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Posts categorized under Seattle Municipal Archives, Author at Primary Sources

20 Years Ago: Goats at Work

“Goats to Munch on Invasive Plants at York Park!” was the headline of a 2005 media advisory from the Department of Parks and Recreation. The text went on to explain that the goats’ lunch would help clear ground for a new park on the site of a former City Light… [ Keep reading ]

December Find of the Month: Letters to Lt. Stetson

Along with correspondence about Fire Department business, Fire Chief Frank Stetson’s files also include copies of letters to his son Horatio, who was serving in World War I. The younger Stetson had previously been posted in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and at the Mexican border with the Washington… [ Keep reading ]

Newly Processed: Ballard Neighborhood District Coordinator Records

The Ballard Neighborhood District Coordinator Records (Record Series 5752-16) are now available for use in our research room. The records date from 1974 to 2016 and include meeting minutes, reports, correspondence, and notes relating to the activities of Ballard District Coordinator Rob Mattson. Each of Seattle’s 13 neighborhood districts had… [ Keep reading ]

World Digital Preservation Day

Happy World Digital Preservation Day, everybody! Whether it be all those pictures and videos on your phone, important tax documents, papers you’ve written for school, or for us at the archives, alllllll of those many thousands of digital objects in our holdings – today is a great day to think… [ Keep reading ]

November Find of the Month: Fake Willy

Wildlife managers at the Ballard Locks have long been vexed by sea lions hanging around the fish ladder and eating migrating salmon. A file in Department of Neighborhoods records reveals one unique approach to the problem in the 1990s – Fake Willy. KISW radio personality Bob Rivers promoted the idea… [ Keep reading ]

New Views from the Vault: 1934 Bathing Suit Law

Our latest Views from the Vault video dives into swimwear regulations from the 1930s. In a letter to the Seattle Park Board president, the sporting goods manager for the University Bookstore complained that men were required to wear full bathing suits on public beaches rather than the swimming trunks that… [ Keep reading ]