Historically, two of the important elements of Washington’s economy have been farming and fishing. The displays in the Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma present information on both of the activities.
Shown above is a model of a steam tractor, an important development in commercial farming.
Shown above is a grooming kit used for keeping the horses in good shape.
Shown above is a gasoline can. The early combines used both horses and internal combustion engines.
Shown above is horse tack.
Shown above is a smudge pot. Smokey fires in the smudge pots helped prevent the apple crops from freezing when the weather turned cold.
Apex Packing
For thousands of years, American Indians living along the Columbia River had harvested the abundant salmon. With industrialization, fish canneries now allowed the harvested salmon to be sold throughout the world. Fisherman were paid by the pound, while laborers who worked in the cannery were paid from $4.00 per day (semi-skilled while workers) to $1.50 per day (skilled Chinese workers).
Many of the workers in the salmon canneries were Chinese.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum displays. More from this series:
Museums 101: Japanese glass fishing floats (photo diary)
Museums 101: A homestead kitchen (photo diary)
Museums 101: Wenatchee General Store (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Great Northern Model Railway Diorama (photo diary)
Museums 101: Lewis and Clark through paintings (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Museum of Glass (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Little Black Dress after 1950 (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Sacajawea Museum (Photo Diary)