Washington Women's History Consortium

Women's History Consortium Collections


Washington State Archives


Collections

Additional Materials

  • Women's Rights historical documents
    • A collection of documents on women's rights in Washington from 1884-1915. From the "Journeys of the Past" publication. Includes a chronology of the fight for suffrage in Washington state, as well as court documents, petitions, lecture bills, and letters.
  • Voices of the Pioneers
    • A Spokane Public Library oral history collection hosted by Digital Archives. Typing in the search term "women" brings up segments of the oral history interviews about women.

Finding Aids

  • Governor Dixy Lee Ray, Women's Issues 1974-1980
    • Files on the Interagency Committee on the Status of Women, affirmative action reports, and files on Minority Women's Business Enterprise. Arranged by subject. Subjects include equal employment, comparable worth, appointments, legislation, surveys, reports, and correspondence.
  • Women in the Washington State Legislature - Oral History Project 1912-1981
    • Audio tapes, slides and transcripts of interviews with women who served in the Washington State Legislature. Includes interviews with Mary Kay Becker, Jeanette Berleen, Joanne Brekke, Nancy Buffington, Ellen Craswell, Katherine Epton, Phyllis Erickson, Helen Fancher, Mary Farquharson, Lady Willie Forbus, Shirley Galloway, Marion Gleason, Sue Gould, Barbara Granlund, Audrey Gruger, Shirley Hankins, Julia Butler Hansen, Mildred Henry, Joan Houchen, Margaret Hurley, Doris Johnson, Mrs. Vincent Jones, Eleanor Lee, Margaret Leonard, Mary Lux, Catherine May, Mary Ellen McCaffree, Francis North, Blanche Pennick, Nita Rinehart, Nancy Rust, Karen Schmidt, Marian Sherman, Helen Sommers, Lois Stratton, Frances Swayze, Delores Teutsch, and Shirley Winsley. Donated to the Washington State Archives by Kathryn Hinsch, Project Director. Transcribed by the Washington State Legislative Oral History Project.
  • Attorney General, Case Files, Comparable Worth 1960-1998
    • Files on the case of AFSCME v. State on the issue of comparable worth (comparable pay for women). Includes case files from the U.S. District Court and U.S. of Appeals, 9th Circuit, proposals by the state for settlement, and documentation of the implementation program.
  • Attorney General, Case Files, Human Rights Commission and OMWBE 1970-1987
    • Case files, depositions, exhibits and other documentation of cases involving the Human Rights Commission and the Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises.
  • State Institutions, Women's Industrial Home and Clinic, Inmate Records 1920-1921. 1 volume.
    • Inmate register recording data on women admitted into the home. Shows date of receipt, name of magistrate, court, name and race of inmate, parents' names and occupations, residence, nativity, education, habits, religion, age, offense, and state of health. Arranged chronologically.
  • Higher Education Coordinating Board, Displaced Homemaker Program 1985-1999
    • Meeting files, issue files, correspondence, subject files, studies, reports and other materials on programs to help displaced homemakers in institutions of higher education. Includes files on Displace Homemaker Centers.
  • Department of Veterans' Affairs, Orting Soldiers' Home, Women's Relief Corps Minutes 1910-1938. 2 volumes.
    • The Women's Relief Corps was an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic. These are minutes of the meetings of the Fort Lawton Corps number 28, held at Orting. Arranged chronologically.
  • Women's Council, Minutes 1971-1978.
    • Minutes of meetings, agendas, hearing minutes, and related correspondence concerning issues addressed by the Council.
  • Women's Council, General Correspondence and Subject Files 1963-1978.
    • Files pertaining to issues addressed by the Council, including legal rights, prostitution, rape, women's status, abortion, child care, and education. Also includes reports and studies of the impact and accomplishments of the Council, and the Council’s Final Report.
  • Corrections Department, Women's Correctional Center (Purdy), Administrative Files 1977-1990.
    • Administrative subject and correspondence files pertaining to the operation of the women's prison. Includes reference files and policy files concerning administrative segregation, administrative team, affirmative action, censorship, classification, escapes, conjugal visits, filings from Corrections Dept. headquarters, discipline, EMIT drug assay, early release, use of force, inmate council, inmate grievances, inmate rights, "K-9 Program," monthly reports, newspaper clippings, parole, population counts, pre-release, prison gangs, religious freedom, riots, Sentencing Reform Act, sex offenders, strip searches, work release, and other subjects. Arranged alphabetically by subject.
  • Licensing Department, Women in State Government, Meeting Files and Correspondence 1988-1990.
    • Meeting files and correspondence pertaining to the activities of the organization, Women Executives in State Government. Arranged chronologically.
  • Commission on the Status of Women, Minutes 1963-1970.
    • A commission appointed by Governor Albert Rosellini to consider equal rights and problems special to the status of women in industry and society. The forerunner of the Women's Council. Minutes of meetings of the Committee. Subjects discussed include equal rights, sex discrimination, and women's movements. Arranged chronologically.
  • Interagency Commission on State Employed Women, General Files and Slides 1963-1992.
    • A commission appointed by Governor Albert Rosellini to consider equal rights and problems special to the status of women in industry and society. The forerunner of the Women's Council. Minutes of meetings of the Committee. Subjects discussed include equal rights, sex discrimination, and women's movements. Arranged chronologically.
  • Women's Suffrage Collection 1884-1920.
    • Copies of governors' correspondence, laws and court cases dealing with women's suffrage.