Pacific Northwest History: Primary Sources on the Web
Overview
Many libraries, museums, and archives have digitized their historic documents and photographs and put them online in digital libraries. Here are some large collections relevant to the Pacific Northwest that you may want to explore.
This 1973 photograph, An Oregon Personalized License Plate, comes from the US National Archives via Flickr Commons. The US National Archives has an extensive collection of scanned historical documents and photographs on Flickr.
Online Digital Libraries Focusing on the PNW
This is a very preliminary list, and it will be growing. If you have suggestions, please let me know!
On the right: Seattle Taxicab Company Advertisement, 1911, from the University of Washington Digital Collections via Flickr Commons.
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Digital CollectionFrom the University of Washington, with scanned photographs, treaties, and reports.
- Columbia River Basin Ethnic History ArchiveMaps, documents, reports, newspapers, and more focusing on immigrant populations, including people identified as having African, Asian, European, or Latin American heritage, in the Columbia River Basin. This collection does not include Native American resources.
- Oregon DigitalDigital collections from University of Oregon and Oregon State.
- Oregonian -- Historical Backfile 1861-2018Contains archival, full text articles of the Oregonian from 1861 to 2018, presented in image format as they appeared in the newspaper.
Large Digital Libraries with PNW Content
Some large, national digital libraries have a great deal of content relevant to the Pacific Northwest. Here are just a few.
- Flickr CommonsFlickr Commons has scanned images, documents, manuscripts, maps, and more from libraries and archives around the world, including several in the Pacific Northwest.
- American Memory Project from the Library of CongressAmerican Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
- Chronicling America: Historic American NewspapersDigitized historic American newspapers pages from 1836-1922.