booths were set up for women to vote on the state flower. Their choice was between the clover and the rhododendron, and more than 15,000 women cast a ballot in the election. Of course, the rhodie emerged as the winner. You can find out more about Washington's state symbols here.

An important anniversary
On Dec. 9, 2012, the first same-sex marriages took place in Washington. In honor of this historic anniversary, watch this video from Legacy Washington featuring Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins and Sen. Jamie Pedersen, two champions for marriage equality in the state Legislature.

Legacy Washington’s “Love, Equally” will open Feb. 14, 2023. The exhibit includes profiles of many LGBTQ-rights pioneers. Want a preview of the book? The Seattle Times recently printed Chief Historian John C. Hughes' chapter on Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer in Pacific NW Magazine.
America's first draft dodgers

In July 1864, seven men were arrested in Walla Walla County and indicted, charged with the crime of Failure to Comply with Enrollment Laws. In each case, the men had refused to give their names, places of residence, and ages to the duly appointed officer of the United States, Edwin Ells, or had interfered with Ells’s efforts to enroll the men of Walla Walla.

The cases were heard in the First Judicial District of the District Court of the United States. What law was being broken, and why? Find out in this article by Lee Pierce, Archivist at our Eastern Region Branch.
Prohibition ends
this month in 1933
Governor's holiday cards
On Dec. 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, ending the increasingly unpopular nationwide prohibition of alcohol.

This 1927 photo shows a "pouring party" (more of a smashing party) of liquor at the Chelan County Courthouse in Wenatchee.

Click on the image to enlarge.
Some of our favorite records from the Archives include holiday images and cards from governors and their families. Above is an image of Gov. Evans and family from 1968.

Other jolly holiday images include Gov. Rosellini's family in 1961, and Gov. Gardner's card from 1990.
All Washington State Archives branches are open to the public.

Appointments are highly recommended. Contact a certain branch for COVID protocols as they may vary.

Go here for more information, including how to contact each branch to set up an appointment.

Banner photo: Washington Street in Olympia decorated for the holidays,1931, by Vibert Jeffers, Susan Parish Photograph Collection, Washington State Archives [digitized image colorized by WSA].