Appendix H - Historical Archaeological and ... - CBP.gov

common in growing communities. Territorial legislation in both Washington and Idaho initiated
tax-supported public education and Washington’s Organic Law of 1853 reserved two sections of
land in each township to support schools (Schwantes, 1989:222-223).
Other social institutions evolved with the growth of communities. With limited entertainment
options, civic groups provided an opportunity for residents to come together outside of their
homes or places of work. Churches often became community centers, while public meeting halls
were often privately built or incorporated into the same space as organizations like the Grange or
local unions. Entertainment options varied from traveling chautauquas and circuses to
vaudeville shows in larger cities, while civic organizations, and particularly women’s clubs,
sponsored musical and cultural events and raised money to support of libraries, gardens, parks
and other civic improvements. Generally it was not until the 1880s that towns or other
government entities began to play a role in establishing public amenities like parks, playgrounds
and other recreational and social facilities. This mix of private and public responsibility for
social needs also extended to health care, where physicians developed practices and even small
infirmaries in their homes until public facilities, including hospitals, sanitariums, and
orphanages, were established.
Many of the social institutions that developed also reflected the Northwest’s multi-ethnic
population base. The wide range of environments within the Northwest contributed to cultural
diversity among the region’s Native populations, and that diversity continued as newcomers
from throughout the world made their way to Washington and Idaho. The mixed racial fur trade
communities introduced by the HBC gave way to new ethnic groups who came for labor or
agricultural opportunities. The railroads, in particular, fostered this diversity by hiring huge
crews of Chinese, and later Japanese, construction workers and then by promotional efforts in
many European countries to encourage immigration on their lines. Scandinavians formed the
largest incoming ethnic group, but Great Britain, Italy, and Russia also contributed significant
numbers who populated factories and farms between 1880 and 1920. Hispanic immigration also
occurred throughout these periods although most notable are large groups who were drawn to the
field of eastern Washington by labor shortages during World War II (Schwantes et al., 1988:70).
By 1900, 22 percent of Washington’s population was foreign born, and those numbers continued
to grow over the next few decades. Ethnic groups brought with them social and cultural
institutions that were often re-established in their new communities. As was the pattern
throughout the West, immigrants frequently settled together around their places of work.
Whether they included Italian railroad workers in Priest River, Idaho, German-Russian farmers
in Ritzville, Washington, or Chinese business owners in Seattle, these ethnic communities
developed their own social fabric that was a unique mix of age-old traditions and new practices.
Like the rest of the country, racism and nativism were present in the Northwest, resulting in
events like the expulsion of Chinese workers from coastal cities in the 1880s, segregated housing
for Blacks in many cities, and the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II, but
generally the region has recognized and tried to preserve the unique values of diversity
(Schwantes, 1989:186).
Northern Border Activities H-126 July 2012