Research Success Story: The 1885 Winlock Band

It’s been ages since we’ve featured one of our Newspaper Gems, but in celebration of the 4th of July we thought we’d combine that feature along with a Research Success Story.  Frequently librarians don’t get to see the full stories behind the diligent research pursued here at the State Library.  But sometimes one of our patrons will surprise us with a picture or a finished research paper that helps us understand the great discoveries just waiting in our collections for someone to uncover them.  We hope that we can share more of these stories with you in the future.

Today’s story features Jill, who contacted us with a problem.  She had in her possession a picture of a small brass band in front of a wooden building that was labeled, “Winlock Band, Centralia W.T., July 4, 1885.”  She wondered how this picture related to her ancestor, John T. Burgess, a noted musician and businessman who died in Montana in 1896.  John had a colorful personal life and had been linked to a number of other musical groups, but what was he doing at the time this picture was taken?  What was his role in the Winlock Band?

Librarian Mary thought that a local paper from Centralia might have some description of the 4th of July activities, but wasn’t sure if the Winlock Band would be described in enough detail to be helpful in Jill’s search.  But Mary hit the mother lode in the July 11, 1895 Chehalis Nugget.  The paper not only described the 109th Anniversary of Independence festivities in detail (down to the ladies who were costumed to represent various qualities of Liberty and individual States of the Union), but it also listed the names of members of the Winlock Band.  The first name to appear was “John Burgess (leader).”  The Chehalis Nugget answered Jill’s question about her ancestor’s role in the Winlock Band decisively.  Click here to read the account from the Nugget.

Mary was delighted to receive an envelope from Jill less than a week later which contained a letter of thanks as well as a copy of the picture of John T. Burgess and the Winlock Band on that 4th of July in Centralia so long ago.  John is the first person on the left in the top row, wearing a top hat.  If anyone can definitely match another of the names listed in the Nugget to the band members in the picture, please let us know!  We’d love to put more names with faces.

We’re very grateful to Jill for both the picture and the permission to share her Research Success Story here.  Thanks, Jill!

Have a safe and happy Independence Day, everyone!

Newspaper Gems: First Apple Cup

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here at the State Library, we’re thankful for a lot of things, including football and especially The Apple Cup.  This weekend marks the 100th meeting of the University of Washington and Washington State University (at that time the Washington Agricultural College).  The teams first met on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1900 on Denny Field at the UW campus.

The Seattle Times has already posted a great article about their game day coverage from 1900.  Hopefully the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will get around to posting theirs as well; there’s some great stuff in the P-I but unfortunately our microfilm is pretty poor quality for that day.   We were able to capture their profile of the two team captains the day before, but the P-I also had team photos and lots of coverage of the game on the day after that just don’t reproduce well from the film.  Their coverage included the observation that “in the main grand stand was rank on rank of pretty girls, chiefly university coeds, with the omnipresent male escort.”  Also of note was the fact that the rival teams attended an evening of musical entertainment at the Grand Opera that same night.  “Several of the players who presented a battered appearance were kept carefully in the background by their comrades.”

The coverage from the December 1, 1900 Pullman Herald was concise and to the point, opining that while the game was officially a tie,  the game was dominated by the Aggies.  The wordy University of Washington newspaper “The Pacific Wave” (forerunner to The Daily) had exhaustive coverage in its December 7th edition; live bloggers had nothing on this sports writer.  The comparison to early football to rugby is apt.  The Pacific Wave details a number of injuries, and all the papers describe the muddy, rainy conditions (with the Herald noting that because of the rain “every fumble was excusable”).

Happy reading!  And if this whets your appetite for more football reading, check out the large number of books on that topic in our collection.

Newspaper Gem Mystery

Mr. Henry Smoot has a problem. According to him, modern clothing “accentuates disease and is responsible for the downfall of many young girls and boys.” The styles today must also “surely be one of the contributing causes to delinquency.” Only with the introduction of more modest styles does Smoot think this problem might be overcome.

Hmm. This issue sounds vaguely familiar.

But obviously this article wasn’t written recently. What year did this article appear in the November 2 Bellingham Herald?

Would you like a hint? Here are some examples of the styles that Mr. Smoot objected to. You can also click here to find out more about dress reform.

