Washington State University recently released a second volume to further educate Washington students about their state history.
The new volume, called Washington State: The Inaugural Decade, 1889–1899, continues the regional history begun in the Washington Territory, published by WSU Press in 2002 and used to educate students about the territorial years.
The sequel begins in November 1889, when Washington—70,000 square miles brimming with timber, rich farmland, and salmon—finally entered the Union.
Issaquah resident and historian Robert E. Ficken relates how the ensuing turbulent years laid the foundation for the next century and beyond, allowing readers to recognize common themes between the new Union entrant and the state today—a place that continues to witness modern stock market crashes, the influence of special interest groups on legislators, concern over criminal activity, economic dependence on a few prominent industries, competition from cheap imports, and vast differences of opinion between residents east and west of the Cascades.
And like those before them, current Washingtonians must still specify whether they mean the state or the federal capital.
Following inauguration, citizens began to exploit the infant state’s seemingly limitless natural resources, heralding a time of modest prosperity. Those initial years were also characterized by a population explosion that defined the major urban centers, yet also strained government funds at the city, county, and state levels.
The Panic of 1893, followed by four long years of depression, revealed vast corruption, spurred even greater debt, and escalated dependence on both federal and foreign capital. Finally, the suffering eased as fiscally responsible decisions made by the Populist legislature restored confidence.
Outside investors returned, and the Klondike gold rush brought renewed opportunity and wealth to the Pacific Northwest. By the end of its first decade, as the United States gained power across the Pacific in the aftermath of the War with Spain, Washington stood poised to take full advantage of the developing trade relationship with Asia.
The volume is available at bookstores or can be ordered directly from WSU Press either online at wsupress.wsu.edu or by calling 1-800-354-7360.
