Educational Opportunities & Research
School and Private Tours
Learn more about Orcas Island history! Consider booking a guided tour of the Historical Museum facility and exhibit galleries for your school or private group. Please call (360) 376-4849 or email us at [email protected] for more information or to schedule a visit. (A fee may be charged per person).
Orcas History Through Its Newspapers Project
The Orcas Island Public Library and the Orcas Island Historical Museum have worked in partnership since 1997 to enhance public access to the invaluable information our San Juan County newspapers contain. Thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Orcas Island Community Foundation and a matching contribution of $3,000 given by the Library and Museum, a microfilm reader/printer was purchased. Generous community support generated through project fundraisers has financed the acquisition of the following local newspapers in the microfilm format:
- San Juan Islander (1891-1914)
- Friday Harbor Journal (1906-1981)
- Orcas Islander (1940-1963)
- Orcas Sounder (1965-1967)
- Orcas Island Booster (1967-1974)
- Islands’ Sounder (1974-2002)
- Island Record (1975-1983)
- Journal of the San Juans (1982-2000)
These reels of film are available at the Library (located at 500 Rose Street in Eastsound Village) for people to use in conjunction with the microfilm reader/printer for conducting genealogical, historical and general Orcas Island research.
Since the fall of 2001 volunteers have been indexing newspaper articles to identify Orcas historical references. The information gathered has been organized on the computer database at the Library according to subject, newspaper title, date and page. Anyone can access the compiled information from a computer by going to the Orcas Library’s web site at www.orcaslibrary.org.
- Once you have reached the Library’s homepage, click on “catalog.”
- Next click on the “Newspaper" tab.
- Type in a key word such as “orcas museum”, “crow valley school”, “historical day”, etc.
- The index should pull up all article references identified thus far relating to the particular subject.
To date, volunteers have indexed approximately 5,000 past and present articles.
Orcas Island Oral History Project
The Historical Museum maintains an extensive archive of oral histories of Orcas Island elders.
To date, volunteers have successfully documented fascinating stories shared by over 100 individuals. Interviews were initially recorded on soundscriber discs. Today interviews are taped on cassettes and eventually transcribed. Thirty elders, their photo portraits, and transcribed interviews are currently exhibited at the Historical Museum. These oral histories contain invaluable information regarding island life, and are excellent resources for individuals conducting Orcas Island research.
Research Opportunities & Photo Reproductions
The Historical Museum maintains numerous genealogical records regarding early Orcas families as well as topical files containing information about various aspects of island history. Our extensive photo collection contains images of many islanders, structures, landscapes and special events. Photo reproductions are available for a reasonable fee. To schedule a research appointment or to order photos, please call (360) 376-4849. (If unable to visit us, we can still help you. Contact us with your research request, and for $25/hour museum staff will research your query.)
