New status for Old Main

New status for Old Main

The City of Lacey Historical Commission will consider the nomination of Old Main Building on the campus of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey to the National Register of Historic Places at its September 17, 2014 meeting. The meeting will be held in Lacey City Hall, 420 College Street SE in Lacey beginning at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend and comment on the nomination. Old Main was constructed

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Who’s the newest Lacey Historical Commissioner?

Who’s the newest Lacey Historical Commissioner?

As of Thursday, August 14, yours truly is the newest member of the Lacey Historical Commission. My father had made me aware of the volunteer opportunity after he saw it advertised in the Olympian and I knew I couldn’t pass up a chance to be part of it! I filled out the application on the City of Lacey’s website and got a call three weeks later from Lori Flemm, the

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Gravel to golf: The Chambers Bay story

Gravel to golf: The Chambers Bay story

In June, Chambers Bay Golf Course in Pierce County will join the ranks of such prestigious courses as Pebble Beach, Bethpage, Marian, and Pinehurst, among others. At these courses, some of the greatest players ever to walk the links made U.S. Open History. Chambers Bay is poised to become the next great field of champions. But unlike the other courses, whose golf history goes back generations, Chambers Bay is a

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Pateros will rebuild. They’ve done it before.

Pateros will rebuild. They’ve done it before.

And so have Brewster, Twisp, Malott, and Methow, just to name a few of the resilient communities within north-central Washington. As the Carlton Complex of fires continues to ravage the dry, rolling hills along the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers between Wenatchee and Omak, it can be easy to succumb to the notion that all is lost forever in the wasteland that is still only 50-percent contained. However, these communities of

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2014 Darwin Award winners from Washington

2014 Darwin Award winners from Washington

I’m not sure if I’m happy or embarrassed about this designation, but a friend of mine forwarded me the list of the top six vote-getters for the 2014 Darwin Awards. If you don’t know what the Darwin Awards are, please visit their website and prepare to waste several hours reading through the page-turning impossible-but-true stories. In short, “the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the

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Remembering Bud Holland. He flew B-52s.

Remembering Bud Holland. He flew B-52s.

Today is June 24, 2014. It was on this date twenty years ago that my next-door neighbor crashed one of the biggest, most powerful aircraft ever built into near a nuclear storage facility, leaving his kids fatherless and his wife a widow. With more than 5,000 flight hours under his belt, U.S. Air Force Colonel Bud Holland took his last flight on this day in 1994.

Staying a night at the Sunset Beach Hotel

Staying a night at the Sunset Beach Hotel

There have always been references to the famed Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet that I’ve run across while researching Washington State history. The entrepreneurial spirit that gave birth to the fleet in the 1850s is part of what makes Washington such a fascinating place. From the 1850s through the 1920s, it was said there were so many steam ships racing around the Sound that it looked like a swarm of mosquitos.

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Test your knowledge of WA cities!

Test your knowledge of WA cities!

From January 1 through February 16, 2014, I asked a simple question each day on Twitter and on the website. True Washingtonians should already know the answers, and those who want to learn more about the state they call home can try their best and see just how Washington they are! Good luck…you’ll learn something new. I guarantee it!

Hidden history in Ferry County

Hidden history in Ferry County

It probably won’t be your first choice for a Washington state park family vacation. It might not even be in your top 100. However the Ranald MacDonald Grave Heritage Area definitely warrants a visit if you find yourself traveling near the U.S.-Canadian border in Ferry County. Ranald MacDonald’s gravesite is located in a Native American cemetery just off County Highway 501/Customs Road overlooking the Kettle River. Dubbed “the smallest state

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