Newspaper Gems: Labor Day, 1894

The first national Labor Day was celebrated in Washington on September 3, 1894.  Ordinarily a parade would mark this day of rest for Union workers, but Seattle opted to forgo the parade and replace it with a Tug-of-War contest and field day festivities.  The first team was comprised of sailors, including a large number of “Swedes” and “Pete Burns, a herculean sailor” whose role was anchorman.  The second team was comprised of longshoremen, including “Lynch, a brawny son of Erin’s Isle” who was also anchorman for his side.  During the epic 36 minute struggle, pullers were encouraged by the crowd, who yelled such things as “‘Pull hard, Ole, or you’ll lose your yob,’ and other like expressions.”  Afterwards, the crowd listened to a short speech on “labor affairs” and then participated in various field contests, picnicking, and dancing.  Among the many game winners, Mr. G.H. Howard won one pair of gold cuff links in the “high kicking” contest, and Millie Norrington won a piano lamp in the “ladies egg race.”

Who knew that Labor Day had such an old and storied history?  Enjoy your three day weekend!

• Newspaper coverage of Labor Day from the September 4, 1894 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
• History of Labor Day from Wikipedia
• United States Tug of War Association

Newspaper Gem: Pike Place Market 2

The week-long festivities celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Pike Place Market are beginning in earnest this weekend.  We’ve previously featured the newspaper coverage from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer 100 years ago, and the Seattle Times posted their front page from August 18, 1907 as well.  We went digging a bit further and found evidence that in addition to being a conduit for fresh edibles, the Market was also initially seen as a cheaper alternative to the high prices seen on “Western Avenue.”  Witness this editorial cartoon from the Seattle Times-Bulletin (no relation to the current Times), where Mr. Consumer rides his horse past the Western Avenue Commission Hog to market.  The Argus newspaper included an editorial over the “hot air” about increased prices, which ends up sounding pro-capitalism.  And The Seattle Star had the most gleeful coverage of the apparent low prices.  Unfortunately, as is the case with microfilm sometimes, our copy isn’t very legible.  We’ve transcribed most of article after the jump for those who are interested; hucksters and extortion feature prominently!

Happy 100th, Pike Place Market!  And don’t forget, according to recent research, farmer’s markets are still cheaper than your local grocery store!

Newspaper Gem: Attention Weak Men

Late last year we used Newspaper Gems to profile an ad for “Mother’s Friend,” an early patent medicine of dubious merit.  But good news, men: medical quackery isn’t just for women anymore! 

“The Dr. Sanden Electric Belt is a complete galvanic battery, made into a belt so as to be easily worn during work or at rest, and it gives soothing, proglonged currents which are instantly felt throughout all weak parts, or we forfeit $5000“   [Seattle Post Intelligencer, November 5, 1892]

We’re not so sure which is more frightening, the idea of giving ourselves electrical shocks to cure our various maladies (”general ill health” for example), or the detailed diagram of this frightening gadget.

Alas, we are not the first ones to spot this disturbing testament to human ingenuity.  Here’s another advertisement for Dr. Sanden’s Electric Belt, courtesy of the San Francsico Call newspaper, and here’s one from the Manitoba Free Press (with the additional bonus of links to Victorian predictions of the future!)

Newspaper Gems: Women Drivers

So far, time has flown by this spring; it’s been a long time since we last posted, and it’s been even longer since we’ve posted a Newspaper Gem: an article of particular interest/significance/silliness which catches our eye while we dig through our collections of microfilm and print journals.  Today’s Gems come from two separate issues of “Western Washington Motorist,” the monthly publication of the Automobile Club of Western Washington (today’s AAA).

In the Spring and Summer of 1920, Motorist turned its attention to women drivers.  Yes, long before Meadow Soprano had trouble with parallel parking and lazy comedians relied on “women drive like this, men drive like this” jokes, women across the county were being encouraged to drive.  “Twenty Reasons Women Should Motor,” published in the May 1920 issue details some of the benefits of daily automobile use for ladies.  The article even breaks it down for “Women of the Metropolis” and “The Countryside Wife.”

More subtle encouragement can be found in “Traffic Squad Likes Feminine Drivers,” published in the July “Western Washington Motorist.”  Obvious ladies man and Seattle Traffic Officer Dan Peterson was interviewed by the smitten lady-author to find out his attitude towards women drivers.  Says Officer Peterson,

“I have to handle these new women drivers with kid gloves, when I speak to them…Otherwise, they get excited and are apt to step on the gas instead of the brake and kill a few people.  However, on the whole I treat the public all alike, showing no difference between the men and women.”

While we attempt to wrap our brains around that bit of logic, you might want to check out the rest of the article.  Obviously Officer Peterson has some kind things to say about women drivers for the author to wrap up her article by saying,

“If all the traffic officers would attend to their work with the kind of smile that Dan Peterson wears, driving in the busy parts of the city wouldn’t be the nerve strain that it now is.”