Battleship Fleet Illuminated, photographed by Asahel Curtis. Source: Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows, 1908-1939.

This collection includes 256 glass lantern slides taken between 1908 and 1939, and commissioned or purchased by the Washington State Department of Conservation and Development. These hand painted glass lantern slides were used in slide shows to promote tourism and immigration in Washington. Images show the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the Columbia Basin Project, the benefits of irrigation and water projects to Washington State, building projects, hotels, garages, dams, fishing and recreational activities, transportation facilities, shipwrecks, and scenic views of forests and rivers. The majority of images in this collection were taken by Asahel Curtis, Charles A. Libby and Sons, or Delong & Drake. You can view this and other photographs in the Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows, 1908-1939.

Digitization, cataloging, and description by Mary Hammer