Week 27: July 6-12
July 6, 2017
On this day, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1661 into law, creating the state’s newest cabinet-level department. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) brought together early learning and child welfare services previously housed in separate agencies. The department would create more visibility for foster care and early learning services and bring the state closer to its goal of giving all Washington state children an equal opportunity to succeed in life.
July 7, 1936
On this day, Civilian Conservation Corps placed the final beam at an observation tower built atop the 2,409-foot Mount Constitution in Moran State Park on Orcas Island.
Starting in August 1935, a crew of 28 spent more than a year constructing the tower. Work was suspended for a month in January 1936, because of the intense cold and high winds. The “topping out” — placement of the final beam at the structure’s highest point — was celebrated on July 7, 1936, and the tower was completed later that year.
The tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
July 10, 1911
On this day, Rose B. Moore, State Organizer with the Women’s International Union Label League, began two months of work in Everett, helping to organize Everett’s women workers.
She spoke to a large crowd in Everett’s Labor Temple, stating that she hoped to accomplish two things: first, to begin bringing more women into the craft unions, and second, to build the membership of Everett’s Women’s Label League, a group that actively encouraged the purchase of union label goods. The Label League’s membership included working women, but most of its members were the wives, sisters, sweethearts, and friends of male laborers.
July 1942
In July 1942, the United Service Organizations (USO) formed in Pasco to serve soldiers stationed nearby. The club provided a snack bar, dancing, letter writing accouterments, bingo night, evenings of singing, and other recreation and social contact for these strangers to the town.
In 1944 the Pasco USO would become unusual in that the town began to successfully operate a racially integrated USO Club, one of the very few effectively integrated clubs in the nation.
This post is in partnership with HistoryLink, and Warren Seyler, former chairman Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Black Muse Resource Center, and the Living Arts Cultural Heritage.
We encourage you to engage in further research through your local historic societies, museums, archives, and community.
