Yakima Valley Museum: Treasures of the Washington State Historical Society (2003)

Treasures from the Washington State Historical Society
October 11, 2002- May 1, 2003

Canoe Model
Feast Bowl
Early 1900s
Typical carvings of the Northwest Coastal Native Americans, who continue to demonstrate their skills in woodcarvings depicting important aspects of their culture

Bella Coola Mask
c1850
Made by the Port Madison Indians along the Pacific Northwest coast
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Gilstrap to the Washington State Historical Society in 1989

Wooden Storage Box
Northern Northwest Coastal Native American
c1865-1900
Gift of C. Arthur Foss to the Washington State Historical Society in 1915

Basketry Hat
Attributed to the Pacific Northwest Eskimo
c1850-1880
Typical spruce root hat decorated with beads, dentalium, glass, and paint.
Acquired by the Washington State Historical Society in early 1900s

Brick
From the Spanish Fort located at Neah Bay, Washington
1792
This piece represents the rich Washington State Historical Society collections documenting one of the first permanent settlements by Europeans in area that eventually became Washington State.
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Gilstrap to the Washington State Historical Society in 1989

Archaeological Finds
Glass Decanter, Ceramic Wash Basin
Site of Fort Nisqually, Dupont, Washington
These items were all excavated in 1995 at the site of Fort Nisqually, which was originally built in the early 1800s. These various pieces are valuable in helping researchers learn more about the life of the people who lived at the Fort during the mid-1800s.
Gift of the Weyerhaeuser Company to the Washington State Historical Society in 1995

Flint knapped Stone Point
Paleolithic Era, 9,000 BC to 10,000 BC
Also known as a Clovis Point, this item was used by peoples of the earliest documented human culture that lived in the Pacific Northwest.
Gift of Mack & Susan Richey to the Washington State Historical Society in 1992

Chair with Rawhide Seat
1854
This chair is one of a set of four matching chairs used in the Washington Territorial Legislature prior to Washington becoming a state in 1889.
Gift of James & Lovina Yates to the Washington State Historical Society in 2001

Sword and Scabbard
Isaac Stevens was appointed the first Territorial Governor of Washington in 1853. He left Washington to serve as a United States Army officer in the Civil War, and while carrying this sword was killed at the Battle of Chantilly on September 1, 1862.
Gift of Hazard Stevens to the Washington State Historical Society in 1918

Desk
1852-1853
Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who was appointed to be the first territorial governor of Washington in1853, used this desk.
Purchased by the Washington State Historical Society from the Washington State Library in 1914

Rainier Brewing Company Costume
c1975
This beer bottle costume was used in a popular and very successful advertising campaign in the 1970s to promote sales of Washington State's Rainier Beer. The costume transformed the person who wore it into the Dancing Rainier.
Gift of the Stroh Companies to the Washington State Historical Society in 1999

Rainier Beer Advertising Piece
1950-1990
An advertising display piece, made of plaster and in the shape of the Rainier Brewing Company Brewmaster
Gift of the Stroh Companies to the Washington State Historical Society in 1999

Mt. Tacoma Looking Up The Puyallup River From A Point Near The Tacoma Academy, Tacoma City, W. T.
Oil on Canvas, 1889
James Everett Stuart, Artist
This painting was completed shortly before Washington became a state in 1889. It bears the original name of Mt. Rainier, which was Mt. Tacoma.
Gift of Clinton P. Ferry to the Washington State Historical Society in 1895

Motorcycle
1917
Manufactured by the Indian Motorcycle Company and purchased by Stanton Griggs of Tacoma in 1917. It was stored during Stanton's subsequent service in World War I, and was, therefore, especially important to Griggs when he returned safely after the war.
Gift of Stanton Griggs and his mother, Mrs. Herbert Griggs, to the Washington State Historical Society in about 1945

Chief Seattle
Plaster and wood sculpture
James A. Wehn, artist
c1910-1950
A bust of the Indian Chief Seattle, the man for whom the City of Seattle is named
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. James A. Wehn to the Washington State Historical Society in 1973

Gavel
1909
This ornamental gavel was made of wood taken from the first US Navy ship, the frigate USS Constellation. It was created for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, which was held in Seattle in 1909, and given to the donor for her exemplary sales of United States Treasury Bonds.
Gift of Reno Odlin and Beatrice Odlin to the Washington State Historical Society in 1960

Ship's Compass
c1942
This navigational compass was originally installed aboard the ship Kingston Victory, which was one of the Us Navy's reserve fleet vessels based in Olympia, Washington during World War II.
Gift of the United States Government to the Washington State Historical Society in 1972

Emily Ferry’s Sled
Emily Ferry was the daughter of Elisha Peyre Ferry, the only individual to serve as both the Governor of the Washington Territory (1872-1880) and the Governor of the State of Washington (1889-1893). He was the first state governor, and Ferry County, Washington is named after him.
Gift of Emily Ferry’s descendents to the Washington State Historical Society in 1982

Evening Gown and Cape
1950-52
Worn by Evelyn Langlie, the wife of Governor Arthur Langlie, at the Inaugural Ball following his election as the Governor of the State of Washington in the 1952 elections
Gift of Evelyn Langlie to the Washington State Historical Society in 1985

Double Barreled Shotgun
1850s
Lyman Cutler, an American citizen, used this weapon on San Juan Island in 1859 to kill a pig who had feasted on his bed of potatoes, leaving "nary a tater to tell the tale". Unfortunately, Charles J. Griffin, a British citizen with strong connections to the powerful Hudson's Bay Company, owned the pig. The incident contributed to considerable unrest over the boundary between the United States and Canada, and the resulting "war of words" is often called the Pig War. Ultimately, the entire boundary dispute, however, was settled peacefully.
Gift of Benjamin F. Thomas to the Washington State Historical Society in 1928