collections

The Ellensburg Public Library's Local History Collection and Archives consists of nearly 7,000 historical photographs covering a wide variety of subjects. The photographs in the collections have been donated to or purchased for the library. Many of the photographs are copies from Kittitas Valley residents' personal collections.

Fred L. Breckon Historic Portraits Collection
The Fred L. Breckon Historic Portraits Collection consists of 13 albums containing nearly 1,300 photographs taken between 1941 and 1966. Fred Breckon (1883-1971) discovered his passion for photography as a young man during a camping trip through Yellowstone National Park in 1906. Arriving in Ellensburg in 1924 as the newly hired City Engineer, Fred continued photographing points of interest in the Pacific Northwest. In 1941, he began a photography project that lasted for the next 25 years. Fred photographed nearly 1,300 men and women in Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley. Many of these people were very early pioneers and their children who had lived in the area since the 1870s. Fred Breckon added informative biographical information of each person in the photographs. His contribution to the visual and biographical history of the Kittitas Valley is extremely valuable. This digital online collection contains only the first 400 photographs from the Breckon Collection. The Ellensburg Public Library's Local History Collections will continue to add more Breckon Photographs in the future.

Historic Transportation Photograph Collection
The Historic Transportation Photograph Collection at the Ellensburg Public Library consists of 475 photographs depicting many modes of early transportation throughout the Kittitas County and Central Washington. Travel by foot or horseback was the primary means of transportation for the region's earliest miners, cattlemen, and U. S. Army surveyors. As the first pioneers arrived by covered wagon, stagecoach or river steamer, a need for better trails and simple roads was recognized. Before the mid 1880s, traveling across the territory was difficult and slow. With the advent of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1884-1886, life changed tremendously for citizens of Kittitas County. The Transportation Photograph Collection shows a visual progression of the advancements in means of travel. The collection depicts horses and wagons, stagecoaches, river steamers, railroad trains, early automobiles, crude motorcycles and lastly, airplanes.

Kittitas Valley Crossroads Collection
The Kittitas Valley Crossroads Collection contains 175 photographs depicting Indian life in Ellensburg and the surrounding area. Most of the photographs were taken of the Native Americans from Eastern Washington, Idaho and Northern Oregon. As Kittitas Valley is the geographical center of Washington state, Native Americans crossed the valley traveling north, south, east and west for the last 7,000 years. The Kittitas Valley was the meeting site for thousands of Northwest Indians at the famous Che-lo-han grounds. The photograph collection also contains several images taken by early photographers Lee Moorhouse and Eli E. James.

Ida Nason Collection
The Ida Nason Collection consists of over 150 historical photographs of Ida Nason's life, family, home and Native American handicrafts. Ida Joseph was born near Cashmere, Washington in 1888. She moved to the Kittitas Valley as a child to live with her grandmother, a daughter of the famous Chief Owhi. Ida married John Nason and raised a large family on their ranch on Nanum Creek north of Ellensburg, Washington. After Ida's husband died, she married Tony Aronica. Ida was instrumental in preserving her Native American heritage and culture. Many of her hand-woven baskets and beaded items are on loan to the Kittitas County Historical Museum. Ida Nason died in 1992 at the age of 103 years. Her legacy will live on in the Kittitas Valley.

Rodeo Collection
The Ellensburg Rodeo Collection contains 170 photographs dating from the early 1920s to the mid 1960s, The Ellensburg Rodeo, one of the top 25 rodeos in the United States, plays a key role in the unique western lifestyle of many of the residents in Kittitas County. The rodeo photograph collection portrays many aspects of rodeo life and activities.

For more information about the Ellensburg Rodeo, visit the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame site.

site

Ellensburg Heritage is a project of Washington Rural Heritage, a collection of historically significant materials residing in cultural institutions and private collections throughout Washington State. The collection includes photographs, documents, and artifacts which tell the stories of Washington's small and rural communities.

library

The Ellensburg Public Library, serving an area of 17,080 residents and 36,000 residents county-wide, has a collection of 60,000 books and periodicals, 6,500 audio-visual items and computer workstations available for use by the general public. The Ellensburg Carnegie Public Library first opened its doors in January 1910, and has been a vital part of the lives of city and county residents ever since. Located in the center of Washington State, the library serves visitors from around the nation and world to fulfill their library needs. The Local History Collection and Archives was created during the 1970s as a way to preserve the local and county heritage. The Local History Collection has become a unique collection of materials and photographs used daily by historical and genealogical researchers.

additional resources

rural heritage sites