Course Information
2008 Regional Tour - The History and Growth of Washington Economies
Day 1 - The Dalles
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
We began the tour at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, where we learned about the history of the Columbia Gorge area.
In the afternoon, a U.S. Army Corp Ranger told us about the history of The Dalles Dam and its water power capacity, and gave us a tour of the Dam and the lands surrounding it along the Columbia River.
Day 2 - Zillah and Ellensburg
On Friday, we visited a family winery in the Rattlesnake Hills that, like many other farms in the region, made the transition from fruit orchards to winery.
Puget Sound Energy's Renewable Energy Center talked to our group about the use of wind energy in the region and took us on a tour of the wind turbines.
Day 3 - Seattle and Mukilteo
Museum of History and Industry
We loved our tour of the interactive exhibits on Seattle's history. Martha Lindsey, Education Manager, told us to check out The Seattle Times special project 150 Years: Seattle By and By.
Cass O'Callaghan, treasurer of the Ballard Historical Society, gave us a walking tour of one of the oldest and busiest districts in the Seattle area, pointing out sites in the Ballard Historic District and discussing the old shingle and fishing industries. She ended the tour with these wise words: "There is so much more history in Ballard and so much more to see. This is just a snapshot. It is still partly commercial, partly residential and partly light industry. Every time I walk down these streets I notice something new. The immense new construction touts the history of Ballard in their marketing. It's a community of buildings locked in time due to the foresight and determination of individuals in the 70s. May we all continue the endeavor to learn our histories."
In answer to a question from one of our group, Cass kindly found the boundaries and statistics below:
Ballard's population (est. 2008) is 45,000.
The boundaries are from the Ballard District (used for the population counts):
North - NW 110th St
South - Lake Washington Ship Canal
East - 8th Ave NW
West - Seaview Ave (Shilshoe Bay, Golden Gardens)
Ballard encompasses the neighborhoods of Olympic Manor, Blue Ridge, North Beach, Crownhill, Whittier Heights, Loyal Heights, East Ballard, Central Ballard and Sunset Hill.
Boeing's Future of Flight Aviation Center
Unfortunately, we did not get to tour of the factory due to the labor dispute, but we did learn about the history of the Boeing company and how it grew out of World War II and the Cold War economies.
Day 4 - Seattle and Tacoma
Klondike Gold Rush National Park - Seattle Unit
This museum, near Pioneer Square in Seattle, explores the Klondike Gold Rush and how it changed Seattle. Check out the park's two Teaching with Historic Places modules online: Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits the Klondike Gold Rush and Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike.
Access Thomas Edison's footage of Seattle during the Gold Rush from the Library of Congress's American Memory project.
The University of Washington's Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest has an online lesson on the Klondike Gold Rush, which includes transcriptions of primary sources.
We ended our tour at the LeMay Museum, originally Harold LeMay's (the founder of LeMay, Inc., refuse and recycle removal companies) personal car collection.
