Roslyn Heritage

About This Collection

Roslyn Heritage is a project of Washington Rural Heritage, a collection of historically significant materials residing in libraries, heritage 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.

Roslyn miner feeding chipmunk, 1962.
Frank Badda Collection.

The Roslyn Heritage Collection tells a portion of the story of the settling of Roslyn and the surrounding area. It offers a glimpse into the pioneer way of life of our founding families who settled here in the mountains, near a swift river, in the sandy pines, on top of a great seam of high-quality coal, and made a lasting home.

Subcollections

Coal Mining Lectures

The seven lectures in this collection were presented at the Roslyn Library in 2001-2002 by Mr. David Browitt as a series on the history of coal mining in the Roslyn area from its discovery in the 1880s to the closing of the Number 9 Mine in December, 1963. The first lecture in the eight-part series was never recorded.

Early Roslyn Photographs Collection

Images from this collection were taken during the early days of Roslyn's founding and development. A portion of the material orginates from local private collections donated to the Roslyn Public Library. Also included is a collection of images which were originally photographic prints; these were subsequently re-photographed. The slides were bought from the Roslyn Museum by a local resident in the 1970s, who then donated them to the Roslyn Library thirty years later. Digitization occurred in 2008.

Frank Badda Collection

A unique photographic collection depicting the town of Roslyn, its mines, people, and their recreational pursuit. This collection is held by a Roslyn community member Frank Schuchman, whose grandfather Frank Badda took many of the photos during his employment as Superintendent of Mines for the Northwest Improvement Company. Some of the photographs are part of the Northwest Improvement Company's official record and provide a detailed look at mine operations and equipment (much of which was designed, drafted, and patented by Badda himself, then manufactured on-location); others are less formal photographs of everyday life in Roslyn. In 2011-2012, the Roslyn Public Library digitized a small portion of the collection, describing the images with help from Mr. Schuchman and local history experts.

Rights & Use

Some of the items in the Roslyn Heritage collection are under protection of copyright. Please contact the Roslyn Public Library to inquire about necessary permissions to use the items in this collection.

By the use of these digital images and texts, users agree to the following:

Materials may not be used for any commercial purpose without prior written permission from the copyright holder and/or owning institution. The Washington State Library does not have authority to grant such permission; please contact the Roslyn Public Library.
Materials may be used for purposes of research, teaching, and private study. You must contact the holding institution and/or copyright owner for permission related to other uses.
Credit must be given to the contributing institutions (e.g., 'Photo courtesy of the Roslyn Public Library.').
Materials may not be re-published in print or electronic form without prior written permission from the holding institution and/or copyright owner.
Materials may not be mounted on an additional server for public use, or for use by a set of subscribers without written permission from the holding institution and/or copyright owner.

View the Washington Rural Heritage Rights & Use Statement for additional information.

About the Roslyn Public Library

"The Roslyn Public Library was founded in 1898 and was the first public library in Kittitas County. Originally located at First and Pennsylvania, the current site of Roslyn's administrative offices, the library relocated in the early 1900s to the old Roslyn Athletic Club. The Club building, just one block south on First Street, was owned by the 'Company', and was initially used by the miners."

—from "A Roslyn Repast: A collection of recipes from our readers and riders," Roslyn Riders/Friends of the Roslyn Library, 2002, Morris Press Cookbooks.

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